Contemporary Connections – Your American Dream

Changes to a Country

The American Dream has always been a driving force in both the history and development of American culture and literature. It is only natural then that changes and upheavals to the foundations of the country would also be manifested in the perceived concept of that American Dream. As the country and world experienced social, political, and cultural changes, the life goals to which all people aspired changed as well. The idea of America as a New Eden, a land of limitless resources, was no longer feasible in the early 20th century.

The outbreak of World War I left Americans reeling, no longer feeling safe and untouchable from the conflicts and strife across the Atlantic Ocean. In an attempt to regain the innocence lost with global conflict, Americans launched themselves full force into the pursuit of wealth and pleasure. The Jazz Age and Roaring Twenties created rousing, up-tempo new music and lucrative business opportunities, and Americans were desperate to grab hold and enjoy all this period had to offer.

However, the economic crash that became known as the Great Depression in the 1930s forever changed the concept of the American Dream. No longer was America seen as a New Eden with unlimited resources and possibilities. Not only had global war threatened the new world but now the country was in a detrimental economic crisis. Opportunities were very limited during the Great Depression, and many found themselves broke and struggling to barely survive. Recovery was slow, leaving almost all Americans lost and confused as to how such a thing could have happened. Disillusioned, even after struggling to bring the country back from the economic brink, Americans began shaping a new American Dream.

The New American Dream

Today, the idea of the American Dream is as varied as the people who call themselves Americans. Parents tell their children that they can grow up to be anything or anyone that they want. Parents encourage children to reach for the stars, to try for the impossible. Thousands of foreigners still crowd the borders and wait for a turn to immigrate to America believing that a better life awaits them upon American soil. But why is this so? What has the American Dream become?

James Truslow Adams first coined the phrase "American dream" in the 1930s. How much has the American Dream changed since his time? In this interactivity, click on the shaded areas of the image to examine contemporary variations of the American Dream.

View a printable version of the interactivity.

 

Could it be that the American Dream is all of these things? Could it be that the new American Dream is more? Or is it that the dream is simply the fact that there are numerous possibilities and opportunities to achieve? How do you define the American Dream?

 

Amy Tan

Amy Tan was born in 1952 and grew up in California. Both of her parents immigrated to America from China, but when Tan was a teenager, she lost both her father and brother to brain tumors within a year of each other. Within the first year of college, Tan switched from the pre-med track to a major in English. Although she gained financial success as a business writer, she felt unfulfilled until she took up writing fiction as a passion. In 1989, she published her first novel, The Joy Luck Club, which was a huge success. The story revolves around four Chinese American women and their mothers. In her essay "Mother Tongue," Tan shares her journey to literary success and the influence that her mother has had on her life and her writing.

 

 

Contemporary American Dream Review

Now that you have explored a contemporary version of the American Dream through the life and writing of Amy Tan, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. First, read the events of Amy Tan's life, then drag and drop each of the events into the order in which they occurred. Second, read each statement and decide whether it is true or false, then select the appropriate answer. Click on the player button to get started.