Robyn's+Reflection+on+Greed+and+Wealth+-+The+Dream+of+America

REFLECTION ON GREED AND WEALTH - THE DREAM OF AMERICA

As the American Dream was perverted in //The Great Gatsby// to one of acquiring ostentatious wealth, so too has the American Dream been perverted in the twenty-first century. Alexis de Tocqueville recognized the excesses of American's "love of property". So too did Robert Frost's poem "Provide, Provide" insofar as it referenced the superficial values of the American Dream. American's are obsessed with acquiring expensive mansions, expensive yachts, and expensive cars. The culture of acquiring material possessions above all else is evident in today's youth culture which seems to be centered around designer clothing, designer handbags, and designer shoes. The label means everything. There have even been reports of students who are chastised at their school for not wearing the appropriate designer labels on their school clothes. The vapid social culture that listens to music that glorifies "bling" and other superficial, materialistic possessions demonstrates that the American Dream is indeed a shallow one.