The American Dream

The American Dream is, in terms of the existence of civilized societies, a very new concept. For almost all of human history, man has been limited to the circumstances that he is brought up in. A man born a peasant in medieval Europe, dies a peasant. A woman born an untouchable in the Indian caste system, dies an untouchable. Predetermined fates have plagued people for millenniums. The trend has been that those born into poverty, stay in poverty. For the most part, this trend is still the sad reality that much of the world succumbs to. In Africa today, it is almost guaranteed that if one is not born into wealth, he will remain in despair. 

Nonetheless, humanity is motivated by an ever-growing sense of hope. The idea of living in better circumstances, working a quality job, seeing one's children prosper, and being happy, are the things that give purpose to billions of lives. Until the last few centuries, this hope was impractical; no medium existed to carry such people to success. Now, however, that medium is the United States. A nation founded by immigrants seeking freedom and opportunity, the United States is symbolic of hope in its most basic fundamentals. What started out as an opportunity exclusive to Europeans, soon spread around the world to encompass the globe. No matter a person's background nor heritage, he/she can make a life for his/herself in the United States. My father, an immigrant to the United States from India, is an example of the American Dream at its finest; he came from little but changed his life for the better in the land of the free. 

As for myself, I was born into wealth in this country and as a result, my understanding of the American Dream is not the same as my father's. From my experiences, however, I've learned a lot about wealth and its implications. I define wealth as anything that gives one power. In most cases, money facilitates power. But as the saying goes, money does not buy happiness; and because of this, I'd argue that the American Dream is not at all about money. The traditional American's concept of the American Dream is extremely distorted. Why? Because so many of us have no idea what it really means to struggle, myself included. In the materialistic society we live in, our idea of struggling is exclusive to a fiscal agenda and because of that, we are often misguided into believing that our purpose in life is to amass wealth. Americans view poverty as a hell they must escape by turning dollars into wealth. Outsiders, on the other hand, may likewise find poverty to be a hell they must escape, but rather through hope and happiness. 

Growing up, I've been lucky enough to become close friends with immigrants to the United States. From my definition, one of these friends has very little wealth. Regardless, he still considers himself a product of the American Dream. In Guatemala, where he was born, the safety of his family was in jeopardy. He lived in fear and doubted that his life would ever amount to much. After his father brought him and his family to the United States, these troubles and conceptions of his life changed drastically. Though his family still has little in terms of material, his intellectual outlook is at its brightest. My friend believes that the American Dream has served him well because it has given him hope. His family is safe and the future for him is bright now that he is receiving a quality, and respectable, education. Thus, to those born outside the United States, the American Dream is a beacon for hope and opportunity; for Americans born in the United States, the dream is more a symbol of material gain. 

With this understanding established, I've slowly changed the idea of what I wish to become. Though I may be blessed with more wealth than my friend, I've realized that this difference has not necessarily made me happier than him. Rather, it's caused me to take many things for granted. For my friend who came from much less, simply waking up in the United States each morning is a blessing. It's reasons like this that have made him far more appreciative and content with life than I have been. At the end of the day, wealth is overrated if it doesn't make one happy. So with that, I plan to live the American Dream by following a career path and lifestyle that brings me joy... and I'll find wealth somewhere along the way. 

Lost in Translation

Translations (outline): 

      As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

a.       Diction: Use of the word “uneasy” makes the dreams seem not too bad: manageable. “Found himself” signifies that the result was unexpected and came as a surprise to the protagonist.

b.       Syntax: Only one period, no commas. Describes action “as” it is happening.

c.       Imagery/details: “In his bed” gives the reader an idea of where the scene is taking place. Thus, the reader can visualize a “gigantic insect” lying in a human bed.

d.       Structure: Active voice, narrative.

e.       Any other stylist/figurative elements: Written from third person point of view.

     Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.

a.       Diction: The use of “uneasy” once again makes the dreams seem bad, but not too terrible. “Find himself” also is used to show that the protagonist did not expect to turn into an insect.

b.       Syntax: One period and no commas. Told as a completed action done in the past.

c.       Imagery/details: “Giant bug” provides an image of what Samsa has been transformed into. Lack of “in his bed” frees the reader’s mind to imagine Samsa as a bug in other places/situations.

d.       Structure: Rising action, active voice, narration leaves much unexplained.

e.       Any other stylist/figurative elements: Third person point of view, “giant bug” serves as a euphemism when compared to saying “gigantic insect”.

         When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.

a.       Diction: “Troubled dreams” suggest reminiscent of a nightmare, denotation and connotation rather similar.

b.       Syntax: Still no use of commas or complex sentence structure.

c.       Imagery/details: “Enormous bug” suggests that the bug is comparable in stature to a human.

d.       Structure: Told in a chronological fashion, uses passive voice.

e.       Any other stylist/figurative elements: Third person point of view gives reader limited introspection into Samsa’s thoughts and concerns.

      One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.

a.       Diction: “Monstrous vermin” makes for a much scarier and dramatic description than the other translations. “Agitated” dreams supplement this style of creating fear within the reader.

b.       Syntax: Use of commas to build anticipation and setup scene. Told as a completed action.

c.       Imagery/details: A “monstrous vermin” puts a nasty image in the reader’s mind, suggests that he is naturally evil.

d.       Structure: Structure heavily influenced by the use of commas, mix of active and passive voice.

e.       Any other stylist/figurative elements: Most complex structure of all the other translations, still uses third person point of view.

Franz Kafka's novella, Metamorphosis, has been translated from German to many other languages; from German to English alone, more than four translations have been made. By looking at each of these translations, it’s interesting to see how meaning can change and interpretations vary, despite all coming from the same original text. In the examples above, diction and imagery differ amongst the four translations and thus a different effect is made on the reader for each one. Take the description of Samsa’s dreams for example. While the first two translations describe them as “uneasy,” the third calls them “troubled” and the last one “agitated.” Each of these words represent different degrees to which Samsa’s dreams were a nightmare. As the translations progress, the implied meaning is that Samsa’s dreams became worse and worse. As a result, Kafka’s original meaning may be lost in translation.

      Another great example of diction, as well as imagery, are the descriptions used to describe what Samsa was transformed into: “gigantic insect,” “giant bug,” “enormous bug,” and “monstrous vermin.” With each of these examples, the reader is left with a different idea and understanding of the transformation. When a word like “bug” is used, it’s a broader term than “insect” and as a result the translation does not seem as dramatic. “Insect” forces the reader to consider the fine details of the new Samsa: six legs, antennas, big eyes, etc. Although the first three translations use “insect” and “bug” respectively, the tone for all three of them is surprise and genuine shock. The last translation, however, differs in that it takes on an entirely new tone: menacing and threatening. Using the phrase “monstrous vermin” to describe the new Samsa makes the reader fearful of what the protagonist has become. The language has greater connotative power and is therefore stronger in its effect on the reader.

      From this exercise, the difficulty of reading translated texts is made self-evident. The intended meaning from the original author and the resulting meaning from its translators can vary drastically. Because of this, one must be careful when analyzing the author’s intent using a translated version. In this exercise, the final translation was the most effective in that its use of diction and syntax engaged the reader more than the previous three translations; the use of commas heightens the reader’s anticipation and the word choice makes the reader fearful. Regardless, this may completely contrast with Kafka’s original intention. In the German version, Kafka may have wanted this sentence to hit the reader in a subtler manner. Tone is important to an author’s writing style, yet it is often lost in translation. As a result, the translator’s tone may be the one that prevails.