American Dream Task 2

Let America be America Again: by Langston Hughes.

According to Langston Hughes the American Dream is a dream about a country where all people are free. It is a land where everybody is equal and free and has the same opportunities.  He indicates that the American Dream is a dream that has not yet been fulfilled. People like the poor white, the Negroes and the Indians, who was driven from their country, do not have equality, liberty and opportunities in America. Instead of being a free country it is a country run by profit, power, gain and greed.

I think the speakers of the poem are all the American underdogs, whatever colour they might be.

The Promised Land: by Bruce Springsteen.

In The Promised Land Bruce Springsteen tells a story about a young man, who works hard and tries to do everything right. However the young man is not happy with his life. At the end of the song the young man packs his bags and heads straight into the storm, where everything that does not have the faith to stand will blow away – his dreams and his tears, but also the lies that makes his life miserable. The story is situated in the desert to illustrate the fact that there is no hope, if he does not leave.

I believe the song is called “The Promised Land” because the young man lives in America. America promises opportunities for everybody. It is the land whereto you flee when you have no opportunities or freedom in your “old country”. However the young man feels he has none of the things he was promised.