To "have everything"ÃÂ as Shannon has it is to have nothing. Ideally, society says life would be grand if everything was handed out on a silver platter but in pondering that thought it should be just the opposite, very few of us are handed anything in life. Work sustains life; therefore it is human nature to earn what you receive. Society has worked for everything since the beginning of time, this was God's intention and the future will continue in the same. Shannon is one of few, back in Ireland who is handed everything she would ever need or want; she lives an abnormal life. Majority of Ireland consists of people who work to stay alive, most are very fortunate to harvest enough food to feed their families and chop enough food to build their houses. Shannon has a life that is never in question, since day one everything has been easy, she works for nothing and does not think twice about it.
The American Dream, New Jersey 1991
The Statue of Liberty front shot, on Liberty Islan...
My American DreamShe appears to have it all but because of human nature Shannon has more dignity and pride then most of her kind and will not settle for the ideal lifestyle.
Shannon is young and ambitious and, sees that there is something wrong with such a quiet spoiled life, she sees the rest of the world and that there is much more out there, much to be earned and much to be desired. Although Shannon's dream of her own piece of land is obvious in the story, symbolically there is much more. Her dream of land has to do with the idea of freedom; Shannon possesses the much-desired American dream, the unwritten dream wanted by all of mankind that entitles them to options, choices and different rights of all kind that allow them to be free in so many ways. Shannon wants the liberty and independence to start over, to make a new life for herself and earn her life as the rest of the world has. She sees her life and then she sees the rest of the worlds, and understands that to have the freedom that she wants she must work for it just as everyone else has. Her dream starts with her trip to America in her quest for land. She must overcome many obstacles, both mentally and physically to obtain her goal. It is hard at first for her to understand the entire concept of freedom because of her previous lifestyle, but with the help of Joseph she quickly learns how the world works and what she must do to achieve her dream. In the end Shannon discovers that life is only what you make of it and that everything earned is appreciated and means just that much more. It is said that what is life if you cannot accomplish your dreams and look back to value the steps taken to get there.
American Dream (comics)
Swedish emigration to the United States
Claude Elwood Shannon (1916-2001)