The American Dream is something that all American citizens have the potential to achieve. The stereotypical version of the American Dream is seen as the calm and comfy life; a nice large family home, a painted white picket fence, a big expensive car, a loving spouse, maybe a few kids, a cute and cuddly pet or two, and a sense of innocence and serenity surrounding it all. But some people may not consider this to be what they imagine the American Dream as. Some people may want more than the stereotypical American life, to live in a big house with a big family and to be able to get everything they ever wanted. Other people may be happy with less, to live in a small home with a small family and to make enough to pay for little more than just what they …show more content…
Giving your full attention and effort in school will get you the education needed to take the first step in achieving the American Dream and without it, you wouldn’t be able to accomplish the other things needed in achieving the dream. Getting a good interesting and enjoyable career that pays enough to keep you afloat in life is the next step in achieving the dream. An enjoyable career with good pay is something that everybody should hope for, and it is a quite important part of the American Dream. The final and largest step in achieving the American Dream is to buy a nice home and start a family. The home you decide to buy should mainly be decided by how big of a family you want and the lifestyle you wish to live, that is if you see yourself having a family in your own American Dream in the first place. So, if you truly give it your maximum effort from the very beginning to the very end, making your own version of the American Dream an ‘American Reality’ is entirely possible, no matter what that dream may
Truth Behind the American Dream: Is the American Dream only a dream or can it ever be achieved? In the United States, the basic motto is to attend the American Dream. It is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. It does not matter if a person was born into a poor family; he or she has equal opportunities to attain the American Dream. The American Dream basically means success in life with a nice house, a job, knowledge and especially the pursuit of happiness.
Achieving the American Dream has been the ideal for people living in the United States for decades. People believed that the way to get there was through hard work, also known as the “Protestant work ethic”. The American Dream can vary depending on the person. Some people think that owning a house with a white picket-fence is the American Dream while others think that it is becoming a celebrity with a lot of money.
First, what is the American dream? According to David Wallechinsky, “the traditional American Dream is based on the belief that hardworking citizens can improve their lives, pay their monthly bill without worry, give their children a start to an even better life, and still save enough to live comfortably after they retire” (1). “The American Dream” states, “It has always represented the possibility for individuals to succeed and live a life of wealth and comfort, made possible by both the political and economic attitudes in the USA and the individual’s own hard work” (1). Daniella Nicole adds that “in years past, chasing the American Dream meant the sky was the limit. . .” (1). “At the core of the concept is the individual’s responsibility to aim for and achieve the American dream by working hard and taking advantage of the freedom offered to them by the country” (“The American Dream” 1). “A recent nationwide survey from LearnVest found that 43 percent of Americans today feel the dream is attainable for everyone - and about the same percentage feels that it’s within their grasp, personally,” notes Camille Noe Pagan. “For American Dreamers today,” states Nicole, ...
The American Dream is something that anyone no matter their background, social standings, or ethnicity can improve their life through hard work.
Having access to a good education is a big part of achieving the American Dream because if there is a really good job opportunity out there people are likely to get the job if they are highly educated. JD Vance talked about how his life growing up was not the best. He faced everyday challenges, however, they were not excuses that could stop him from getting an education and surely did not stop him from achieving the American Dream. In the article “The American Dream: ‘Education is the Key’” the writer states “ My parents grew up poor, put themselves through school...They were very clear that just as it was for them, education would be a critical bridge to opportunity for my brothers and me” (Golston). This comes to show that there really is not an excuse for people to say they cannot achieve the American Dream because they cannot afford to get an education. It takes hard work, dedication, and
Throughout my life I have set many goals for myself. Each goal is a small step towards achieving my idea of the American Dream. Every person in America has their own idea or version of what the American Dream is. To me, an American Dream is something that we can all achieve, but it will take a lot of hard work in order for us to be successful. Certain people will dream of happiness and others might dream of wealth, but I believe the dream that I want to achieve is something more meaningful than those things. Three post-high-school goals that embody my idea of the American Dream is attending College of the Ozarks to further my education, own a well managed farm, and in the future, I would like to have a nice house and a family. Each of these
The American dream can be defined as the promise of living in America with opportunities for all, regardless of social class, and according to their ability and effort (Schnell, 2010). Proponents of the American dream believe that there is equal opportunity for all in the American society to achieve success. Success is not pegged on social status, race, or creed, but rather on an individual’s own efforts. The definition of the American dream has unique interpretations to different people. The most common meaning is that of a life of abundance and prosperity, characterized by economic rewards that enable one to live a middle class life of comfort. Here, success is measured by material possessions such as beautiful homes, cars, a high income, and the ability to spend on luxury items. America is considered a land of plenty, and as such, many who come to the United States in search of the American dream have this form of success in mind.
For many, the American Dream has become a nightmare. The American Dream is the ideal lifestyle every American wants to live. The typical American Dream everyone wants to live up to is to be financially stable, successful, and to have a nice home with a family. Then again, not everyone has the same American Dream they want to achieve because many Americans have realized reality and know the typical American Dream is just a fantasy.. For everyone in order to achieve their American Dream there’s going to be many obstacles they’re going to have to face.
The American Dream is attainable for all americans. Just like Chris Gardner switched from being homeless to being a multi millionaire. You just gotta want it and work hard. “The American Dream is a delusion, an illusion meant to keep people dissatisfied and hungering to spend more money, in the hopes that the next purchase will be the one that buys them the happiness they are promised” (Obama). “Traditionally, Americans have sought to realize the American dream of success, fame and wealth through thrift and hard work. ”(Warshauer). The obstacles that have to be hurdled while trying to attain the American Dream are: getting a decent income, finding a lover and finding a home. Although it might be true that
The American Dream is the American population’s vision of success. The dream of making good money, having a nice house, having a nice car, having a big house, having a lot of nice things, and living healthy. They associate these things with success. But the list of what people associate with success could be much longer .There is a 1% of the American population that is living that American Dream right now. And the 99% of Americans who are chasing the dream is trying to be like them and chasing this dream of success.
The American dream has been an ideal that every American should live by, the term was coined by our founding fathers. Our founding fathers believed that the American dream was a way to live in freedom and be independent. Over time, this definition has changed, and now in present times, it means something different for everybody. For me, whenever I hear the phrase “American Dream”, I think of how an American should live.
One way, among many others, you can acquire the American Dream is through dedication. In the aspect of success you must be determined to work harder than you’ve ever worked before. You have to want it, you have to crave it; just as Gatsby craved Daisy. He dedicated his weekends and money to throwing these huge, extravagant parties, just so that Daisy may accidentally wander upon one one night. “‘I think he half expected
What is the American Dream? As James Truslow coined in 1931 " A dream of land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper class to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, able be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position"(Truslow). Most believe that it 's a place and a system where everyone have an equal