“Make America Great Again!”
This four word slogan has almost become America’s logo. Why is this phrase so popular? It may be that it contains the word ‘great’ in it, and the intrinsic motivation to become great is known as the American Dream. Firstly, what exactly is the American Dream? Kimberly Amedeo states that the Declaration of Independence upholds its conditions, such as “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (2). Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn both seem to display the American Dream and success in society, albeit in different ways. Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry …show more content…
Nick recounts that as he “crossed Blackwell's Island a limousine passed us, driven by a white chauffeur, in which sat three modish Negroes, two bucks and a girl. I laughed aloud as the yolks of their eyeballs rolled toward us in haughty rivalry” (69). The racism that Nick displays to the Negroes refutes the values of the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” (2). Although the Negroes are in a better financial situation than him, Nick still believes that he is of a higher social status just because he is white. Moreover, racism goes without said in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, where Jim is a black slave escaping from the chains of slavery. Jim reckoned that “if he didn’t get saved he would get drowned; and if he did get saved, whoever saved him would send him back home so as to get the reward, and then Miss Watson would sell him South, sure” (1335). Not only does Jim state that, but Huck replies that “he was most always right he had an uncommon level head, for a nigger” (1335). Not only does Jim mention a racist subject, but Huck is racist himself, as he implies that all Negroes are stupid. What is the point of gaining freedom when your friend thinks all Negroes, your kind, are ignorant? Is there really a valid reason if people are going to inherently assume you are duller than them because of your skin color? Twain touches upon how racism also affects social perceptions regarding
This four word slogan has almost become America’s logo. Why is this phrase so popular? It may be that it contains the word ‘great’ in it, and the intrinsic motivation to become great is known as the American Dream. Firstly, what exactly is the American Dream? Kimberly Amedeo states that the Declaration of Independence upholds its conditions, such as “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (2). Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn both seem to display the American Dream and success in society, albeit in different ways. Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry …show more content…
Nick recounts that as he “crossed Blackwell's Island a limousine passed us, driven by a white chauffeur, in which sat three modish Negroes, two bucks and a girl. I laughed aloud as the yolks of their eyeballs rolled toward us in haughty rivalry” (69). The racism that Nick displays to the Negroes refutes the values of the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” (2). Although the Negroes are in a better financial situation than him, Nick still believes that he is of a higher social status just because he is white. Moreover, racism goes without said in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, where Jim is a black slave escaping from the chains of slavery. Jim reckoned that “if he didn’t get saved he would get drowned; and if he did get saved, whoever saved him would send him back home so as to get the reward, and then Miss Watson would sell him South, sure” (1335). Not only does Jim state that, but Huck replies that “he was most always right he had an uncommon level head, for a nigger” (1335). Not only does Jim mention a racist subject, but Huck is racist himself, as he implies that all Negroes are stupid. What is the point of gaining freedom when your friend thinks all Negroes, your kind, are ignorant? Is there really a valid reason if people are going to inherently assume you are duller than them because of your skin color? Twain touches upon how racism also affects social perceptions regarding