The American Dream

The American Dream is a common but abstract phrase. Every person has their own interpretation of what it means; for some it is a simple, happy life, and for others it is fame and glory. The definition of the American Dream that comes to mind when I consider the phrase is the traditional belief that America is a place where anyone can be successful and have a decent quality of life, regardless of where they come from or who they are. Note that I say comes to mind, not believe. To me, the American Dream is more of a sociological concept than a reality. Upward mobility and distribution of wealth in the United States rank lower than basically the rest of the Westernized world. In my opinion, the American Dream is just that, a DREAM.


Wealth is another elusive concept. The typical definition of being wealthy is to own money and assets, a good car, a nice house, stocks, maybe a time-share (these are terrible investments and I don't think they're trendy anymore anyways). However, you will often hear people (probably people who have never been without money or food) that money isn't everything. There is something to be said for the value of having your health and support from others whether that be familial or simply from friends, but I still think it is naïve to dismiss the importance of having money in American society. Wealth can come from things like love and happiness, but without money, your life is gonna be hard.


One of the most destructive schools of thought in America is that people without wealth are lazy and that people with wealth are only so as a result of hard work. This view is similar to Republican ideology that condemns handouts to people who are simply too lazy to work. The poor, the unemployed, the disabled, they are all treated as if it is their own fault that they don't have money. Society does not take into account that if you do not come from money, it is extremely hard to get a degree and break into an industry without high society connections. This doesn't even take into account difficulties that arise from discrimination and sexism. And this is why the American Dream is a fallacy, because there is not equal opportunity for success.


On the flip side, rich people constantly tell us they are successful because they worked hard. I don't really see inheriting daddy's money as working hard, or taking advantage of workers in countries without labor laws to make cheap goods to profit off of as hard work. And even if that isn't the case, the privilege that comes from going to better schools and being able to afford expensive tutors or not having to take out student loans, means that people who come from money do not have to work as hard as those who don't to become wealthy. My views are more similar to the Democratic platform, and the belief in hand-ups, to try to offset economic inequality.
The Great Gatsby is an interesting commentary on the American Dream. Fitzgerald, like myself, is skeptical about the American Dream. To me, Gatsby's success story is intriguing and entertaining, but far-fetched. Although he worked hard (although outside the law), Gatsby was simply lucky. He just so happened to find a wealthy mentor. He also happened to be male, white, able-bodied, and handsome. At this point in time, and really even today, if your are not these things, success is even further out of your reach.








  

Translations

#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

• Passive structure
• Imagery(transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect)

#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.

• Present tense
• Casual language

 #3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.

• Imagery( enormous bug)

#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.

• Formal language
• Imagery( monstrous vermin)
• Denotation(monstrous vermin)

In his introductory sentence Kafta is attempting to portray the main character, Gregor’s, initial transformation from a human to an insect; or should I say bug or vermin? Within the four translations three different nouns attempt to describe Gregor’s newfound physical state.  The choice changes the style and imagery in the sentence drastically. When “bug” is used the sentence sounds casual; even the adjective describing the word bug is more juvenile. The imagery hints at a “giant or enormous bug” which could compete with an animated creature. In contrast when the bug is described as a “monstrous vermin” the sentence suddenly seems serious. Not only does vermin have a negative connotation, the adjective monstrous suggests the character Gregor as something capable of chaos and destruction. This translation is most effective because it abruptly introduces Gregor’s struggle to adjust to his new identity.

Each of the translations utilizes entirely different sentence structure, punctuation, and tenses.  The majority of them sound a bit awkward and wordy due to their obvious translations.  Translated texts will never be as effective as the original in emanating the author’s style. This is obvious in this example; two of the translations have a casual tone and one is formal. While each of the translations describe the same scenario the implied meaning varies greatly.