There's No Way Like The American Way

The American Dream is the epitome of the pipe dreams that one fantasizes about when coming to the United States of America. These pipe dreams we speak of consists the make-believe aspiration with the capability of progressing into a much higher class. For some, it may be an uphill battle but it simply takes dedication, efficiency, and diligence. Curtis Mayfield, a famous African-American singer established both as a pioneer of soul music and took part as a singular voice in the Civil Rights movement. Mayfield's album cover of There's No Place Like America indirectly hints to a 1936 American billboard. The original billboard was actually propaganda to exhibit The American Dream with a typical ideal family, a mother, father, a son, a daughter, and a dog, all white. They're heading to their destination on a sun-drenched day. This technique was used to display what the real American Dream was at least before the Great Depression. Mayfield purely asserts that the American Dream is expiring through the cover of his album.

Mayfield's album cover uses rhetorical devices like symbolism and juxtaposition to illustrate the actual image and meaning behind the American Dream and why it's weakening. As one is analyzing the top bit of both photos, the original billboard delineates a slogan with the colors red, white, and blue saying, "The highest standard of living" while on the contrary, Mayfield's album cover delineates urban decay. The thought that America has the highest standard of living is disputed by the urban decay that America is evidently facing. Another comparison are the colors used in both photos. The original photo consists colors that are bright and radiant as the family is riding off into the daylight. As for Mayfield's cover, his use of colors are more dingy and gloomy with the same exact family, except the dog riding off to the sunset as if one were bearing towards a tainted future.

Furthermore, Mayfield's album cover gravitates to demonstrate an illusion of the Great Depression. For example, in the original photo there wasn't a line of people of color and the people moving the opposite route in which the white family's car is going but in Mayfield's, yes. He accurately added them onto his album cover to place the missing piece to the puzzle and to make sure the Great Depression is not forgotten. The Great Depression involved the serious turmoil of unemployment, mainly for people of color. With that being said, this portrays that the American Dream that society is looking for, is no more.

Subsequently, the American Dream is expiring and is only reserved for White people. This dream is dead for immigrants and people of color. It's simply not meant for them because the American way is the White way.