My archive demonstrates the myth of
money and success in American society. Through my images, I sought to support the
themes presented in our essays that sought disprove this particular American
myth. The themes of Harlon Dalton’s essay are reflected through images, which
demonstrate that other factors, usually race, which are taken into account
along with merit. Providing images that demonstrate America’s consumer culture
and the desire of lower classes to emulate the upper classes shows the themes
of Diana Kendall’s essay. Lastly, using images that display the class
disparities that currently exist in the United States brings forth the themes
presented in Timothy Noah’s essay.
One poignant image in my archive is
fourth image, which shows two children being admitted into a prestigious university,
while other equally deserving students are waiting for their admission into the
school. This comic reflects Dalton’s idea of the Horatio Alger myth, which
suggests that other factors play a major role in decisions along with merit.
One can see that the two children entering the school are both white, while the
other people in the line appear to come from very diverse ethnic backgrounds.
One can also tell that the two students come from an affluent background based
on the way their parents are dressed, while the others do not. This suggests
that these two particular students were only accepted based on their ethnic and
economic backgrounds.
One other provocative image is the
second image, which displays a single wealthy man, with a wheelbarrow full of
money on one end of a plank and a pile of lower class people on the other end
who are about to fall off a cliff. This image supports Noah’s theme of economic
disparity in the United States. The balancing of the plank suggests that the
single man has as much money as the entire pile of lower class people. The
dipping of lower class side of the plank off of the cliff suggests that the
disparity is continuing to grow and that these people are about to suffer even
more.
While these particular images are
two of the more provocative images in the archive, the others also accurately
address the themes addressed by the authors. When all put to together in a
single archive, they make a strong argument that suggests money and success in
the United States is indeed a myth.
