LAMP Reflection #1: The American Dream

This unit we learned about the American dream and about American society. We ended

the unit with an essay about an issue in American contemporary society of our choice. I

personally leared a lot about the American dream in terms of what it meant historically: anybody

being able to move up in societal and economic class through hard work, and achieving their

personal dreams in America. I also learned about how the modern meaning of the American

dream may not be the same as it was before. Due to the current economic conditions that began

in the crash of 2008 many middle class people are struggling and it may be harder for people to

achieve their American dream. Also, the American dream meant different things to different

people and didn't always treat everyone equally. Which I learned through two poems we

examined and analyzed in class. “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman and “I, Too” by

Langston Hughes. In his poem, Walt Whitman emphasizes the American working class working

together harmoniously. Decades later, poet Langston Hughes wrote a response poem, in his

poem, Hughes alludes to the poor treatment of African Americans in American society during

that era. In “I, too” Hughes talks about being sent to the kitchen to eat alone during dinner when

everyone else was at the table, the meaning behind this is that, black Americans were not

included in the American dream in the same way others were, because they were segregated and

excluded from society. As I mentioned earlier, at the end of this unit we wrote an essay about an

issue in contemporary American society. I wrote about school shootings. When I researched and

wrote about this topic I learned about the importance of the role of the media, in causing political

divide, and in prioritizing making profit over being ethical. In the context of school shootings as

well as other terrible tragedies the media will often focus more on creating an exciting, or

dramatic stroy which will generate revenue rather than mourning the loss of the victims and
attempting to calm a paniced and upset public. In the next unit I have a goal to get greater writing

skills, and to achieve that goal I will continue to do the writing assignments and continue to put

my best effort forward.