Remembering the American Dream

The American Dream

The American Dream, I believe, is a concept that varies significantly from person to person. Just like dreams that happen when people fall asleep, the American Dream is unique. It is unique in the fact that some people follow it and others do not, however, I believe that each person has some sort of American Dream. Weather they admit to this dream, or not, it resides in each and every individual in the world. The American Dream might be perceived by the American public as the idea to gain power, and to become successful through monetary value. Even though that may be true for some people, I do not agree that this is the theme that the American Dream consist of. Rather, it is success that is unique to each individual. Success in relationships, living a happy life, having a career that they are proud of, or having fun in every aspect of life; these are only some examples of what the American Dream may consist of.

Personally, the concept of the American Dream consisting solely in monetary wealth is not what I interpret it as. Wealth, in my eyes, is defined as any value that one consists of in a large quantity or quality. This value is not limited to money; wealth can be associated with a multitude of things. In my own life I do categorize myself as being wealthy in money, however, I hold greater value in the wealth I have in great relationships, family, religion, and overall life that I live everyday. I do understand the privilege I have as a white upper-middle class citizen.The concept of people living without food on a daily basis and living in constant fear is extremely troublesome. Especially since I see such a high level of ignorance within the United States when it comes to poverty and a lack of wealth. Rather than lifting up children and individuals from poverty I notice that citizens and government officials continue to neglect those that are not as privileged as some Americans. America holds a fascination and will for the rich to continue to become richer, as the poor continues to become more poor. The concept of becoming rich is popularized by the American media and is what I have seen become the central idea of the American Dream. However, I do not believe wealth only relates to money; I do believe money can bring people to more wealth in relationships, living a life of happiness, and fun among many other concepts. However, that does not necessarily mean that money is needed to bring these concepts. I am not arguing that it can be helpful to bring happiness, I am arguing that the concept that money is happiness is a misconception in the American Dream.

It is disappointing that I do not have a resolution to poverty, however, I believe the American Dream can be reached no matter the social class of an individual. The American Dream is something that can be simple or extravagant, some may not ultimately reach their dream, but in the end I believe that everything happens for a reason. I understand this saying is cliché, but it is important to keep faith in everything that we do. In the end, each person impacts life in a specific way for a certain purpose, and I think finding that specific purpose does revolve around The American Dream. Whether we like it or not life on earth is not eternal, and being completely negative about having a purpose in life will not help us in having a life full of success and happiness. This relates to my American Dream in which I aim live a life that is of happiness and that I can be proud of. I dream of having an impact on many individuals in the sporting industry, my everyday life, through my faith, and many other avenues that I have not yet discovered. I understand this will not be perfect but I do believe that I will impact people along my life and will reach my American Dream of happiness. With that being said I believe I am already in the middle of my American Dream and that my life goes through this dream everyday.

Dreaming about Haramabe,

Connor Finengan

Lost in Translation like I got Lost at UNC on Friday

Translation 1:

1)      Diction:

-          “uneasy” – makes the dreams seem as they were not very pleasant but not to the extent of nightmares

-          “transformed” – represents a state of not being able to return to human state

-          “gigantic” – a definitive word to describe how big the bug actually was

-          “insect” – is not very descriptive and opens it up for interpretation of what it looks like

2)      Syntax:

-          Fluid sentence which lacks commas and ends in a period instead of an exclamation point. This represents a lack of excitement and represents a natural tone that lacks attention to a specific part in the sentence.

3)      Imagery:

-          When it said, “he transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect” it creates a vision in my mind of a large praying mantis in my own bed.

4)      Structure:

-          Begins with the statement of the “uneasy dreams” and how it continued to the discovery of him becoming a “gigantic bug” the climax of the sentence.

5)      Style:

-           

Translation 2:

1)      Diction:

-          “Uneasy” – once again describes the dreams as a little upsetting rather than of terror

-          “Changed” – a more casual word choice and can be seen as a temporary state

-          “bug” – open up to interpretation, less descriptive than insect in my opinion

-          “giant” – very large, draws comparisons to a “giant” in the literal sense

-          “Gregory” – a more English interpretation on his name

2)      Syntax:

-          Fluid, short sentence, does not have any commas and has a period to end. This represents a more casual tone to the sentence.

3)      Imagery:

-          Makes me think of myself waking up as a bug, but more or a bug in the sense of a ladybug rather than an insect like a praying mantis.

4)      Structure:

-          Began with his name and ended with him becoming a bug, does not have many details and is very straight forward.

5)      Style:

-          The style of the sentence seems to be in the most literal sense of interpretation and a very ordinary, English, interpretation of the sentence.

Translation 3:

1)      Diction:

-          “transformed” – represents a state of not being able to return to human state

-          “enormous” – another descriptive word to describe how large the bug is

-          “troubled” – explains how the dreams were of more worry and contemplation rather than a nightmare

-          “Bug”- open up to interpretation, less descriptive than insect in my opinion

2)      Syntax:

-          Still a fluid sentence without separation in commas or other grammar techniques

3)      Imagery:

-          I can physically notice an “enormous bug” in a sense that is similar to that of the second translation.

4)      Structure:

-          Reflects upon how this event happened in the past and is chronological in its description

5)      Style:

-          A more complicated description of the event and is less straight forward than that of the second translation.

Translation 4:

1)      Diction:

-          “agitated” – description of the dreams in a sense of discomfort and pissed off  

-          “upon awakening” – a more structured use of words and is not a casual or natural word choice

-          “monstrous” – describes the “vermin” negatively and scary, rather than describing the size of the creature

-          “vermin” -  a more problematic description in how this creature is parasitic (negative connotation)

2)      Syntax:

-          Use of multiple commas to separate the sentence and draw attention to each specific section of the sentence. This draws significance to the event.

3)      Imagery:

-          Makes me imagine a creature more so than a bug or insect in a bed. Through this imagery I can see a fearful tension in Gregor’s discovery.

4)      Structure:

-          The structure begins with the awakening of Gregor and continues to his discovery of becoming a “vermin”

5)      Style:

-          The sentence is meticulous in its nature to represent the event in a way that does not seem to care about the literal translation of the original sentence.

In analyzing the differing translations in the novella “Metamorhpis”, I was able to understand the complications of translating a sentence from one language to another. Through these differing translations, I cannot clearly understand the intent of the author in his selective sentence. This sentence seems to be significant in explaining how Gregor Samsa discovered he was now some sort of insect or bug. However, because of the contrast in the translations I cannot clearly depict if Gregor was turned into a bug, insect or vermin. This is only one example of the alteration in diction between the sentences. This then effects my own interpretation and how I imagine what this creature looks like. Also, the variation in the sentences continues in how each sentence differs in the use of syntax. When I began comparing translation 4 to translation 2; I realized translation 4 uses a syntax that includes multiple commas that separate the sentence. However, in translation 2 it is straight forward and does not use any commas to separate the sentence. In my opinion, sentences that use commas help draw attention to the reader and determines which parts of the sentence are significant.

Furthermore, in discussing the differences of the translations, the overall importance in contrast is because of the message that each portray. Based on the contrasts in diction, syntax, punctuation, and imagery the message differs in each translation. By using different literary techniques, the sentence then determines its own message. This is because the overall mood of the sentences differs based on the elements in each, this also contributes to the effectiveness of the translations. In my opinion, the fourth translation was the most effective and the best representation of the original sentence. This is because of the overall development and use of literary devices throughout the sentence. The imagery that I was able to see was more vivid and exciting than that of the other translations. This imagery was effective based on the use of diction in the words “monstrous”, “agitated” and “vermin”. Through this word choice I was clearly able to see a developed image in comparison to that of the word choice in the other translations, like “giant”, “uneasy” and “bug”, among others. However, in reading these translations I could see the difficulty in understanding which translation fits best in the author’s overall purpose. Each translation presents a mood that is original, which is another reason why I enjoy the fourth translation the most. The tone presented is of a more serious and tense nature than that of the others. I was able to determine this through the contrast in the use of commas, as stated in the comparison of the second and fourth translations. In all, these translations determine their own unique interpretation of the original sentence in “Metamorphis” effecting the overall conclusion the reader is able to determine.

Haramabe's death is lost in translation from the language of the gorillas, 

Connor Finnegan