american dream extra credit

Death of a Salesman was a glimpse of America questioning itself. It was the first expose of an America that existed only in fantasy, the first time we realized that maybe our dreams were grandiose, irrational and reserved for the select few. Only two other works have captured the essence of the failed American Dream as successfully: Easy Rider and American Beauty. Although American Beauty was critically acclaimed and rewarded on Oscar night, Hollywood's mainstream critique of an America that never was, paled in comparison to the low budget and rebellious motorcycle journey of Billy and Wyatt in Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider.

The film was made on a budget of less than $500,000, but was able to set Hollywood on edge and eliminate the competition at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival. Although it was produced by Columbia Pictures, it was, in essense, the first "indie" film.

The film's marketers quickly acknowledged the inherent message and utilized its American Dream motif with the slogan

A Man Went Looking For America
And Couldn't Find It Anywhere
To these two "hippie drifters", America was a dream some of us had that symbolized Freedom. Towards the film's beginning, the mostly unnamed character of Wyatt (referred to by Billy on several occasions as Captain America) symbolically tosses his watch on the desert floor. It was freedom Captain America was chasing, and yet even Billy, his cohort on the quest, has sold his soul for cash with the goal of early retirement. The pair enigmatically explore an impoverished Southwest and the failure of the hippie communes, as well as the South's seemingly unbendable disdain for anything or anyone different. By film's end, Wyatt states simply: "We blew it." Hollywood films always tie up loose ends. They don't trust us to be intelligent enough to figure it out for ourselves, but this early indie left us hanging. What was it they "blew" is a question that has been debated now for 35 years. Had the hippie movement blown it? Had America?

In an essay of 350 to 500 words, discuss the ramifications of [the failure of] the American Dream. What is it? Is it the same for everyone? Is freedom the key concept? (Or is it cash?) Is it home ownership, something tangible, or merely a philosophy? You may use references to any of the works I cited, or research your own. Have an opinion; be strong about it. This assignment is for those of you who will be unhappy with your 4th quarter grade due to disasterous AR scores or your pitiful journal. Whereas the DaVinci Code Project in the last post is to forgive an AR grade, this assignment is pure extra credit and worth 50 points.