Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Winter 12-7-2017
Course Name
Bruce Springsteen and The American Dream
Faculty
Dr. Jeanne Buckley
Department
University Seminar, Arcadia University Undergraduate Curriculum
Abstract
Throughout his life and career, Bruce Springsteen has continuously included the working class as a major focal point and theme, whether it be in his music or other works. His music provided him with an outlet to express his own experiences, as well as others that are a part of the working-class community and all that entails. His lyrics illustrate and praise their hard-work and effort into achieving what is known as the American dream, while also sheading a light on the many downsides and injustices that are inflicted upon those people. Further into his career, he begins to recognize and highlight those negatives more as he comes to realize the many people, including those in his own family, who have been failed by the American dream. Frustrated with difference between the American dream and this now American reality, Springsteen has taken on the role of a spokesman for the working-class community by using his platform and music to unify people not only in the working-class, but all classes, while drawing attention to the injustice this country has placed on those people by calling for social and economic change.
Recommended Citation
Moyer, Gabrielle, "The Spokesman of the Working Class" (2017). Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works. 45.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/undergrad_works/45