THE DICHOTOMY OF THE MODERN AMERICAN DREAM (based on the CACS 2000-2021 Corpus of American Ceremonial Speeches)
Keywords:
concept, linguoculturology, American dream, dichotomy, corpus linguistics, corpus of American commencement speeches, commencement speech.Abstract
The American Dream is a set of beliefs that have been deeply ingrained in the American consciousness since the nation's founding. It is also the idea that anyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, can succeed through hard work and determination. While stories of the American dream generally refer to achieving success in America through hard work and persistence, the definition of the American dream varies widely, as it can be determined by many different factors. For some, it could mean achieving financial wealth, self-fulfilment, social justice or equality, while others may perceive it as a journey of failure, hardship, poverty and huge debt. The ambiguity of the American dream also reflects the fact that success in America is not always determined solely by hard work and determination. Other factors such as luck, opportunity and social networks can also play a significant role. This can make it difficult to ascertain the extent to which individual effort truly determines a person's destiny. The purpose of this study is to analyse the dichotomy of the modern American dream, which encompasses not only success and wealth, but also disillusionment with achieving goals, debt, and consumerism. To achieve the goal of the research specially created Corpus of American Commencement Speeches was used – CACS (2000-2021), which contains 100 commencement speeches from 2000–2021. AntConc Corpus Manager was used to work with the CACS.References
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Armitage D. The Declaration of Independence: A Global History. Harvard University Press, 2008. 320p.
Boorstin D. J. The Americans: The Democratic Experience. Vintage, 1974. 717p.
Bragg J., Drayton M. The American Dream. London: Longman, 2004. 64 p.
Brands H. W. Dreams of El Dorado. A History of the American West. Basic Books, 2020. 544p.
Calabresi S. G. "A Shining City on a Hill": American Exceptionalism and the Supreme Court’s Practice of Relying on Foreign Law. Boston University of Law, 2006. Vol. 86, 1335. 1416p.
Calder L. Financing the American dream. Princeton University Press, 1999. 377p.
Chasing the American Dream: Understanding What Shapes Our Fortunes/ Rank M. R. et al. Oxford University Press, 2014. 232p.
Cullen J. The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation. N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2003. 224 p.
Damon W. The American Dream Is Alive in the Minds of Young Americans, American Exceptionalism in a New Era, Hoover Institution Press. Chapter 13, 2018. 11 p.
Ellison L. University of South California (2016). URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DJaWWwITRM
Fogel R. W. Nutrition and the Decline in Mortality since 1700: Some Preliminary Findings: University of Chicago Press, 1986. p. 439-556
From N. The American Dream. A History About Credit: Lund University, 2013. 37p.
Green J. Butler University (2013). URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLQ4Tswr1Ss
Hanson M. Student Loan Debt Statistics. 2023. URL: https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-statistics
Helm E. Cornell University (2014). URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPnAnRsqia0
Historical Context and Archaeological Research Design for Mining Properties in California. Division of Environmental Analysis, California Department of Transportation, Sacramento, CA. 2008. 274p.
Honhalo V. Corpus of American Commencement Speeches (CACS) in the Context of Cognitive Linguistics: Text Selection Criteria and Compilation Stages. Science and Education A New Dimension (Hungary), Philology, X (78), 2022. Issue: 266, p. 19‒23.
Kaling M. Harvard University (2014). URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7_49EXuLoQ
Khan S. Khan Academy (2012). URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn24jP0YbTI
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Obama B. Arizona State University (2009). URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbel5MhtDq4
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Obama M. Online (2020). URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXDTmAYsFxQ
Page L. University of Michigan (2009). URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFb2rvmrahc
Sanders B. Twitter. URL: https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/732658695566438401?lang=en
Shiller R. J. The Transformation of the "American Dream". URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/04/upshot/the-transformation-of-the-american-dream.html
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. American Heritage Publishing Co./ Houghton Mifflin. Boston: HoughtonMifflin, 1969. 1550p.
Urban Dictionary - American Dream. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=American%20Dream
Zuckerberg M. Harvard University (2017). URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmYv8XGl-YU
