Wednesday, December 4, 2019

The American Dream free essay sample

The American Dream is the ability of being able to start from the bottom and earn the things you need and want on your own. It is being able to build yourself up and have full ownership of your belongings and to know that you deserve what you have cause you worked hard enough to earn it. I qualify the statement that America still provides access to the American Dream to the Ã¢â‚¬Å"tired, poor, and the huddled massesÃ¢â‚¬  because yes America provides many programs such as Medicare and Medicaid to support the needy, but there are also many people who do not have access to this help and live in poverty where they are unable to acquire the basic needs of life. In America today, with debt issues and war crisis across the world, it becomes difficult to focus on issues such as poverty. People began to lose their foundation, being the American Dream. We will write a custom essay sample on The American Dream or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Studs Terkle shows the world the inhumanity Roberto Acuna was put through in his writing, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Roberto Acuna Talks About Farm Workers. Ã¢â‚¬  He reveals the obstacles that you must pass in order to get something out of it for yourself and how hard you have to work to fully grasp the gratitude you receive out of earning your own needs and wants. On the other hand, his writing expresses the lack of governmental help. The lack of benefits these workers should receive for all that they do. He emphasizes on the cruelties these farm workers go through to chase their own dream without the help of America. The American Dream requires the society as a whole working together to achieve greatness. American as a whole must succeed in order to accomplish this goal, it does not simply work with one hero, we must all be heroes in order to fully grasp the American Dream. In Barack ObamaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Keynote Address, he emphasizes the need for us all to contribute in order to reach our goals. Ã¢â‚¬Å"We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America,Ã¢â‚¬  Obama does a great job of stressing how important it is to move together as the nation we are. We must all strive together to reach the American Dream together, with the help from our government and each other. The poor shall be offered opportunities to prosper in life and programs shall be established to continue on the prosperity between our middle and upper class. America is missing one simple piece in this puzzle and that one piece is cooperation from every one of our citizens to either strive to be better or strive to make others better. And to prosper we must have that sense of greediness to always want something more, something bigger, something better. We must always want to strive for greatness even if we believe we already have it at our hands. As shown in Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nickle and Dimed,Ã¢â‚¬  Barbara Ehrenreich makes out the protagonist in her writing to always strive for something no matter how hard she has to be pushed or no matter what all she has to do to get there. In both, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nickle and DimedÃ¢â‚¬  and Ã¢â‚¬Å"Robert Acuna Talks About Farm WorkersÃ¢â‚¬  the writers make the main characters made out to be humble and poor, working out in unimaginable conditions and pushed to their limits. The characters are symbols to the motivation we must have to reach our American Dream, whether we have the support from our government or not. And that is what leads me to qualify this argument. We can not reach this goal on our own. We must all put in a helping hand and have the will and the want to succeed, even with the help of our government which is what we lack the majority of the time. The American Dream free essay sample The American Dream is the dream in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with options for each according to capacity or accomplishments. It is a dream of social stability In which each man and each woman should be able to achieve to the fullest distinction of which they are essentially capable, and to be distinguished by others for what they are, despite of the Incidental conditions of birth or stance. The American Dream Is often something that humanity wonders about.What is the American dream? Many people discover success in a range of things. There are many deferent definitions of the American Dream. However, the American Dream embraces a sight of respective prosperity, personal safety, and personal liberty. The American dream is a continually fluctuating set of ideals, reflecting the ideas of an era represented in popular culture. Popular culture can be defined as a shared set of practices and beliefs that have attained global acceptance. We will write a custom essay sample on The American Dream or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Popular culture can be characterized by: being associated with commercial products; developing from local to national to global acceptance; allowing consumers to have widespread access and are constantly changing and evolving. Hip hop Is a musical inner which developed alongside hip hop culture, and Is commonly based on concepts of looping, rapping, freestyles, Digging, scratching, sampling and beating. The music Is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal Issues.HIP hop started as a blend of late asss jazz poetry, the influx of Caribbean migrants and their musical influences and the sasss and asss political and gang cultures of inner city New York. Hip hops local roots can be traced back to the mid seventies when it started as gatherings of youth getting together for what they called bloc parties. Hip pop initially unified many of New Works minorities and created inter racial harmony, on a small scale and only for a short time. Borrowed from New Works gang cultures was spray painting.Hip Hop turned gang tags into aerosol art, and thus another facet of Hip hop culture was born. Hip hops rise to global acceptance was extremely quick. It went from local bloc parties In the late seventies, to national recognition In the early asss with Independent artists and labels recording hip hop for the first time. Finally In the rand legless when Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five went global tit The Message and Run DMS and Aerostatic went number one around the world with Walk This Way, hip hop had become global and mainstream.Through its rise from local, national, to global hip hop showed continued evolution. Initially hip hop involved the sampling of old jazz and funk beats mixed with percussion breaks. Music was spun by Dads and due to the unsophisticated equipment there was no smooth transition from song to song. Initially the role of the MAC was to entertain the audience during the short breaks when the DC was changing records. This eventually lead the Macs to start Joking and interacting with the audience, that lead to short autobiographical raps, and lastly to what we know today as rap music.Throughout hip hops rise to global acceptance, products and trends have followed hip hops evolutionary Journey. From the back to front and Inside out attire of Chris Cross, to the oversized brightly colored pants of MAC Hammer, hip hop has truly become commercialese and associated with consumer products. Like other forms of popular concert shirts etc. Where it does differ from other forms of popular music is the clothing lines, shoes, Play station games (50 Cent Get Rich or Die Trying), associated with the products. Companies have been able to exploit hip hop like no other form of popular music thus far.The range of associated products, endorsements and sponsorships are unmatched, and the attitude of many of the artists seems to exacerbate this relationship to capital. Hip hop crossed a huge obstacle in 2006 when hip hop artists won an Oscar for best song, Its Hard out Here for a Pimp (Hustle Flow). Hip hops purists have been faced with a problem due to the contemporary format that hip hop has taken. Many feel that artist have sold out. Selling out though raises the previous argument about artists relationship to capital. Is it the fault of the artist or are they Just a reflection of modern day society?Money hungry, sexist and individualist, the total opposite of where hip hop was when it originated, collectivist, grassroots and pouring out of the asss asss civil rights culture. Hip hop and popular culture are both constantly changing and evolving. Hip hops early years from the late asss-1986. This stage is categorized with block parties, live music, and unsophisticated rhymes/raps, A hip hop a hipping to the hop, a hipping to the hop and you Just dont stop. Lyrics such as these dominated the scene, until ringmaster flashs highly controversial song, The Message. Broken glass everywhere People pissing on the stairs, you know they Just dont care I cant take the smell, cant take the noise Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice Rats in the front room, roaches in the back Junkies in the ally with a baseball bat I tried to get away but I couldnt get far Cue a man with a tow truck repossessed my car. Dont push me cue IM close to the edge Im trying not lose my head Uh huh ha ha ha Its like a Jungle sometimes It makes me wonder how I keep from going under. The next era of hip hop is known as the golden age (1986-93).This period is marked by highly political lyrics from New York, and saw the emergence of against rap from the west coast. Taking up the message of the message, New York artists such as KIRKS- One dominated the scene, with highly rhythmic and political lyrics. He caused controversy when he used a famous image of Malcolm-X standing behind a window with a gun. The image was changed to him standing beside the window and instead of holding an M-1 assault rifle; he had a Mack-10 automatic; commonly used in drive by shootings and by gang members.From very early on artists, including KIRKS-One, have been concerned by the associated image of hip hop as rap, and the centralization of it. Rap is something you do; hip hop is something you live. The difference is kids nowadays, they got the videos. Rappers dont need skills to build so they dont really know (KIRKS One Hip Hop vs. Rap Sound of the Police 2) dominated, picking up the social issues prominent in the African American ghetto communities. Public Enemy caused controversy with Flavor Fall wearing a clock around his neck, symbolizing that now is the time. The era also saw the emergence of angst rap.The sound was made mainstream when west coast rap crew NNW (Enigmas Wit Attitude) released their debut album, Straight Auto Compton in 1988. The next era Just simply called The Modern Era (93-present), saw the west coast rappers and the west coast scene dominate, sparking rivalry between the east and west coast. This rivalry peaked with the controversy surrounding the deaths of Outpace and Biggie Smalls. The era also saw new sounds from the south, and north of America, but more importantly saw the emergence of hip hop artists around the world, rather than Just exported American artists.Access is similar to most other pop cultures. What must be mentioned here though is the ethnocentric view of what makes up most pop culture. Access revolves around technology, and money. Therefore very few can truly be pop culture, because Just how attainable or accessible are popular cultures to the third world? Unfortunately global really refers to the first world. Hip hop and its consumption was initially a contentious issue. Initially for artists to succeed they had to conform to a commercial sound. During the asss African Americans lobbied MAT for air time.An hour a week was dedicated to the new fad of hip hop. In order to be heard artists needed a sound that would accommodate a predominately white and black middle class audience. This paved the way for the non-confrontational, party sounds of hip hop. Lyrics had little substance, and like so many other popular genres of music, had manufactured images and sounds. But with the advent of new technologies, and emerging alternate labels, hip hop fought back, and the media and powers that be were unable to stop the ambush of hip hops political and against rap movements. This leads to the next point, and is probably more relevant to todays music more so than ever: Just who intros hip hop/ popular music? Throughout hip hops emergence and evolution, there was a clear line even within commercial/ successful acts of those with a political nature, and those with Just an old school party sound. Within contemporary hip hop, what has been removed on a commercial level has been the success of artists/ acts with that social and political message.Who shot baggy smalls if we dont get them they goanna get us all Im down for running on them (blurred) in they city hall We ride for hall all ma dads stay real Dont thank these record deals going feed your seeds and pay your bills Because they to Masc. get a little bit of love and think they hot Talking bout how much money they got All hall records sound the same Im sick of that fake thug r;b rap scenario all day on the radio Same scenes in the video, maintains material Hall dont hear me too These record labels slang o ur tapes like dope You could be next in line to sign and still be writing rhymes and broke Youd rather have a Lexus or Justice A beamer or necklace or freedom Inning like me dont playa hate I Just stay awake Its real hip hop, and it dont stop till we get the pop pop off the block (Dead Perez Lets get Free) These lyrics demonstrate the struggle between the artists to have individual freedom yet the reality of the struggle between company and recording artists. The Dead Perez are highly critical of commercial hip hop and its tried methods. Dead Perez are a very well respected crew, but because of the highly political and confrontational nature of their music remain behind the curtain. They are the perfect example of control by big corporations and the media. They have been shut out of popular music because of their highly critical stance on popular music. A perfect case study for control of Hip pop music and Heros and Villains and Mythology is to examine the career of Outpace. Tubas short career saw him covered in controversy, yet he still remains as popular today, ten years after his death. In the eyes of youth Outpace is more than a rap star, he is a thug, he is a musician, he is a social commentator, a poet, and he is relevant. Love him or hate him, Outpace brought the confrontational political nature of Hip Hop back into the mainstream. American authorities attempted to ban Tubas first two albums, as his mothers Panther legacy came shining through his song lyrics.Outpace alike about confronting police harassment and bullying, drugs and crime, and of course social issues relevant to not Just disenfranchised African Americans, but many of the worlds poor and disenfranchised. Songs like Breads got a baby talked of the struggles of a teenage mother, and her having to come to grips with the reality of her situation. The song is based on events reported in a newspaper in America, Brenda didnt know what to throw away and what to keep; she wrapped the baby up and threw it in the trash heap But his social commentaries extend to songs about Alice harassment, drugs, violence and life in the poorest of Americas black neighborhoods. Keep yea Head Up is a song dedicated to African American women, and the hardships they face due to sexism and racism, but the list goes on.. . White Mans World is another song Outpace writes for his black sisters critiquing the system, Every woman in America especially black, bear with me cant you see that we under attack But it also contains autobiographical recollections of his childhood, . Mama why they keep on calling me Niger, keep my hate up, and I wait up, pay me back when Im bigger In many respects, Outpace attempts to get them back, but by attacking the system, no doubt again, due to his Black Panther heritage. No other Hip Hop artist has had Dan Quail, the former Vice President of the United States try to have their music banned, or to suggest a senate inquiry should be undertaken.It did fail, but it saw two senators: white, Christian, conservative and Republican and a black liberal Democrat and female leading the charge in the media to have Tubas music banned. Also Tubas music was burnt and pulled from shelves in more conservative parts of the country, demonstrating his hero and villain status. This shows how the perception of popular culture is interlinked with the status of hip hop artists as both heros and/ or villains. It also demonstrates the extent to which institutional power can still influence our perception, access and control of popular culture. Finally Outpace can also be used to investigate mythology. The nature of his certain popular cultures. The best example of mythology is the east coast, west coast rivalries, or the rap wars.Outpace, born on the east coast but who later moved to California, was allegedly shot by artists from the New York scene. This created hydrology, and competition between the east and west coast of America. A clear line was drawn and fans started to align themselves with either artists from the East or West Coast. This demonstrates the control the media can exercise over popular culture as the rivalry was only between Outpace and Baggy Smalls, but because of media hype, it became a rivalry between two major labels, and then two rival scenes for control of the US and world Hip Hop scene. Hip Hop and its associated cultures have had huge impacts on society.What has become accepted on a global scale is African American culture. Hip Hop has evolved to become a global culture, and has become a voice for many oppressed people throughout the world. The negative image of women perpetuated in some hip hop lyrics and video clips have been an on-going negative surrounding hip hop culture. What has been apparent throughout the last decade, but cannot be solely attributed to hip hop is the regression of societys perceptions of women. Hip hop has helped to objectify women as sex objects, and has made it extremely difficult for women rappers to make it. The lack of examples and lyrics from female hip hop artists in this piece of writing is testament to this. The American Dream free essay sample In the past the American Dream was simply described as an Ã¢â‚¬Å"attitude of hopeÃ¢â‚¬  originating from The Declaration of Independence which states that Ã¢â‚¬Å"All men are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights among which are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Ã¢â‚¬  Even today if you ask an individual what their view on American Dream is they might repeat those very words, but in Herbert Selbys opinion it does not mean this at all. In SelbyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s view the American Dream is seen as a negative force that is not only self-destructive mentally but that it ultimately destroys everything and everyone involved in it. Historian James Truslow Adams popularized the phrase Ã¢â‚¬Å"The American DreamÃ¢â‚¬  in his 1931 book Epic of America. He wrote Ã¢â‚¬Å"The American Dream, that has lured tons of millions of all nations to our shores in the past century has not been a dream of merely material party though that has doubtlessly counted heavily. We will write a custom essay sample on The American Dream or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Ã¢â‚¬  By understanding this quote I agree that Immigrants from other countries see America as a beacon of hope. Many countries in the past and still today are forced into poverty and are not able to get themselves out. In Haiti the poverty corruption and poor access to education is one of the countries serious disadvantages. Two-fifths of all Haitians depend on the agricultural business, mainly small scale substance farming and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters. I feel that any citizen of Haiti in this intense poverty would love to have the same opportunities we are entitled too. The aspirations of Ã¢â‚¬Å"The American DreamÃ¢â‚¬  in the sense of upward mobility has spread to other nations since the 1890Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s. Over time the views on The American Dream have been translated through numerous authors such as Sinclair Lewis and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald wrote a novel that became famous again recently. The Great Gatsby ridiculed materialism, it was based in the 1920Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s about a man achieving what the American Dream was seen as in those times, after he can not get the girl he loves to love him in return he ultimately commits suicide. Some people base The American Dream on money leading you to happiness, yet Gatsby is extremely rich but not satisfied. I Relate this novel to the poem Ã¢â‚¬Å"Richard CoryÃ¢â‚¬  by Edwin Arlington Robinson because of the pedestal Gatsby and Cory are put on. In the poem Cory is admired by fellow townspeople, In the poem he wrote Ã¢â‚¬Å"But still he fluttered pulses when he said Ã¢â‚¬ËœGood MorningÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ and he glittered when he walked. Ã¢â‚¬  The irony in both is that even though you are seen to have Ã¢â‚¬Å"everything in lifeÃ¢â‚¬  or have achieved the American Dream if you dont have what truly makes you happy you will still be unsatisfied, also known as money does not buy happiness. As Americans I feel that we take advantage of the things that are handed to us here. I personally grew up in a middle class family. I was born into a house that my parents had owned and I attended private school all my life. I did not have to work more then any other teenager with my family providing me food and essentials. Others though might not be so lucky, but either way with personal ambition anyone can strive to achieve. Americans now have government support for the tough times a family may face and even though the funding might not be much it is enough to keep them on their feet. Fundings such as Food Stamps, Section 8 Housing and the National School Lunch Program are provided for the lower class families that qualify so that many do not live in complete poverty. Programs like the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA provide a form that can be annually completed by students for government aid in the paying of their college tuition. By having free public schools America provides a quality education for those students who dream of academic achievement. The ACS provides the US Department of Education with the most comprehensive data on school enrollment. The information provides the school district with enough funds for each childs education. Even some middle class families have a hard time putting their children through college easily. In Selbys critique he states Ã¢â‚¬Å"I have to keep getting stuff in attempt to appease and satisfy that vague sense of discontent that worms its way into me. Ã¢â‚¬  Comparing that statement with Philip SlaterÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Ã¢â‚¬Å"Want-Creation Fuels AmericansÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ AddictivenessÃ¢â‚¬  he explains that Americans Ã¢â‚¬Å"Naturally are restless, inventive and dissatisfied. Ã¢â‚¬  In his opinion we look for a quick fix with immediate effects and a constant state of wanting. Proving that even if we achieve our own Ã¢â‚¬Å"American DreamÃ¢â‚¬  the constant wanting will never leave the satisfied sensation inside us. In a way I do agree with SlaterÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s argument because as humans I believe that we are never truly satisfied with what we have. Even when we achieve our greatest then we are still emotionally dissatisfied. In the United States we are always trying to make things bigger and better, the newest cars the best jewelry americans will always need more even when they are financially secure. Providing the American Dream is just an imaginary goal for many, I do believe the American Dream is still physically able to achieve today, Although mentally I dont think it is possible. An American can have the house, the car, the job and the economic comfort but they will never see that as enough. Even though they have achieved all relative aspects in their opinion they are still growing. The American dream is definitely still alive and possible today a lot more then before. Besides SelbyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s negative critique of the mental stress it puts on most in reality it depends on the individual. I feel that America is still the Ã¢â‚¬Å"Land of opportunityÃ¢â‚¬  for many and as a country we are growing each day. The American Dream free essay sample Cadillac: The American Dream For more than a century, the American car company, Cadillac, has continually served as a symbol of what a dedicated, determined individual could accomplish. It has consistently led the parade for automakers and was the first to innovate many aspects of the car. Cadillac is the automotive expression of the American dream, built for the belief that it doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t matter where you came from, just how far and how fast you want to go. The Cadillac also represents patriotism because it is an American brand.This paper will discuss how throughout the decades, Cadillac has grown as both a status symbol in the U. S. and a representation of AmericaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s consumer society. The idea of the American dream in Ã¢â‚¬Å"Typical AmericanÃ¢â‚¬  by Gish Jen is represented through Cadillac. Cadillac epitomizes one of the aspects of the American dream that people have hoped to attain. Ralph, as a Chinese immigrant, first sees America as the land of opportunity. We will write a custom essay sample on The American Dream or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Gish Jen used the character of Ralph as a skewed representation of the Ã¢â‚¬Å"typical AmericanÃ¢â‚¬  who dreams of going from rags to riches. Typical AmericanÃ¢â‚¬  begins with Ã¢â‚¬Å"ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s an American story: Before he was a thinker, or a doer, an engineer, much less an imagineer like his self-made-millionaire friend Grover Ding, Ralph Chang was just a small boy in China, struggling to grow up his fatherÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s sonÃ¢â‚¬  (1), setting the stage for Ralph as a man who gained his own wealth. Because he is a Chinese immigrant, he is slightly different than the average American dreaming of a successful life. The American dream consists of being successful enough to own a beautiful house, a nice car, and have a beautiful, content family.Because many people have come to American hoping to gain this luxurious life, Cadillac has monopolized on this belief. As an American car company, throughout the years they have advertized themselves as the car that the honest, hard working person can buy. Despite RalphÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s fatherÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s anger towards him for traveling to America, Ralph continues his route because he wants to gain success and bring honor to his family. As RalphÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s story continues, he becomes more and more obsessed with achieving the epitome of the American dream.As he becomes more desperate for the luxurious life, he begins to drift away from being an honest hard-working man and goes towards achieving success the dishonest way. The material things represented by the American dream become so desirable that people shift their values in order to gain them. Over the years, Cadillac has grown and developed to always fit the needs and ideals of American citizens. They have continually come out with new cars that revolutionize the style of cars of the age, which has intensified their success. Since the introduction of the car, finally buying a dream car has always been part of the American dream. In the U. S. , the two biggest representations of a personÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s wealth are their home and their car. Because Cadillac has been around for so long, it has become a classic American car. People of all ages know it as a classy car company. Older people remember the classic cars they grew up admiring, and younger people marvel at the new luxury styles that have come out within the last few years, such as the Escalade. Part of achieving the American dream is being a part of the upper class or upper middle class.Although the U. S. has strived to create a classless society, classes always exist. Being within the upper class range involves living without stress from money problems. One of the main reasons the American dream has come to exist is the desire for the unfortunate to relieve their stress from money problems. The meaning behind the song, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Fast CarÃ¢â‚¬  by Tracy Chapman can also be elicited through Cadillac. She sings about her own desire for the American dream with hope, Ã¢â‚¬ËœI know things will get better. YouÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll find work and IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll get promoted. WeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll move out of the shelter.Buy a big house and live in the suburbs. You got a fast carÃ¢â‚¬â„¢. ChapmanÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s song became very popular because of how relatable it is, proving how common the hope to have a wealthy lifestyle has always been. She dreams of buying a fast car, being promoted to a job that pays the bills, and of Ã¢â‚¬Å"being someoneÃ¢â‚¬ . She also talks about how she expected more from life and wants to move to the city to change her life. These are things that are part of being a typical American- wanting a promotion and a fast car. Achieving upper class standing is also very desirable because of how small this elite group is.The upper class in the U. S. is estimated to be from about 1-6% of the population. This group has an immense influence on the rest of the population of the U. S. because of their wealth and power. Cadillac cars represent all the aspects of an upper class American citizen. Cadillac even has a car called the Ã¢â‚¬Å"Presidential LimoÃ¢â‚¬  pictured in front of our nationÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s capital on their website. Every Cadillac is designed to look sleek, fast, safe, and lavish in appearance. CadillacÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s are also made to last with the least amount of car troubles. These reasons re why Cadillac cars are so desirable to the American public looking to achieve the American dream. CadillacÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s are luxurious cars, therefore they also act as status symbols. People not only strive to buy them for their own personal enjoyment, but also for their reputation so that they can gain respect and showcase their achievement of wealth to family and friends. Jules David PrownÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s argument in Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Truth of Material Culture: History or Fiction? Ã¢â‚¬  and the argument by Carolyn de la Pena in Ã¢â‚¬Å"Saccharin SparrowÃ¢â‚¬  that human-made objects represent the individuals who own them can also be expressed through the Cadillac.Objects are often bought more so because of what they represent rather than their actual purpose. Cadillac is a great representation of the commodity fetishism in the U. S. because of their reputation as a luxury brand. These cars may be over priced, but because they can showcase the ownerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s success, they are popular. The Cadillac has taken on its own cultural meaning. Prown states Ã¢â‚¬Å"There is a sense of intimacy, of coziness, reinforced by the warmth of the nearby candles, Ã¢â‚¬ ¦a kind of security like food in a bowl or money in oneÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s pocketÃ¢â‚¬  (16).Similarly, getting in the drivers seat of a Cadillac is intended to bring on a specific feeling. This feeling can be different for each individual, but it is meant to always be a positive feeling. It could be a feeling of power, wealth, strength, agility, patriotism etc. Overall, these feelings that are brought on by owning a Cadillac are very similar. The feelings, unique to each product, that are brought on by objects, are often shared by the public, which is why certain items serve as status symbols. Items that serve as status symbols are there to evoke a feeling of pride for the owner.Having an item that makes them stand out as an individual creates a larger desire for the product. Car companies often advertise themselves as higher class for the main reason that consumers will view the cars as an item that they could buy that would make onlookers view them as successful and higher class. Cadillac is an excellent example of this type of car. The Cadillac models from the 1950Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s are still sought after and seen as luxurious cars. Each car that they have created has been made with such strong products that their cars from over fifty years ago are still lasting. The Americans who dreamt of buying the Cadillac models from the 1950Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s are still seeking after what the dreamt of once. Carolyn de la Pena argues, Ã¢â‚¬Å"items, while possessing a solid materiality, take on cultural meanings only through their encounter with human users. Because they require an intense physical connection in order to workÃ¢â‚¬  (1), cars stimulate the human mind and bring on a more enhanced meaning or representation within each personÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s mind. Different cars also have a deeper representation than other objects because they are used so often and under many different circumstances.Cadillac as a company has worked to make each car have a certain representation. The Cadillac family crest, which is their logo, which is displayed on every car they make, is designed to represent high class and prestige. Cars are often seen as status symbols because there are a vast variety of qualities. Because CadillacÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s are on the higher end, without being completely unattainable and outlandish, they are good representations of the American dream car. Cadillac is an important symbol of American culture through its effect as a consumerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s status symbol, and as an object of the American dream.Cadillac has been there throughout the past one hundred years of American history and therefore can be related to many different historical events. Each Cadillac has been an iconic symbol in automotive history because they have continually managed to revolutionize the design and powertrain of each automobile they produced. Because of CadillacÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s large influence on the automobile industry, they have had a large influence on the American public, which is why they have become so desirable over the years.

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