The American dream is defined as an “ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved”. Sound like the perfect dream, doesn’t it? But sadly every one must wake up eventually. The American dream is a major theme is novels and poems such as a book called The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and a poem titled “I, Too, Sing America” by Langston Hughes. The Great Gatsby is the story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for Daisy Buchanan. That is what the book seems to be about, but the message hidden beneath their love story is the corruption of the American dream. In the poem “I, Too, Sing America”, Hughes speaks with an assertive tone throughout the
…show more content…
In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby throws decadent parties every saturday night with “...lights grow[ing] brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music, and the opera of voices pitches a key higher” (pg 40) and “...behaviour associated with an amusement park” (pg 43). By the extravagant parties that Gatsby throws every Saturday night, this ultimately resulted in the corruption of the American dream. People had a strong desire for wealth and luxury, which surpassed any ethical or moral codes. The American dream is meant to be about discovery, happiness, and the pursuit for a better life. Yet easy money and social values corrupted the dream.In Hughes poem, he starts of by first saying “I, too, sing America / I am the darker brother” (1-2). Hughes wrote this poem in response to Whitman’s views on the American dream; Whitman's poem speaks of many walks of life, but fails to mention those of African Americans He purposely adds the word “too”as a way of showing that he is also a part of the chorus singing America.. Hughes says he is the “darker brother” saying that he is a part of the family, but he is different. Hughes poem calls to attention that the American dreams seems to mainly focus on certain ethnicities and fails to mention and include African Americans. Similarly, The Great Gatsby and “I, Too, Sing America” both see the corruption and failure in the American
In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby throws decadent parties every saturday night with “...lights grow[ing] brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music, and the opera of voices pitches a key higher” (pg 40) and “...behaviour associated with an amusement park” (pg 43). By the extravagant parties that Gatsby throws every Saturday night, this ultimately resulted in the corruption of the American dream. People had a strong desire for wealth and luxury, which surpassed any ethical or moral codes. The American dream is meant to be about discovery, happiness, and the pursuit for a better life. Yet easy money and social values corrupted the dream.In Hughes poem, he starts of by first saying “I, too, sing America / I am the darker brother” (1-2). Hughes wrote this poem in response to Whitman’s views on the American dream; Whitman's poem speaks of many walks of life, but fails to mention those of African Americans He purposely adds the word “too”as a way of showing that he is also a part of the chorus singing America.. Hughes says he is the “darker brother” saying that he is a part of the family, but he is different. Hughes poem calls to attention that the American dreams seems to mainly focus on certain ethnicities and fails to mention and include African Americans. Similarly, The Great Gatsby and “I, Too, Sing America” both see the corruption and failure in the American