Elvis Presley is a prominent figure in the history of American pop culture. He made a considerable contribution in the development of pop culture. His creative work became a turning point in the history of American culture, while his songs are still popular and renowned worldwide. At the same time, the assessment of the significance of his work is highly controversial since, on the one hand, Elvis Presley has a huge army of fans who admire his creative work, while, on the other hand, there are critics, who are very skeptical in regard to songs of Elvis Presley and his contribution to the development pop culture. At the same time, regardless of the attitude to Elvis Presley, no one can ignore the fact that he was one of the person, who has influenced substantially American pop culture and his influence is still relevant. In this regard, his views on American dream are particularly noteworthy because they challenged the conventional view on the concept of American dream.
First of all, it should be said that the 1950s – 1960s when the name of Elvis Presley was renowned nationwide in the USA, while his songs were well-known for the overwhelming majority of Americans, the concept of American dream was still relevant and people sincerely believed that for some people this dream can come true some day. In such a context, it is quite remarkable that Elvis Presley had a very skeptical view on the concept of American dream in its conventional interpretation. Paradoxically, a person, who seemed to make the American come true, did not accept it and argued that it is vain and worthless.
In fact, traditionally the American dream was closely associated with wealth and prosperity and Elvis Presley had made this dream come true. Being a representative of the white working class from South, Elvis Presley had gained the public acclaim, fame and glory. In addition, he became a rich and renowned person, a symbol of the new American culture, the pop culture. Hence, he became successful and made a miraculous way from poverty to prosperity and glory. In this respect, he could be considered to be a person who personified American dream and its realizability.
However, Elvis Presley did not believe that the American dream could be limited to posh cars, mansions, clothes, and a high social status. He did not believe that wealth is worth of American dream. In stark contrast he argued that “the TV, the cars, the houses – that’s not the American Dream. Those are the booby prizes.” In such a way, he did not take seriously wealth. Consequently, he rejected the material aspect of the American dream. Probably, he was disenchanted with the wealth he gained and he understood that the fame and money could not make a person truly happy. Hence, he rejected material values as the foundation for the American dream.
On the other hand, Elvis Presley did not deny that the concept of the American dream is relevant. According to Elvis Presley the problem was that the concept of the American dream was misinterpreted and corrupted by the pursuit of wealth. In such a situation, he attempted to promote an alternative view on the American dream. In fact, he laid emphasis on the non-material aspect of the American dream and he argued that the pursuit of material prosperity and wealth have a destructive impact on the personality. In other words, he stood on the ground that while growing rich an individual is selling him or herself out and degrade. Naturally, in such a situation, it is impossible to speak about any positive connotation of the American dream. The only alternative that rests is the search of the moral balance and spiritual richness which is more important than material one.
In such a context, Elvis Presley’s skepticism in regard to material aspects of the American dream, such as the pursuit of wealth, is still relevant, especially in the modern consumerist society. To put it more precisely, today, consumerism has become the mainstream trend in the modern culture. The strife for wealth and consumerism is so significant that the very concept of the American dream has been discredited to the extent that it is possible to speak about the total failure of the concept of American dream. However, it is only the conventional interpretation of the concept of the American dream that is discredited. Instead, in Elvis Presley’s interpretation, the American dream can exist since it does not imply the focus on cars, houses and other material values as the ultimate goal of the life of an individual.
Today, it is very important to distract from the materialism destructing American dream and it is obvious that Elvis Presley absolutely right and he wisely warned that the American dream cannot come true if a person grows rich. Moreover, it is true that the wealth have a negative impact on the personality. Therefore, it is important to reevaluate the concept of American dream and agree with Elvis Presley in his views on the dream.
Source:
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