Alyssa+Shoop

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Have you ever wondered what the American Dream really is? Ken Burns, a documentary filmmaker from the United States, has an idea. He was one of the co-founders of a film company called Florentine Films. Burns can be known for the real footage, and real photographs that he uses in his documentaries. He decides how it is all put together, and how it is all sequenced. Some of his films include //The Civil War, The War, Frank Lloyd Wright,// to name a few. He is important, because we learn from what he shows in his documentaries. If you look at the photos and videos that Burns uses in his documentaries you will realize that the American Dream and the aspects of the American Dream run throughout the films.
 * //__The Documentary Filmmaker That Changed The World__//**

One of his documentaries is a documentary titled //The Civil War//. In this documentary he shows what life was like during the actual Civil War. The Civil War was fought in many places, and involved many people. It was fought from the south to the north, and was considered the most important event in American history. It may have also been considered one of the bloodiest, if not __the__ bloodiest, event in American history. Americans joined together and offered their homes as headquarters for soldiers. Many places, such as churches, schoolhouses, and public buildings, became places for the sick and the suffering. Many names have been attached to the Civil War, including the War Between the States, the War Against Northern Aggression, and many more. We tend to ignore the fact that real people lived through the war, and real people suffered from changes in their lives. Ken Burns, in his documentary titled //The Civil War//, gave life to his photographs in order to give them a personal aspect. If the photos seem emotional, than more people will realize that we need to study our history. We need to analyze the American Dream within itself.

One particular photo shows some African American men picking up the scattered bones on their fellow men. They are portraying the concept of the American Dream, because they are banning together to collect the bones that can be returned to the families. They wanted peace and prosperity, which is shown through the look in their eyes. Even though you can’t really see their eyes, you can tell that they suffered a lot, and were always working hard.

Ken Burns thought, what better way to see the particular event, than with real images and real facts. People wanted to have a better idea of what life was like. They relied on the American Dream to get them to where they wanted to be. Ken Burns, in no way thought that the meaning of the American Dream was to have everything in the world. He was a well educated many with many ideas, including the fact that Americans need to learn more about what happened before 5 minutes ago.

Another one of his films was a documentary titled //The War// was a seven part, fourteen hour, mini-series about World War Two. This War first aired on PBS, on September 23, 2007. This film portrays the American Dream through the eyes on four special American towns. These towns were 1) Luverne, Minnesota 2) Mobile, Alabama 3) Sacramento, California and 4) Waterbury, Connecticut. Burns turns the film in the direction, in which it focuses on many individuals as they move through the African, Pacific, and European theaters. A theater was a place of battle or a place of action. In my opinion, which is shown in a Ken Burns film, while in the process of pursuing the American Dream you have to fight for what is right.

During World War Two the American soldiers fought for what they believed in. they risked their lives to fight for what was right. Soldiers truly fought for the American Dream. One particular photo that Ken Burns uses shows American soldiers walking up a steep hill during the war. They are all loaded with the only gear they were told to carry. They had very little armor, and very little protection.

When people are pursuing the American Dream people should be looking for a better life, and better opportunities. They should be awarded for all the hard work that they had to endure, especially during times of war. Some may not trust it, but in my opinion we should all trust it. The American Dream will always be within each and every one of us.

Another one of Ken Burns’ documentaries is a documentary titled //The National Parks: America’s Best Idea//. This is a documentary that aired late September to early October of 2009 on the PBS network. It focuses on some national parks in the United States and how the National Park Service was started. If this documentary does not scream out AMERICAN DREAM, than I don’t know what does. The national parks, when added all together take up more than 84 million acres across the United States. They became the last place for animals that had no other place to go in order to stay safe. The American Dream is written all over the NPS. They help protect and preserve our national parks, including the very first one, Yosemite National Park. Families want to protects and preserve their heritage. They want a better outlook on life.

In one photo, you see Americans visiting what is now known as Old Faithful geyser. They are crowding around the geyser like it is the greatest thing in American history. I think that the geyser symbolizes a person letting off steam due to the pressure of the American Dream. I think it also symbolizes the stress of everyday life, and how Americans put their lives at risk to help other people.

The last documentary I decided to examine was Ken Burns’ documentary on a man named Arthur John Johnson. This film was titled Unforgivable Blackness. In the film Burns describes what life was like for Johnson. His family was an average family living in Galveston, Texas at the end of the reconstruction. Johnson’s family has the American Dream living through them, because they all have average jobs, and are very family oriented. Johnson began fighting when he joined a gang as a young boy. At first he didn’t want to fight, but changed his mind later on. I think he fought so he could show others what he wanted. I also think that he fought because he wanted to change the way people stereotyped blacks v. whites. He wanted to help and support his family in order to achieve the American Dream (having a better life).

In the photo pictured above, Johnson is fighting a man. He has an intense look on his face, which shows that he is into what he is doing. He is focused on winning the fight. I think the fights he got into symbolized what he wanted in life. I think his opponents symbolized the people of the United States, and their views towards the American people.

Ken Burns was a man with very intelligent thoughts, which are expressed through the photos he uses. The American Dream will always enable people to have better lives. It will make people realize what they have, and not worry about what they can get. We have to take into account what has been done in the past, and make it relate to the world today.

//A Great American Hope: Time to Pardon Jack Johnson//. Wordpress, 2009. Website. 14 October 2009
 * //__Works Cited__//**

//Images of The Civil War//. PBS, 2002. Website. 14 October 2009

//Ken Burns’ Magnificent ‘The War’ Brings World War 2 Home//. Chicago Tribune, 2007. Website. 14 October 2009

Ken Burns//. The Civil War//. PBS, 2002. Website. 14 October 2009

Ken Burns//. The National Parks//. WETA, 2009. Website. 14 October 2009