Page 172 - Šolsko polje, XXVIII, 2017, no. 3-4: Education and the American Dream, ed. Mitja Sardoč
P. 172
šolsko polje, letnik xxviii, številka 3–4
resonate with the ideal of American Dream in the following linear way: a
desire, an endless hope, a land of opportunities where hard work will be
rewarded, and the possibility that desired goals can be achieved.
The final biography example in this section deals with the story of
Madonna. As transparently illustrated in her pop-song, titled American
Dream,24 Madonna epitomizes the idea of an opulent life that was paved
with hard work and humble beginnings. Only significant milestones from
Madonna’s rather full and complex biography will be extracted and com-
pared with other portraits analysed so far. Madonna lost her mother when
she was 5 years old [Absentation – An intensified form of absentation
is represented by the death of parents]. Her relationship with her step-
mother was strict and she recalls her father as authoritarian. At elementa-
ry school, she was known for her high grades and unconventional behav-
iour. Her deviations from standard behavioural norms can be attributed
to the function of [Violation of Interdiction]. At the age of 20, Madon-
na dropped out of college and moved to New York to pursue a career in
dance [Departure]. In New York she was forced to take different low-pay-
ing jobs to be able to compensate for her living costs and extra dance class-
es. At one late night returning home, she was sexually abused. She later
described the traumatic experience as haunting25 and disturbing.26 This
episode can be implicitly correlated with [The First Function of the Do-
nor / The hero is tested, interrogated, attacked, etc.], where the city of
New York symbolizes the Donor. Despite the traumatic experience, Ma-
donna continued with various attempts to get into the music business in-
dustry. She performed in various bands [The Hero’s Reaction / The Hero
withstands the Test]. Her first success soon followed (a series of music hits
– [Victory], but it came along with the public controversy, when Play-
boy and Penthouse magazines published nude photos from her early years
[Delivery / Person Betraying]. This episode marked a turning point in
Madonna’s life as the public disclosure of her nudity symbolized the mile-
stone that corresponds to the function of [Mediation, the Connective In-
cident]. As poignantly stated by her brother Christopher: “Any innocence
she may have had is now gone. She has nothing to hide anymore /…/ from
24 Lyrics of the song American Life: https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tvmzuxu-
y35n2bxtpd26fu7zkkve?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_
campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics. Prevailing themes of the American Life
album were fortune, fame, modern society, American Dream, materialism, American
politics, Hollywood.
25 ‘[t]he episode was a taste of my weakness, it showed me that I still could not save myself
in spite of all the strong-girl show. I could never forget it.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Madonna_(entertainer)
26 http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/entertainment/music/madonna-biography-119458
170
resonate with the ideal of American Dream in the following linear way: a
desire, an endless hope, a land of opportunities where hard work will be
rewarded, and the possibility that desired goals can be achieved.
The final biography example in this section deals with the story of
Madonna. As transparently illustrated in her pop-song, titled American
Dream,24 Madonna epitomizes the idea of an opulent life that was paved
with hard work and humble beginnings. Only significant milestones from
Madonna’s rather full and complex biography will be extracted and com-
pared with other portraits analysed so far. Madonna lost her mother when
she was 5 years old [Absentation – An intensified form of absentation
is represented by the death of parents]. Her relationship with her step-
mother was strict and she recalls her father as authoritarian. At elementa-
ry school, she was known for her high grades and unconventional behav-
iour. Her deviations from standard behavioural norms can be attributed
to the function of [Violation of Interdiction]. At the age of 20, Madon-
na dropped out of college and moved to New York to pursue a career in
dance [Departure]. In New York she was forced to take different low-pay-
ing jobs to be able to compensate for her living costs and extra dance class-
es. At one late night returning home, she was sexually abused. She later
described the traumatic experience as haunting25 and disturbing.26 This
episode can be implicitly correlated with [The First Function of the Do-
nor / The hero is tested, interrogated, attacked, etc.], where the city of
New York symbolizes the Donor. Despite the traumatic experience, Ma-
donna continued with various attempts to get into the music business in-
dustry. She performed in various bands [The Hero’s Reaction / The Hero
withstands the Test]. Her first success soon followed (a series of music hits
– [Victory], but it came along with the public controversy, when Play-
boy and Penthouse magazines published nude photos from her early years
[Delivery / Person Betraying]. This episode marked a turning point in
Madonna’s life as the public disclosure of her nudity symbolized the mile-
stone that corresponds to the function of [Mediation, the Connective In-
cident]. As poignantly stated by her brother Christopher: “Any innocence
she may have had is now gone. She has nothing to hide anymore /…/ from
24 Lyrics of the song American Life: https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tvmzuxu-
y35n2bxtpd26fu7zkkve?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_
campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics. Prevailing themes of the American Life
album were fortune, fame, modern society, American Dream, materialism, American
politics, Hollywood.
25 ‘[t]he episode was a taste of my weakness, it showed me that I still could not save myself
in spite of all the strong-girl show. I could never forget it.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Madonna_(entertainer)
26 http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/entertainment/music/madonna-biography-119458
170
