The American Dream - 842 Words

People from all over the world migrate to the Unites States of America in hopes of living out the â€Å"American Dream.† Most do not realize, however, that the â€Å"American Dream† is perhaps only meant to be lived out by stereotypical, hetersosexual, Caucasian Americans. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a scholar, writer and a 25 year member of the American Sociologist Society, would argue that the â€Å"American Dream† in and of itself is extremely gendered. In the â€Å"American Dream† women are supposed to want to get married in order to have a home provided for her where she has children, a man to support her, and never has to work. The men on the other hand, want a career, work every day and provide for the wife and children by doing so. Through this†¦show more content†¦These sex-distinctions are determined by organs and functions of reproduction. Secondary distinctions consist of look and action, habit, manner, method, and behavior, which distin guishes men from women (Edles 224). These have created different industries, responsibilities, and virtues based on sex (Edles 224). Gilman acknowledges that sex-distinction in humanity is greater in the female than the male. For example, man defends woman and feeds woman because women are deemed weak and dependent. In the case of the â€Å"American Dream†, the presence of sex-distinction is evident. These distinctions have led to the â€Å"dream† to become gendered based on years of labeling women as dependent and men as independent. Learned oppressions have also gendered the â€Å"American Dream† by enabling men to have more superior roles and women be submissive to their male counterpart. Women’s responsibilities in the dream are not self-sufficient and are moreso based upon pleasing the male counterpart and children. There is no room for obtaining a higher role or merit based on their success and hard work. There is no compensations for the women’s roles of the home, even though Gilman argues she is vital to keeping the man happy and stable. Considering that his â€Å"American Dream† is gendered male-dominant, leaving the women economically dependent, this affects their behaviors. Overtime, any human or animal will learn behaviors based on reinforcement. Women in the â€Å"dream† become less dominantShow MoreRelatedImmigrants And The American Dream1362 Words   |  6 PagesImmigrants and the American Dream In the article â€Å"The American Dream†, by James Truslow Adams in The Sundance Reader book, he stated that the American dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and highRead MoreThe American Dream By Kimberly Amadeo1637 Words   |  7 PagesNowadays, a large number of people migrate to the United States to work and achieve the American Dream. According to the Article â€Å"What is the American Dream?† by Kimberly Amadeo, â€Å"The American Dream was first publicly defined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in Epic of America. Adam’s often-repeated quote is, ‘The American Dream is that dream of land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyon e, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.’† There are many peopleRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The American Dream 754 Words   |  4 Pages Nyreel Powell Ms. Jones American Literature 1 June 2015 The American dream in A Raisin in the Sun Have you ever had a dream and it didn’t come how you wanted it to be? Have you ever had accomplishments that you wanted to achieve but people were getting in the way of them? 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