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The American Dream and man´s right to ´life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness´ as American ideals posit an opportunity for individuals to explore their prospects in life by virtue of their talents and energy rather than by family wealth or political connections and without restrictions of class, caste, religion, race or ethnic group. This book interrogates this ethic in relation to Black America´s quest for the Dream. It closely examines Ralph Ellison´s Invisible Man and two movies, Gabrielle Muccino´s ´The Pursuit of Happyness´ and Gary Gray´s ´Set It Off´ in order to reveal the dilemma of the Pursuit of Happiness for a people who live in a complex milieu. The historical, political, social, economic and psychological implications of the American ethos are probed so as to reveal the contradictions embedded within it. It would seem that only a fragment of Black Americans achieve the dream while even the few who do hardly find it necessarily fulfilling. This book will appeal to a wide audience, those in pursuit of the dream, academics and those who have the interest of humanity at heart.

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Rosemary Chikafa. BA Hons, MA in English from University of Zimbabwe. Former High School teacher. Lecturer at University of Zimbabwe; English and Media Studies Department.

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