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The American Dream: Hope or a Mere Vision

The phrase the American dream has been frequently used now to su est the desire to achie!e" what the #nited $tates Declaration of %ndependence on & 'uly" 1(() re istered as" the inalienable ri hts of life" liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all the citi*ens of the #$A" alon with the dream that the African+Americans saw after ,incoln-s proclamation in 1.)/" but couldn-t reali*e e!en after a 100 years of it1 %n his speech" when Martin ,uther 2in " 'r1 in!o3es his dream" one may ali n a dual nature to it: one" a dream that they saw many years a o" and reali*ed only in the written law" and not in their physical reality1 Thus" dream then si nifies a !ision" a mere illusion" and an antithetical to reality1 The other !iew is that" it-s a li!in dream" a hope for a better future of attainin the promised land1 Almost e!ery African+American writer is preoccupied with this American dream1 ,an ston Hu hes is one such" who is The Dream 2eeper tal3in of his Dream Variations1 4ut" this dual nature of dream continues in Hu hes as well" for instance" in his poem 5hat Happens to a Dream Deferred: it is said that it can dry up6,i3e a raisin in the sun due to its constant postponement or else as the poem ends by sayin that it can also e7plode by refusin to abide by" what 2in calls" the dru of radualism1 5hat 2in demanded and what Hu hes too called for was a peaceful demand of ci!il ri hts+ economic" educational" professional and social ri hts at par with the white Americans1 Hu hes has somewhere mentioned about his own trouble in findin a 8ob when he was 90: #nless a 8ob was definitely mar3ed :;,;<=D on the board outside" there was no use applyin " % disco!ered1 And only one 8ob in a thousand would be mar3ed :;,;<=D> Here" % would li3e to shift your attention towards a play by ,orraine Hansberry" the title of which is ta3en from Hu hes- this !ery poem itself i1e1 A Raisin in the Sun ?1@A@B1 %t is centered on the hard life of a colored family" the Coun er-s" who had mi rated from the $outh to the Dorth in :hica o-s

$outhside for the hope of social mobility and an emancipated world1 5alter ,ee is a chauffeur who wants to become a businessman by openin a liquor factory" his sister 4eneatha wants to become a doctor1 They represent the dream of the 4lac3 Americans1 Howe!er" other than this wishful dream" there surfaces a real need for a better li!in condition away from those hettos or rattrap ?as 5alter-s wife" <uth calls it in the playB1 This is not a princess- dream of a fairyland" but a basic human necessity for a healthy and respectful life1 Thus" ,ena" the mother purchases a house of their dreams in :lybourne Ear3 with the help of the money she ets from her deceased husband-s insurance claim1 4ut" here lies a discrepancy between what is proclaimed and what actually is made a!ailable for the colored people1 5hen the Coun er-s prepare to lea!e to their dream+home" Mr1 2arl ,indner" of course a white man" arri!es" representin the :lybourne Ear3 %mpro!ement Association1 This" % want you to watch yourself in this clip from the mo!ie based on this play" made in 1@)1+ 1:/1:9. ?1 and a half minute lon B>1 :ommon bac3 round not race now1 $o the white Americans too ha!e their dream but to be fulfilled only at the cost of the blac3 Americans- dream1 %n his speech" 2in spea3s of brotherhood as a solid roc3 a ainst racial pre8udices1 4ut" what the white people li3e Mr1 ,indner has instead is a crippled form of brotherhood where racism operates in a humble way" as 4eneatha also puts it in the play1 >11 Michael 'ac3son" %-m reminded of his son 4lac3 or 5hite1 %n the lyrics a line oes li3e this" Don-t tell me you a ree with me when % saw you 3ic3in dirt in my eye1 $o" a ain we find how 2in -s notion of brotherhood ets misled by the whites1 %n the play" ,indner later comments before lea!in as his proposal had been re8ected by the Coun er-s + 5hat do you thin3 you are oin to ain by mo!in into a nei hborhood where you 8ust aren-t wanted> Cou 8ust can-t force people to chan e their hearts" son1 %n his !oice spea3s the fear of losin cheap blac3 sla!es and helps and quite clearly the fear of misce enation and e!en a silent way of producin inferiority comple7 amon the African+Americans1

4eneatha later in the play while spea3in to her friend" Asa ai says that %ndependence is not enou h1 %t is not the dream comin true but a circle that continues to imprison them within the trap of racial" economic" educational and professional se re ation1 %n such a condition any man with self+respect and pride brea3s down with bitterness and frustration1 Ha!e a loo3 at 5alter ,ee-s state: 1: AA:0/ ?half a minute lon B>1 4ut" this is not his final decision1 5hat 2in tries to e!o3e in such a situation" in his speech" is to channeli*e and e!en mould your bitterness and ra e into a creati!e process and soul force instead of physical !iolence by maintainin your di nity and discipline and enerate a mar!elous new militancy of peaceful but acti!e protest1 ?bac3 to the playB 5alter ,ee too humbly and peacefully responds to Mr1 ,indner+ 5e don-t want to ma3e no trouble for nobody or fi ht no causes+ but we will try to be ood nei hbors1 That-s all we ot to say1 5e don-t want your money1 Thus" thou h 2in was assassinated before the fulfillment of his dream" but he spread the spirit in each and e!ery African+American-s heart to dream on" that 5e $hall ;!ercome1 The ni ht before he was 3illed" Martin ,uther 2in " 'r1 deli!ered a speech" titled" %-!e 4een to the Mountaintop that concludes thus: > %-!e seen the Eromised ,and1 % may not et there with you1 4ut % want you to 3now toni ht" that we" as a people will et to the Eromised ,and1 Fifty more years ha!e passed now" and many people say that 4arrac3 ;bama" as the first blac3 president of America" is 2in -s dream come true1 5ell" that would be discussed later of course1 4ut % would mention a little" in his =lection Di ht Victory $peech" ;bama himself said that the dream of our founders is ali!e in our time and if anyone is still doubtful toni ht is your answer1 Thus" % would conclude by sayin that hopes and dreams ne!er carry the promise of fulfillment" but one ne!er stops dreamin 1

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