Page 165 - Šolsko polje, XXVIII, 2017, no. 3-4: Education and the American Dream, ed. Mitja Sardoč
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. gutman ■ the morphological and archetypal traces in the american dream
cur in the media depiction of the American Dream; (ii) to identify typi-
cal elements, and (iii) to detect any particular order that they may follow.
A detailed description of Propp’s function of dramatis personae can be
found in the Appendix. The results of the structural analysis from vari-
ous online and offline sources can be seen in Fig. 1; the reader will be able
to follow the major milestones (in each biography) that were identified in
accordance with descriptions given by Propp. The narrative functions cor-
responding to major life events of each personality are specified in square
brackets; the lower level orders of functions are specified in parentheses.
The first analysis begins with the personality of Oprah Winfrey. The
multibillionaire talk show host and media proprietor was “born out of
wedlock4” to teenage parents who separated [Absentation], leaving Op-
rah to be raised by her grandmother. Her childhood years were marked
with running away and stealing [Violation of Interdiction], followed by
hardships, like molestation and a strict upbringing. The period of her
childhood can be attributed to the [First Function of the Donor, to D8
in particular and to D1 ]5 – her biography states, that her grandmother
would hit her with a stick when she did not do the household chores.6 In
her early adulthood Oprah faced two deaths of her family members; her
half-sister who died of drug addiction and her half-brother who died of
AIDS-related causes. Both causes of death can be implicitly interpreted as
a metaphor for [Villainy] or [Mediation — B4]. After years of abuse [The
First Function of the Donor – D8], Oprah left home [The Hero’s Reac-
tion (E1)], followed by [Departure]. A year after, she faced another death,
this time of her premature born son [Mediation, the Connective Incident
– Misfortune B4]. The story about her misfortune was sold to the Nation-
al Enquirer by one of her family members and Oprah later stated she felt
betrayed [Delivery, a person betraying].7 Her gradual success in the tel-
evision talk show genre marked a long and laborious career path; these
parts of her biography match with the elements of [Struggle] and [Diffi-
cult Task]. In addition, the numerous anecdotes that formed her years of
persistent work on various television networks across the United States
correspond to the function of [Difficult Task – (Test of Endurance].8 Her
efforts and hard work [Solution] consequentially led her towards [Victo-
ry], which is evident in a series of achievements, such as “becoming the
4 https://www.thestreet.com/story/11173382/3/10-people-living-the-american-dream.html
5 Various forms of this function are specified in the Appendix.
6 See section Early life at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey
7 Ibid.
8 See Appendix: XXV. Difficult task.
163
cur in the media depiction of the American Dream; (ii) to identify typi-
cal elements, and (iii) to detect any particular order that they may follow.
A detailed description of Propp’s function of dramatis personae can be
found in the Appendix. The results of the structural analysis from vari-
ous online and offline sources can be seen in Fig. 1; the reader will be able
to follow the major milestones (in each biography) that were identified in
accordance with descriptions given by Propp. The narrative functions cor-
responding to major life events of each personality are specified in square
brackets; the lower level orders of functions are specified in parentheses.
The first analysis begins with the personality of Oprah Winfrey. The
multibillionaire talk show host and media proprietor was “born out of
wedlock4” to teenage parents who separated [Absentation], leaving Op-
rah to be raised by her grandmother. Her childhood years were marked
with running away and stealing [Violation of Interdiction], followed by
hardships, like molestation and a strict upbringing. The period of her
childhood can be attributed to the [First Function of the Donor, to D8
in particular and to D1 ]5 – her biography states, that her grandmother
would hit her with a stick when she did not do the household chores.6 In
her early adulthood Oprah faced two deaths of her family members; her
half-sister who died of drug addiction and her half-brother who died of
AIDS-related causes. Both causes of death can be implicitly interpreted as
a metaphor for [Villainy] or [Mediation — B4]. After years of abuse [The
First Function of the Donor – D8], Oprah left home [The Hero’s Reac-
tion (E1)], followed by [Departure]. A year after, she faced another death,
this time of her premature born son [Mediation, the Connective Incident
– Misfortune B4]. The story about her misfortune was sold to the Nation-
al Enquirer by one of her family members and Oprah later stated she felt
betrayed [Delivery, a person betraying].7 Her gradual success in the tel-
evision talk show genre marked a long and laborious career path; these
parts of her biography match with the elements of [Struggle] and [Diffi-
cult Task]. In addition, the numerous anecdotes that formed her years of
persistent work on various television networks across the United States
correspond to the function of [Difficult Task – (Test of Endurance].8 Her
efforts and hard work [Solution] consequentially led her towards [Victo-
ry], which is evident in a series of achievements, such as “becoming the
4 https://www.thestreet.com/story/11173382/3/10-people-living-the-american-dream.html
5 Various forms of this function are specified in the Appendix.
6 See section Early life at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey
7 Ibid.
8 See Appendix: XXV. Difficult task.
163
