As I mentioned in my previous Ireland series of posts, Obama planned, and now has visited Ireland in his tour of Europe. When I was visiting there, months in advance to his visit, many Irish were very excited for his visit, declaring he has Irish roots. He visited May 23rd and was welcomed with open arms. During his visit, Obama traced his roots and discovered that his grandfather's grandfather originated in Moneygall, Ireland. After enjoying a pint of Guinness there, Obama made his way to Dublin to give a speech.
His speech was very positive and focused on the American Dream- which we discussed in great depth today in class. He recognized that a large perecentage of Americans have Irish ancestry, which can be credited to the inspiration the American Dream provided for Irish (as well as other) immigrants to migrate to the US.
For a visual recording of the speech go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngwyKsUg9Ms
Obama defined the American Dream in a variety of ways saying immigrants left "behind all they knew in hopes that something better lay over the horizon" they had, "...faith in America" which was seen as "a place where you could be prosperous, you could be free, to think, and talk, and worship as you pleased, a place where you could make it if you tried." I think his definition agrees with much of what we were saying in class. This dream extends beyond material wealth to social freedoms and ultimately happiness.
A summary article quotes Irish Taoiseach, or prime minister, Edna Kenny. "Today, the 44th president comes home," he said "He doesn't just speak the American dream. He is the American dream."
The idea of one person representing the American Dream also relates to class discussions. Is it possible for Obama to represent the American Dream even though he grew up with wealth and did not follow the "rags to riches" trend we've highlighted in class?
P.S. If you listen to the whole speech, you'll even catch a pretty interesting Freddy D. reference!
I think it is really interesting that Obama defines the American Dream as more than just attaining money. In class, we seemed to come to the consensus that the American Dream is based solely on becoming richer. Considering Obama's upper-class childhood (he traveled the world and attended a few private schools), do you think the reason he believes the American Dream is defined by more than money to make it appear as if he is eligible to live it?
ReplyDeleteCarolyn,
ReplyDeleteFantastic connection of news and class content. Your thoroughness is unmatched, as evidenced by your Frederick Douglass catch!
It seems that the Irish "buy" the American myth as much as anyone else!