POST 5 : MICHELLE OBAMA ABOUT THE AMERICAN DREAM

Michelle Obama, symbol of the Dreamed American Woman

"And if our parents and grandparents could toil and struggle for us... if they could raise beams of steel to the sky, send a man to the moon, and connect the world with the touch of a bottom... then surely we can keep on sacrificing and building for our own kids and grandkids.

And if so many brave men and women could wear our country's uniform and sacrifice their lives for our most fundamental rights...then surely we can do our part as citizens of this great democracy to exercise those rights...surely, we can get to the polls and make our voices heard on Election Day.

If farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire...if immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores...if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the vote...if a generation could defeat a depression, and define greatness for all time...if a young preacher could lift us to the mountaintop with his righteous dream...and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love...then surely, surely we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great American Dream."

https://www.npr.org/2012/09/04/160578836/transcript-michelle-obamas-convention-speech ( check the website if you want to read the complete speech of Michelle Obama )

Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States between 2009 and 2017, is neither a myth or a heroe... Actually she is just a woman. As she became a role model for many girls and women around the world, she also had, and still has nowadays the opportunity of expressing herself on what she believes. 

The document I have chosen is a video, an extract of the speech she gave in 2012, where she opened up at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. The speech, so the video deals with hope and encouragement of happiness.

During that day, she revealed her desire of making her country "the American Dream" for the generation that will come. She points out the sacrifices, the strenght, the determination of many groups of people who fought in order to achieve their dreams and make their life better. She refered to the History of America such as she talked about how the immigrants managed to let behind them all they knew to improve their life, but also the progress with the first man to the moon, the fights against the depression or in favor of being who you want to be or loving who you want to love... All those people who figured to reach happiness at some point in the past as she quoted our parents and grandparents. But her main preoccupation is to raise people´s awareness of all those sacrifices and devotion and how we should do the same for our next generation, kids and grandkids and not leave them a chaotic world.

Overall, she asked for peace, love, hapiness, freedom and for all the fundamental rights of her country to be respected. In her opinion people souldn't be afraid of being proud of their origins, their genders, their feelings or wanting to be happy and living in the better place. Michelle Obama is woman who keeps the Anerican Dream alive not only thanks to her words but also thanks to her own story.

As far as I'm concerned, "The American Dream, as always been something that existed only in movies, books or for a few group of people. But now then I know the definition of it, that I understand more what is it about I can tell thta I agree and disagree with that term. 

In my point of view, the way people see "The American Dream" has changed over the past few years. It is not anymore something substantial and essential to reach for the Americans. It has lost its popularity and importance as the same time the world has changed. Perhaps, to my mind it can be still alive but with another signification. Nowadays, it still refers to life, freedom and hapiness but in a more ordinary way. It's clear to me that in the past it was all about being successful, famous, or having a huge importance in the society as you connect direclty Hollywood with it. Therefore is more about being happy with your loved ones, in your work, with your friends, in your everyday life... doing what makes you happy even if there are basic and simple things to do and still, believe in your dreams and eventually make them come true. Moreover, and even if for me it deals more with simple way of living "The American Dream" is hard to catch. In the world that we are living it, it doesn't seem to me that many people are satisfied with their life. In fact, "The Amrican Dream" is not a concept that can touch everyone in the case of, for most people, happiness is not easy to find and keep.