Topic recap sheet n°3 : The American Dream & how to climb the social ladder Content / Documents : Pictures : Freedom from want (N. Rockwell) / Migrant Mother (D. Lange) Audio : the American dream today Info graphics : How Americans set priorities Text : The crooked ladder (a criminal’s guide to social mobility) + Peaky Blinders : crime to climb the social ladder Civilisation / Culture : the American work ethic / social “Darwinism” 2014 SOTU (Mad Men Reference) + Last State of the Union Address (make America great again)
Picture(s) (description & meaning) Description : - “Freedom from want” is a painting made in 1943 which shows a family lunch for Thanksgiving (Turkey). This family seems happy, merry and well-off. - In opposition “Migrant Mother” is a photograph taken in 1936, during the Great Depression which shows a destitute mother with her children, hiding their faces. Meaning : It’s the representation of the “perfect family” and of the affluent society in America. It shows the concept of “Freedom from want” described by Franklin D. Roosevelt. This picture was made during World War II so it can be a propaganda picture in order to show a vision in which Americans can hope. The second picture shows the consequences of the Great Depression in America : the migrants had to move in order to find a job.
Graph (description & meaning) This graph, from the Center for a New American Dream, presents the different visions of the American Dream that are important for Americans. For them, the American Dream is mostly related with personal freedom and with success in life. Nowadays, the concept of the American Dream is wider than before. In opposition with the “from rags to riches” myth, we can see that having more liberties is more important than becoming wealthy.
Vocabulary : English
French
English
French
The affluent society “From rags to riches”
La societé d’abondance Passer de la misère à la richesse Gagner de l’argent Le niveau de vie Inégal Aisé L’ascenseur social
To earn a living The gap between rich and poor Distribution of wealth Destitution Equality of opportunity To redress the balance To start from scratch
Gagner sa vie Le fossé entre les riches et les pauvres Répartition des richesses Le dénuement Egalité des chances Rétablir l’équilibre Partir de rien
To earn money Living standards Unequal, uneven Well-off The social ladder
Recent events, historical & cultural references mentioned in the documents -
The first use of this expression of “American Dream” can be found in James Truslow Adams’ book (1931) : The Epic of America
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Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed in 1941 four fundamental freedoms : Freedom of speech, Freedom of worship ( = religion), Freedom from want, Freedom from fear.
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“A Family Business: Kinship and Social Control in Organized Crime” (1972) is a book which describes how some Italian immigrants in the US climbed the social ladder, and thus realized their ‘American Dream’, thanks to organized crime. Criminality was the means to achieve that dream, they didn’t become criminals because they were born this way.
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In his 2014 State of The Union Address, Obama said there should be equality of opportunity between men and women and the success of the USA depends on the success of women.
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Social Darwinism contradicts the myth of the American Dream (any one can make it, through hard work) : it explains that powerful ones are the most fit to succeed in life and it is difficult (or near impossible) for others to climb the social ladder (illustrated in the Wolf of Wall Street speech : there are losers, and there are winners)
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Nowadays, some people don’t believe in the American Dream anymore. The Great Recession (2008- 2012) has weakened the American Dream, while the Great Depression had reinforced it.
Key expressions (grammar, syntax, translation...) - The American Dream now feels in jeopardy to many. - A mother deserves a day off, and a father does too. - Hard work will allow/enable you to climb the social ladder. - We have a lack of confidence in the American dream today.
Document prepared with great care by: Paul Lagabbe, Théo Mangenot & Augustine Varlet
