American Dream Opportunity

As defined by James Truslow Adams in his book, “The Epic of America,” the American Dream is “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (Adams 214-215). In recent discussions, the question of whether America offers the opportunity of achieving the American Dream to the “…tired, the poor, and the huddled masses” has risen and sparked heated debate. Some people argue that America is the New World and Land of Opportunity, where social class and familial standings are less important than a person’s individual abilities and what they can achieve on their own. Others argue that achieving the American Dream is impossible and a lost cause without resources that aren’t available to most of the general population. The people that argue the latter point are wrong; America is the Land of Hope and Opportunity and America does provide access to the American Dream to all its peoples through its ideals and values, public services, and opportunities. In John Otto’s “Freedom Flies,” he speaks about one of Americas most esteemed values, freedom:

America has a vast, free public school system offered to all American citizens, no matter their standing or class. Inhabitants of America possess the freedom to procure an education at an establishment of their choice, and in turn decide what career they aspire to be successful in. Otto goes on to say that the free people of this Democracy would stand up and defend this cause if the need arises. If it weren’t for the many soldiers that stood up in History and defended this country and its freedom, we would not enjoy the freedom that we take as granted today. This poem speaks about the foundation of the American Dream, freedom, and how the foundation has been protected and would be protected time and time again, and the fact that this dream is still achievable