The Illusion Of The American Dream - 946 Words

The Illusion of the American Dream 954 Money can not buy happiness, relationships, or life meaning. Multiple people in society base the success and meaning of a person’s life on the amount of money they possess. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, most characters make decisions based on how it will affect their wealth and reputations. One of the main characters, Daisy Buchanan, chooses money and status over others, even if it hurts her and the people around her. Daisy’s character reveals the illusion and emptiness of achieving the American Dream through her loss of love, her increased immorality, and her carelessness. Daisy Buchanan represents the wealth and high status of the American Dream, but her image comes with a price. According to John F. Callahan, the author of The Illusion of a Nation: Myth and History in the Novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald, â€Å"Fitzgerald’s scrutiny of the American dream is sharp—and pointed directly at the heart of Am erican ideology. The dream itself is ambiguous, contradictory, romantic in nature, and undeniably beautiful while at the same time grotesquely flawed.† (Callahan). Callahan explains that from the outside looking in, the American Dream appears to be magical, untroubled, and charmed. Fitzgerald reveals in The Great Gatsby that the American Dream is really an illusion that leaves all its seekers empty and dissatisfied. Fitzgerald’s character, Daisy, shows that the people who pursue the American Dream are blinded by the fact thatShow MoreRelatedIllusion Or Dream : The American Dream1170 Words   |  5 Pages Illusion or Dream The American dream is a fluctuating ideology that motivated and took charge of many generations from the construction of this country. Until current day, People always need something that would help them set life goals and work hard for them their entire life. Up till now, there are not two people who can agree on the definition of the American dream, yet most of the Americans began to believe that this dream is just an illusion. Many Americans want to achieve the American dreamRead MoreThe Illusions Of American Dream1448 Words   |  6 Pages The illusions of American Dream also presents in â€Å"all men are created equal† in the declaration. As xxx states, it is very clear that â€Å"the white, Protestant landowners was responsible for deciding who keep a voice in the new government, but not the people†. When the country grows and their descendants gradually allow other people (from different races or countries) join the community, and give them equal rights to these â€Å"outsiders† to what they think fit. Human will naturally tend to protect theirRead MoreThe Illusion of the American Dream Essay727 Words   |  3 Pagesstruggle to get to America, believing the ancient tale of the American Dream, convinced that they will finally make it big in this land of riches. But they find out it is not like that. The American dream is the idea held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity. In itself, the American Dream is an illusion. In Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, an illusion is defined as ‘a misleading or deceiving image presented to theRead More Illusion of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman and The Glass Menagerie756 Words   |  4 Pages The American Dream is what all Americans strive to achieve. It is the illusion of prosperity and happiness. The American Dream consists of three different elements, money, sex, and power. The plays â€Å"Death of a Salesman† and â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† are about families who strive to achieve the American Dream. These plays are a lot alike and they have more similarities than differences. In America, money can get you many places in society. In both plays, money plays an essential element. In â€Å"TheRead MoreEssay on The Great Gatsby: American Dream or American Nightmare?1739 Words   |  7 PagesFitzgerald, The Great Gatsby The American Dream, a long standing ideal embodies the hope that one can achieve financial success, political power, and everlasting love through dedication and hard work. During the Roaring 20s, people in America put up facades to mask who they truly were. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald conveys that the American Dream is simply an illusion, that is idealist and unreal. In the novel, Gatsby, a wealthy socialite pursues his dream, Daisy. In the process of pursuing DaisyRead MoreReality And Illusions : The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1211 Words   |  5 PagesReality and Illusions Struggling with the separation of reality and an illusion, the characters in The Great Gatsby lived lives of deceit, which were not all as fabulous as they may have appeared. Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Jordan Baker were just a few examples of people, who were seemingly flawless and content, but truly they were lost, chasing after a dream they could never grasp. Jay Gatsby was a man obsessed with a dream of love and wealth. In his mind, Gatsby created an unattainable illusionRead More Illusion Verses Reality in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller 972 Words   |  4 PagesIllusion Verses Reality in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Death of A Salesman, by Arthur Miller, is a play that tells the story of a traveling salesman, Willy Loman, who encounters frustration and failure as he reflects on and experiences his own life. Willys quest for the American Dream leads to his failure because throughout his life, he pursues the illusion of the American Dream and not the reality of it. His mindset on perfection, his obsession with success, and his constantRead MoreEdward Franklin Albee IIi : The American Dream, And The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia?1313 Words   |  6 PagesENG3U0 Research Essay Edward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright mostly known for his works such as Who s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Zoo Story, The American Dream, and The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Albee is perceived to be a leader in the creation of the American absurdist drama theatrical movement. Specifically, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Opened on Broadway the same month the world was facing heated nuclear tensions between Soviet and U.S. powers during the Cuban Missile CrisisRead MoreHistory of America Mirrored in American Literature751 Words   |  3 PagesThe history of America is mirrored in American Literature. The American dream, the idea of equality and being able to achieve anything you wanted, meant that millions of immigrants moved to America. America claims to be a country which enables everyone to have equality and freedom however in the texts we can see it is rather a Capitalist and individualist country. The paradox of America can be seen through the fact that th e Statue called freedom was built by slaves. The inequality can also be seenRead Moreâ€Å"The American Dream has become a death sentence of drudgery, consumerism, and fatalism: a garage800 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The American Dream has become a death sentence of drudgery, consumerism, and fatalism: a garage sale where the best of the human spirit is bartered away for comfort, obedience and trinkets. Its unequivocally absurd.† –Zoltan Istvan. In both This Side of Paradise and This Beautiful and Damned, F. Scott Fitzgerald comments on the corruption of the American Dream. Throughout the beautiful text and prose of his first and second novels, respectively, Fitzgerald mocks the ghastly nightmare the American

College Benefits and Obstacles - 794 Words

College success has become a most desirable goal. However, many students struggle through college. In fact, according to the Website Ask.com, approximately 15 percent of college students receive a degree. Because I’m willing to earn a degree like many other successful students, I find that college is the stepping stone to my dream goals. I know that college is difficult, but I realize that attaining my dream of a college education will require me to understand the benefits of what I’m learning, to prepare for obstacles, to seek advice, and to create effective and reasonable strategies will help me achieve my goals. Attending college has helped me see the right benefits that will help me achieve my ultimate dream goals. First of all, I want†¦show more content†¦If it weren’t for financial aid, I wouldn’t be able to attend TNCC the first place. Even with the financial aid and the tuition, I will still have to pay from my own money which will be approximately $58000. Although there are tuitions of $58000, but these tuitions will still have to Because I’m facing many obstacles, I will seek for advice to help me achieve my goals. The saying of expert Dr.Yvonne Thorton was â€Å"Always enter a room with your head up†. This saying means that the wrong way to tell people that you are your own person is to keep your head down, that tells people that they can do anything they want to you. When communicating with someone, always try to look them straight in the eye, so that they know they cannot beat up on you when making eye contact with them. What the expert is implying to in the quote is that you are radiating confidence when you walk into a room, this confidence will make people think that you’re powerful, it’ll make people respect who you are and if you look into someone straight in the eye when you’re delivering a message to them it’ll make the message more reachable, and make you look respectful. Another advice would be the advice that my mother gave me, she had always said â€Å" to stay strong, do not let weaknesses get to you, and hold your head up†. She had also said, fight back strongly, maintain confidence, and when you fall pick yourself up, and become stronger. Also, she said not to give up on my dreams andShow MoreRelatedAn Uphill Battle For College Essay1032 Words   |  5 PagesAn Uphill Battle Success in college is meant to be a challenge. Earning a college degree proves to potential employers the recipient has not only a higher education, but also the self-discipline and maturity to overcome the obstacles standing in the path of his or her success. Many of the challenges faced in college are universal shared by the majority of students while others can be personal or unique to an individual’s specific situation. Personal obstacles are the most difficult to overcome.Read MoreExercise Among College Students : Exercise1182 Words   |  5 PagesAmericans the obesity rates continue to increase. College students are vulnerable to weight gain because of the environment and obstacles that surround them. A survey was conducted at the University of Texas at El Paso asking the students questions towards exercising. This literature review will inform the reader how exercise plays an important role in a student’s life benefiting them in a variety of ways. Exercise among college students: A Review of Literature Many individualsRead MoreIs College A Good Job?903 Words   |  4 Pages College is an organized group of professional people with particular aims, duties, and privileges. Many people don’t attend college because they think they’ll be just fine with a high school diploma. The truth is you will always be much more qualified with a college diploma. Nowadays, most jobs require people who are well educated and have great job skills. Therefore, the people who want a good job have to study hard and at least graduate with a high education. Furthermore, as technology advancesRead MoreCognitive Behavioral Therapy And Reducing Emotional Reasoning979 Words   |  4 PagesWhen we enter colleges or universities, we notice the clean-up of words, ideas and subject matters that might cause discomfort or give an offence. For instance, colleges and universities are avoiding these due to how it may cause students to feel uncomfortable and offended by a word or phrases. However, there is a therapy that can help us treat this to avoid discomfort and also stop c olleges from taking away the freedom of speech. Considering this matter, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt argue inRead MoreIs The Drive For Success Making Our Children Sick?1603 Words   |  7 Pagesencourage college educators and fellow students to adopt in instituting a half-day off every other week. This strategy was implemented in Vicki Abeles’ essay, â€Å"Is the Drive for Success Making Our Children Sick?† In her essay, she argues about how children’s academic efforts and extracurricular involvement are â€Å"eroding children’s health and undermining their potential† (par.6). Therefore, when reading this, I figured that this strategy would be most encouraged to adopt at the Madera Community College CenterRead MoreThe Present Day College Admission Marketplace1170 Words   |  5 Pages The present day college admission marketplace in the United States is part of an extensive historical evolution. In the 1920s, broadened public interest and the burgeoning of the credit industry led to the first waves of democratization in the higher education arena (Kimball, 2011). The subsequent professionalization and a growing pattern of stratification in the admissions marketplace have seen institutions of all types using increasingly sophisticated mechanisms to attract qualified applicantsRead MoreGrit : Perseverance And Passion For Long Term Goals962 Words   |  4 Pagesadversity, and plateaus in progress† (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, and Kelly 1087). These qualities of grit such as self-confidence, perseverance, and commitment to follow through depict the importance of grit in college success. In connection with the qualities of grit for college success, one’s commitment to long term goals sustains one’s efforts over the years to graduate. For example, in the general discussion, the quality of commitment is described as, â€Å"one quality, follow-through, capturedRead MoreReturning to School1026 Words   |  5 Pagesdidn’t have the motivation. Being turned down for a promotion gave me the motivation I needed. There are obstacles and lifestyle changes for anyone returning to school. The issue is how you handle them and looking toward the benefits of finishing school. Obstacles and lifestyle changes are hard to make when returning to school, but the benefits are so rewarding. I went to a local state college for a year and a half straight out of high school. It was not very successful for me. I was young, had aRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1353 Words   |  6 Pagesfor each according to his ability or achievement.† We are given an opportunity to get a 4 year college degree and to achieve the American dream but that also comes with its obstacles of paying debts no matter what. 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Improving Employee Productivity Free Essays

As you may already know, improving the employee productivity is one of the most important goals In any business. But, In spite of this, a lot of human resources professionals do not consider this field very relevant. Even though most of the human resources professionals do admit that their job Is all about establlshlng schedules and rules concerning people management, only a few of them succeeds in bonding all these connections, in order to be able to increase productivity. We will write a custom essay sample on Improving Employee Productivity or any similar topic only for you Order Now John Sullivan (2011) refers in his article to several factors divided in a few categories, which are onsiderably influencing not only the individual productivity, but also the team productivity. Employee productivity is the main leading power behind a company’s profitability and Its growth. Momentarily, the demand for employee productivity Is Increasing more and more, making this a feature that Is actually missing In todays workforce and also leaving most of the managers wondering what they should do next and what the causes are. This is the result of all the distractions and all the separate activities happing in the work environment. Nowadays, it seems that mployees are too busy tweeting, updating their statuses or chatting on Facebook, or simply texting. Because of that, most employees are not taking their tasks to an end, they are not finishing their work and they miss their deadlines. Another key aspect of this problem concerns the employee training tools. unfortunately, this aspect receives too little attention. Most of the time, the provider with the lowest costs is often chosen, even though the most effective provider is recommended. As a result, the recruitment is also poor, because of having as a main goal to minimize costs as uch as possible, but without enough consideration of the quality and the capability of each employer. No matter how you think it, the drawn conclusion here Is that the human resources department, Instead of being more Interested In finding solutions for Increasing the productlvlty, they are actually less Interested In doing transactions and more interested in cutting off the expenses. In order to increase the employee productivity and the performance of the workforce, considering the help you can expect from the human resource department, you must know and understand the factors that are influencing this rocess. Overall, taking In consideration John Sullivan’s article, I have selected the most Important 16 factors from four main categories, which are going to be discussed next. As for the categories, the first one taken In consideration Is â€Å"Foundations of Productivity. According to John Sullivan (2011), a first factor mentioned here is â€Å"High- performing and Innovative employees are the foundation of productivity. By working together, managers and human resources professionals can find, hire, grow and keep high performing employees. It was proved that the most important factor in orkforce and productivity is hiring and keeping employees with the best capabilities. Unfortunately, even the best people may sometimes need help. Without the head managers, much-needed resources and proper guidance, It’s very hard to achieve your goal. Another factor measured in this category, according to John pawns are the second most important productivity factor because they play a very important role in defining the roles and the goals of the workforce. More is the pity that many managers are the weak ring in the productivity chain, therefore most of the time not only the employees needs guidance and education, but also their eaders. The second category taken in sight is â€Å"Direction and Guidance†. According to John Sullivan (201 1), a first mentioned factor here is â€Å"A corporate strategy and plan that builds commitment†. Most of the time, a very good business strategy and planning will increase the chances of having a successful and committed organization. Moreover, if the strategy is very clear and very well communicated, your employees will be more focused and their motivation will considerably increase. Another factor measured in this category, according to John Sullivan (201 1), is â€Å"A defined purpose for teams makes roles clear†. The managers need to develop a clear communicated purpose that has to be persuasive and also has the role to make their employees from their department to feel important. Employees sometimes can contribute even more to their work and tasks if they had a role in creating and understanding the main purpose. Still according to John Sullivan (201 1), next factor mentioned here is â€Å"Team and individual goals†. Defining some clear goals will let everyone know what is expected and what really has to be done. Also, giving some heads up on some perfect clear goals will also contribute for their employees to nderstand exactly what is and what is not important. Another factor measured by John Sullivan (2011) in this category is â€Å"Prioritization for impactful resource allocation†. Establishing some clear priorities will help to better assign resources and funds, in order to achieve more important objectives. Next factor mentioned by John Sullivan (2011) here is â€Å"Performance metrics for continuous improvement†. Measuring performance in a successful way strengthens both individual and group goals. This will provide more attention, better feedback and better results for an ongoing improvement. Last factor measured in this category, according to John Sullivan (201 1), is â€Å"Effective rewards drive performance†. When the rewards are more connected to one goal, you double the strength of the message related to the importance of the Job that needs to be done. The third category taken in consideration is â€Å"Support Factors†. According to John Sullivan (201 1), a first factor mentioned here is â€Å"Team member support increases individual performance†. Only a few tasks can exclusively be done by an employee. If the employees are not working together with other people in a group as a team and if they are also not receiving all he necessary support from their managers, productivity will be lost. Next factor measured in this category by John Sullivan (2011) is â€Å"Best-practice sharing and collaboration improve productivity’. Productivity will considerably improve when the other people outside the team collaborate and brainstorm together. When the employees are using the â€Å"trial and error† method, all the growth of your business will slow down. Another factor mentioned here, according to John Sullivan (201 1), is â€Å"Support for innovation can dramatically increase productivity’. Having in mind as a oal to be on top of their business environment, companies struggle to achieve a double digit percentage improvement in their productivity (at least 10%, sometimes even goes to 25%) for every year. In order to reach this, a sustained level of sometimes not enough in order to provide a double digit rise. Because of this, the human resources department must develop training measures, good processes, and stimulants that help the innovation. Still according to John Sullivan (201 1), next factor measured in this category is â€Å"Control and authority can result in a better decision aking process†. When there is a certain balance between freedom and control, so that employees have the authority to take most of the operational decisions, at that point we can talk about maximum productivity. Another factor mentioned here by John Sullivan (2011) is â€Å"Non-monetary factors that can also excite employees†. In addition to the usual rewards (as money), the managers can also provide a few non- monetary rewards, such as: feedback on their Job, appreciation for their work and so on. This is one of human resources department’s most important responsibilities to e sure that the managers are using all of these methods in a right way, in order to increase the productivity process. The fourth category taken in sight is â€Å"Skills, Communication and Information Factors†. According to John Sullivan (201 1), a first factor mentioned here is â€Å"Employee skills and knowledge must be continually updated to maintain productivity’. Because of the changes brought by the high level global competition, the expectations of the employee’s skills are much higher. The main role of the human resources department is to develop a plan that helps in an ngoing increasing employee’s knowledge and training. Next factor measured by John Sullivan (2011) in this category is â€Å"Effective communications and feedback reduce errors and frustration†. As feedback is one of the most important strategies in the process of motivation, the failure of providing good feedback will lead to a poor work quality and maybe errors. You can best avoid this kind of situation if a company comes up with a well-organized internal communication channel (like an intranet). The last overall factor mentioned here, according to John Sullivan (201 1), is â€Å"Providing he right information improves decision-making†. In order to take the best decisions and to increase the productivity, the managers and the employees will have to use the right information and to process the data. How to cite Improving Employee Productivity, Papers