American Doubt

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ahyi0WnvvvoC&pg=PA84&lpg=PA84&dq=achieving+the+american+dream+through+crime&source=bl&ots=8dkopoKlMc&sig=oAEi0D2OHQZ7fuhn1fbG4VwKgM4&hl=en&ei=VqLfTuWDFsuu8QPhu6XmBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CGQQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=achieving%20the%20american%20dream%20through%20crime&f=false

A Primer on Crime and Delinquency Theory recognises that crime can be a result of individuals aspiring to achieve the American dream. This theory relates to The Great Gatsby, because Gatsby partly achieves economic success through crime, possibly through bootlegging.

Steven F. Messner and Richard Rosenfeld state that the American dream is '"the goal of material success.'" Therefore, if an individual is unable to gain economic success through the legal means of working hard, they will resort to working hard illegally, because every American citizen is supposedly entitled to the dream. This definition also shows how materialistic America has become, as one of the cardinal purposes, or perhaps the cardinal purpose of American life, is to obtain as much money as possible in order to gain material items. In relation to The Great Gatsby, Gatsby achieves material success illegally. For example, he lives in a mansion, holds parties and drives a Rolls-Royce. As a result, he illustrates that some individuals are able to achieve material success through illegal means.

However, Messner and Rosenfeld's definition of the American dream can be seen as unreliable, because they have a middle-class bias. They assume that 'crime and delinquency among lower-class individuals are reactions to their failure to achieve middle-class goals.' Therefore, these theorists suggest that the lower-class are unable to achieve the American dream and this is echoed within The Great Gatsby, because George Wilson is represented as a lower-class citizen, who wishes to progress upwards into the middle-class. However, during the 1920s this would have been toilsome as arguably, the lower-class and upper-classes dominated society at this time. Yet, Wilson does not turn to crime in order to achieve, instead he works hard in his garage, hoping that one day his hard work will be worthwhile. Therefore, it appears that individuals who obtain morals will not result to crime in order to achieve the American dream, even if they are in an unfortunate situation. Wilson demonstrates a sense of morality through his religious language, for instance: 'God sees everything.' (Page 146.) In contrast, Gatsby resorts to crime in order to achieve, therefore he can be portrayed an an immoral character.

The Jazz Age

The 'Jazz Age' is a movement in the 1920's when the American economy was flourishing. I have chosen this theme for the blog as the era is widely explored in the Great Gatsby through the eyes of narrator Nick Carraway. The movement began at the beginning of the First World War and its rise is attributed to the introduction of mainstream radio. The radio allowed people to listen to Jazz music in the comfort of their own home and although Jazz is accredited to African Americans it was widely popular to white middle and upper class America. The emergence of Jazz is down to the extravegence and prosperity experienced during the 'plenty twenties' where parts of American society indulged and the music was seen as a way to rebel against traditional American values. Prohibition also attributed to this rebellious nature and jazz and alcohol helped create an underground movement of revelry. In the book Nick experiences the revelry first hand at Gatsby's various parties and instead of portraying the lifestyle positively, he is quite negative and describes it as being enjoyed by selfish people who had poor morals. Women who participated in this lifestyle were known as 'flappers' due to their drinking and smoking as well as their short skirts. Daisy and Jordan as well as a number of guest at Gatsby's parties are flappers as they are described as not conforming to normal social standards.

American Consumerism

This is an advertisment for the Lager Budweiser. This is an American drink which origins are from German roots. The advertisement has a vivid red background in order to grapple the viewers attention. The subliminal messages that are given off in this advertisement are that of; authority, power and being on top. Calling it the King of Beers is a is similar to Carlsbergs' claim it's 'probably' the best in the world. This is where the American(ness) comes out in the advertisment. There is no probably this is an all out statement of what this beer and America is. Not necessarily king but, they are on top. The angle of the picture is to give the feel that the beer is looking over you dominating you to an extent much like America does at the present time. The picture contains a presence of power and authority which is what the world has come to see of the U.S.

This Cover Girl cosmetics adveritsement i think is set on introducing 'New' and Fresh' values when it comes to beauty and skin care. Putting a famous celebrity on the front instantly interests the buyer as they believe that if they are endorcing the product it must be a good brand worthy of star quality.

Selling the foundation as 'A breath of fresh air' says to the buyer that this is the newest cleanest product on the market unlike anything before. The model has cleverly been airbrushed to have flawless skin on the cover alowing the consumer to belive that if they prchase this product they too can have skin like her and ultimatly look and be like her herself.

'Light as air feel' says to the buyer that this is a lighter product unlike the heavyer foundations that you can get that make you look like your wearing too much make up. So what this product is trying to do is sell minimalism and focus on 'Real beauty'. This is evident as they have cleverly made the model look as if she is wearing little to no make up. Making the consumer believe that this product gives the illusion that you are a 'Natural beauty'. This will ultimatly attract the buyer as every girl wants to believe that they dont need alot of make up to be beautiful. So what this advertisment is doing is targeting the audiences self esteem, making them think that if they buy this product they will become a better version of themselves.