Spaces and exchanges : the American Dream

SPACES AND EXCHANGES

Explorations and discoveries of new spaces mark history. The discoveries are constantly growing and it is becoming easier to talk to the rest of the world. With globalization and new technologies, we can communicate with a friend on the other side of the world or sign an online petition on the disappearance of an undersea animal species. The exchanges are numerous: commercial, political, cultural and increasingly favorite: the Erasmus program, for example, allows students to spend a year abroad during their studies. Finally, "I mention" in this brief introduction, the human flows between countries, more specifically about the American Dream.

Through several documents, we will wonder is the American Dream still alive? What attracts immigrants to live in the USA?

        AMERICAN LAND – BRUCE SPRINGTEEN

During the colonial times, the King of England used the American Dream to stimulate the immigration and the colonisation of North America. The first document that I chose to present is a song by Bruce Springteen. Bruce Springsteen‘s work had always been about judging the distance between the American reality and the American Dream.  “American land » deals with a man who wants to go to America because he heard wonderful things about this country. At the beginning of this song, he defines America as a paradise, where there are diamonds, jobs and the resulting treasures for each hard working man and candies growing up in the trees. That's why he decided to move to America and bring his wife and children. This description is a little bit fictionalized but it illustrates the notion spaces and exchanges because it's the typical definition of the American dream which drives people to emigrate. America is seen like a country where everything is possible.The artist has mixed points of view about America, in the second part of the song he also denounces the American dream. 

THE LOUISVILLE FLOOD

In the second place, we'll focus on the negative aspects of the American dream. The second document is a photography by Margaret Bourke-White named Louisville Flood taken in  1937 (one thousand nine hundred thirty seven). The photograph is based on a contrast between the background and the foreground. In fact, in the foreground we can see blacks people of all age and all sex queuing, maybe to buy food. I can assume this because they all look destitute and have a bucket in their arms, which means they are looking for something.

In the background, a poster can be seen on which there's a writing saying “The American Way Of Life”. This is associated with the American Dream. In the poster, there is a stereotype of a middle-class family, a perfect family. But the photographer, underlines the contrast with the title. The Louisville Flood is a period during the Great Depression after the wall street krach. the row of poor people scorn this slogan. There is no such thing as the American Dream. The power of the photography is strong, because it shows the sombre part of the United States; not everybody can live easily and the American Dream do not exist for everybody.

TWO ICONS

        Last but not least, the document that is a draw by Kal published in the economist. The main character of the picture is Uncle Sam. This is a caricature of a famous American idol, that is to say Uncle Sam. He is wearing the colours of the American flag, especially with his top hat and with the stripes pants. He has silver grey hair. He has a beard.  Uncle Sam symbolize the government and its power.

This document denounces the place that the immigrants have in the United States. Young Mexicans unskilled are on Uncle Sam’s back.

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