Myths and heroes : is there a gap between that dream and reality ?

The notion I'm going to deal with is Myths and heroes. I would like to illustrate this notion through the American Dream. A society is based on founding myths, a collective identity forged around common landmarks and shared values. The American Dream is a good example of a modern myth and its many heroes have become western icons. But we may wonder if there's a gap between that dream and reality ?

Firstly, I'm going to deal with some positive points of the American Dream. And secondly I'm going to focus on the drawbacks of that myth.

I/

To begin with, we can say that any person living in the USA can make a dream come true through their hard work, their courage and dertermination.

The current President Barack Obama personifies success for the black community, he has become the first black president in a country based on segregation for a long time.

For many foreigners, America is the symbol of liberty, happiness and a successful career.

For instance in the text, '' '' Ana is an illegal Mexican immigrant who starts from nothing and finally makes a lot of money being a broker of cleaning ladies.    Shes has  achieved a lot in a few years thanks to her will and motivation.  That is the reason why many immigrants want to cross the border, they want to fulfill their dream.

Moreover, in a documentary on the BBC, an Italian American woman works as a taxi driver in  NYC. She arrived in the USA when she was only 3 years old and now she devotes her time to driving her taxi. She is married to a Sikh and her relatives don't accept her choice.  But she lives in a country where she is free to choose a husband and  a religion.

TR:  Although the American dream is a myth for many people, there are negative aspects as well.

II/

 First of all, it's  very difficult to enter the USA because there are strict laws for immigration. For example, in a cartoon by Plantu, a Mexican woman and a child are facing a barrier with a sign '' NO ENTRY'' and a bottle of coke which symbolizes the USA and the consumption society.

But actually, we know that many immigrants pay smugglers to cross the border even if they  never succeed in entering the country.

I mentioned Ana above, the Mexican immigrant who is now a successful woman. In fact, she is still undocumented after 6 years in the USA. Ana may be a hero for a family but she is not a legal citizen.  She has reached her goal but she hasn't seen her children for 6 years and she has become a stranger to them.

We can also think about the Italian taxi driver: even if she is married to a man she chose, she doesn't see her family anymore. She lives in a free country but it's difficult to escape traditions and there aren't so many mixed marriages.

Conclu: To sum up the mains ideas, The American Dream is fantastic but it's hard to get a passeport and a Visa. So many people try to cross the border because they dream of a better life but only few of them eventually reach their goal and their dream can actually become a nightmare.

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