The general argument made in this excerpt of Why the Americans Are So restless In The Midst of Their Prosperity by Alexis de Tocqueville is that the same freedom that allows us to dream and hope for the best also leaves us unable to achieve it; I agree with with the author because we are often blinded by consumerism and the illusion we call the American dream that says we have to live a certain way. More in depth , de Tocqueville argues that Americans will never be content because they are always looking for their next source of quick and easy gratification. he writes, He clutches everything, he holds nothing fast, but soon loosens his grasp to pursue fresh gratifications. (de Tocqueville).
In this passage, de Tocqueville suggests that we will always be unhappy with our lives as Americans because we dont take the time to become better from within. In conclusion, de Tocqueville believes that society will become corrupted due to its pursuit of the American dream and what it stands for. In my view, de Tocqueville is right because in one way or another people are corrupted by the chase of their American dream as made apparent in F. Scotts Fitzgeralds character Daisy Buchanan.
More specifically, I find that in Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, Daisy is a prime example of how people can get so caught up in the pursuit of their dreams that they can even lose themselves in all of the corruption. For example, Daisy is often very fickle when it comes to choosing someone to love so she leads Tom and Gatsby on throughout the novel until Gatsby’s untimely demise where she proceeds to leave hastily with Tom to avoid any trouble (Fitzgerald 82). Although Americans today might argue that they are not corrupt and that this is how dreams and freedom are required, I maintain that today’s society’s judgment is clouded by deceit and dishonesty due to the American dream meaning what we are supposed to be based on what society thinks .
Therefore, I conclude that we are restless because of all the options we are given, making us chase after everything we find appealing always afraid that we might miss out on something greater restless in the midst of abundance. (de Tocqueville)
i need that to be in smarter words
