Throughout the relatively young history of the United States of America, citizens and immigrants often possessed the dream of living a comfortable and financially secure life. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald describes an era, the roaring twenties, in which attainment of this dream was possible. On the contrary, Lev Grossman, author of “Grow Up? Not So Fast,” manages to inform readers about the severe debt and pressure current college students face as a result of attending college and possessing credit cards. Similarly, in “Higher Ed, Inc.,” James Twitchell successfully convinces readers that college students face pressure to attend college due to various branding messages. With the current demand for college increasing exponentially,
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They feel entering the workforce immediately is too risky. Twitchell proves this assertion by showing that “at the turn of the twentieth century, one percent of high school graduates attended college; that figure is now close to 70 percent” (Twitchell 438). Therefore, students delay working or starting businesses to earn their degrees. They believe that in order to attain the American Dream in today’s society, college becomes a necessity. Thus, students now need more capital to start their careers as they must pay for college loans after studying; as a result, without working in their chosen field for a long period of time, these individuals lack the funds to successfully become entrepreneurs. In the long run, this limits their opportunities to achieve their true aspirations. Without a doubt, young adults in the 1920s fared far better than their current counterparts; as seen in the stark difference between The Great Gatsby and modern-day statistics, societal pressure to attend college led to this generation lagging and falling …show more content…
When Nick Carraway, a main character in The Great Gatsby, discusses his job with other colleagues he mentions that he“ knew the other clerks and young bond-salesmen by their first names and lunched with them in dark crowded restaurants on little pig sausages and mashed potatoes and coffee” (Fitzgerald 61). Essentially, the author conveys the wealth and enjoyment of the roaring twenties. Fitzgerald characterizes the bond salesmen as young; thus, the individuals, unlike today’s society, entered their chosen field at a relatively young age. Because Nick himself newly begins the bond trade, his college education had no impact on his career; therefore, college does not necessarily lead to the attainment of success. Students felt no pressure to earn grades or enter elite institutions, since they could still earn their livelihood. As the colleagues ate at a seemly popular restaurant, they must possess a decent amount of money. Consequently, unlike the current generation, they still managed to achieve their aspirations at a young age. The lack of pressure for college education along with the seemingly booming economy led to the attainment of the American Dream for many young
They feel entering the workforce immediately is too risky. Twitchell proves this assertion by showing that “at the turn of the twentieth century, one percent of high school graduates attended college; that figure is now close to 70 percent” (Twitchell 438). Therefore, students delay working or starting businesses to earn their degrees. They believe that in order to attain the American Dream in today’s society, college becomes a necessity. Thus, students now need more capital to start their careers as they must pay for college loans after studying; as a result, without working in their chosen field for a long period of time, these individuals lack the funds to successfully become entrepreneurs. In the long run, this limits their opportunities to achieve their true aspirations. Without a doubt, young adults in the 1920s fared far better than their current counterparts; as seen in the stark difference between The Great Gatsby and modern-day statistics, societal pressure to attend college led to this generation lagging and falling …show more content…
When Nick Carraway, a main character in The Great Gatsby, discusses his job with other colleagues he mentions that he“ knew the other clerks and young bond-salesmen by their first names and lunched with them in dark crowded restaurants on little pig sausages and mashed potatoes and coffee” (Fitzgerald 61). Essentially, the author conveys the wealth and enjoyment of the roaring twenties. Fitzgerald characterizes the bond salesmen as young; thus, the individuals, unlike today’s society, entered their chosen field at a relatively young age. Because Nick himself newly begins the bond trade, his college education had no impact on his career; therefore, college does not necessarily lead to the attainment of success. Students felt no pressure to earn grades or enter elite institutions, since they could still earn their livelihood. As the colleagues ate at a seemly popular restaurant, they must possess a decent amount of money. Consequently, unlike the current generation, they still managed to achieve their aspirations at a young age. The lack of pressure for college education along with the seemingly booming economy led to the attainment of the American Dream for many young