Post by echeng on Feb 7, 2016 19:36:09 GMT
Earlier in the year we discussed the topic of tragedy and how Aristotle's traditional definition was no longer pertinent to today's society. No longer are religion and faith the center-stones of everyone's life, and no longer are we naive about the vast scientific discoveries that have re-defined our view of the world. Instead, man has become increasingly skeptical, no longer fearing to go against accepted standards. Such transformation has led to the emergence of the "little an as the new hero for hero worship... the century belongs to the common rather than the exceptional man."
This same shift in paradigm pertains to the definition of the American Dream: that a common man (not only the exceptional, upper-class heroes) may climb up the social and economic ladder with hard-work, perseverance, and a little luck. When I think of the American Dream, this traditional definition comes to mind. This same definition was the one that people had during the Gilded/Jazz Age. Today, I believe that people have the same exact definition of the American Dream as people did in past generations. With such a democratic, freedom-based government and society, people can pursue any career they desire, with the freedom to work as hard as they want to achieve their goals. While the probability of obtaining the American Dream may vary from generation to generation based on the economic or social statuses of the country, and while each person's Dream may differ, the path to that end goal is constant: hard-work and perseverance. The path to this appealing Dream is what keeps the Dream itself alive.
Aristotle's definition of tragedy goes farther back in time than the first emergence of the American Dream, which allowed more time to pass and different definitions to materialize. So who knows? As time progresses the path to the American Dream may evolve significantly as well; the evolution has probably already begun.
This same shift in paradigm pertains to the definition of the American Dream: that a common man (not only the exceptional, upper-class heroes) may climb up the social and economic ladder with hard-work, perseverance, and a little luck. When I think of the American Dream, this traditional definition comes to mind. This same definition was the one that people had during the Gilded/Jazz Age. Today, I believe that people have the same exact definition of the American Dream as people did in past generations. With such a democratic, freedom-based government and society, people can pursue any career they desire, with the freedom to work as hard as they want to achieve their goals. While the probability of obtaining the American Dream may vary from generation to generation based on the economic or social statuses of the country, and while each person's Dream may differ, the path to that end goal is constant: hard-work and perseverance. The path to this appealing Dream is what keeps the Dream itself alive.
Aristotle's definition of tragedy goes farther back in time than the first emergence of the American Dream, which allowed more time to pass and different definitions to materialize. So who knows? As time progresses the path to the American Dream may evolve significantly as well; the evolution has probably already begun.
