"What so proudly we hailed..."
So a few weeks ago, I misinterpreted what our professor
meant when she said to read “The Making and Persistence of the American Dream.”
I thought we were supposed to read the whole book and chart claims from the
whole book.
Which I did. I read the whole book.
It sucked.
Regardless, I found several chapters interesting in The American Dream in the 21st
Century. Pinpointing which one to write about wasn’t too hard, considering
I read ALL of them.
I was particularly interested in “Twilight’s Gleaming: The
American Dream and the Ends of Republics” by American studies professor Jim
Cullen. Cullen explores the nature of the American Dream and compares it to the
Roman dream of the New Man. The Roman Dream of the New Man refers to the dreams
of slaves in ancient Rome, which allowed slaves to achieve significant upwards
mobility in the social hierarchy. The parallels between the two are obvious, a
key component being social mobility. Rome and America are both republics so
share similar values between them. And while America no longer allows slavery,
it once did, drawing closer parallels to Rome. Cullen claims the Dream of New
Man and the American Dream are similar in quality.
Jim Cullen notes the significant difference in the Roman
Dream of the New Man and the American Dream to be the breadth of people who
invest themselves in the Dream. Unlike the Dream of the New Man, the American
Dream is not just open to slaves, but to all who inhabit the country. Cullen
claims that it is the ubiquitous nature of the American Dream which makes it so
powerful.
Cullen claims the American Dream can contradict itself. He
gives the example that most American Dreams were dreams of freedom, but the
definition of freedom could conflict with others. He uses religious freedom as
an example. The Pilgrims and Puritans wanted the freedom to not tolerate
the religions which had long oppressed them, even though they were denying
freedom of free worship. They still held a dream of freedom, yet took freedom
away from others.
Cullen also discusses his thoughts on the end of America and
its effect on the American Dream. He avoids discussion of why and when America
will collapse, but explains that, like all societies, America is bound to have
a fall apart. However, will the American Dream endure this collapse? Cullen
says yes. He explains that the American Dream existed before the United States
was even founded. The American Dream existed in colonial America, under a
monarchy. Cullen argues that the American Dream is a piece of American culture
which will endure, regardless of what form of government rules over its people.
This raises the question if other cultures have their ideal
dream. Is there a Chinese Dream, or an Italian Dream? Perhaps they do, and they
exist in all but name. There may be an ideal way to live life, but they simply
haven’t tried to put it into words, like we have tried to do with the American
Dream.
I really like this post, especially the example of religious freedom to not tolerate other religions. Typing it out seems like it doesn't even make sense, but I the idea that freedom can contradict itself will always be an aspect of the American Dream. Sort of similar to how we saw the contrasting ideas of freedom to do what you want vs be who you want that Fisher explored. The idea of a fall out in America is scary but draws a distinct parellel with Rome, making it seem very possible. I find it interesting that you brought up how the American Dream existed before America was colonized, because I never truly thought about it that way before. And it does make me wonder, was the American Dream all the colonist hoped it would be when put into reality?? Great post!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I find it hilarious that you accidentally read the whole book and I'm sorry that you did. I liked how you mentioned the ubiquitous nature of the American Dream and how it is open to all those who live in the presence of it, I think that's a part of what keeps the American Dream alive and makes it such an attractive thing to achieve. I found the contradiction between religion interesting, since religions in the past have wanted the freedom to be intolerant of religions that oppressed them yet they also denied free worship which is such a contradictory concept and I never noticed it before. I also liked how you questioned whether there is a dream for other countries, but I doubt that any dream in another country will have the history and extent that the American Dream does as it seems to transcend into other cultures as well.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I am sorry that you misunderstood the instructions which resulted in you reading the entire book. Unfortunately, college students do not have the time to more work than was assigned; however, I am glad that you found some benefits to it. As being someone who read the entire book rather than by choosing a chapter based on its name, it is interesting to see what stood out according to you. If I had not read your blog, I would not have known what this chapter focused on specifically; therefore, I would not have chosen it to be the focus of my blog. It is insightful to see what the chapter is actually about, because I would not have assumed it to compare the American Dream to the Roman Dream of the New Man by just reading the title. I also like how you left your blog open-ended and extending the concept of dreams to other cultures.
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