Aileen Lee
Mr. Heller
American Studies - AP English
01-02-2017
In a material world, many are obsessed with the idea of success. Pop culture constantly informs the public on the lives of the successful, offering details of their glamorous lives and insight on how to achieve success as well. These successful people mainly consist of the super rich who seem to live carefree and simple lives. In order to achieve this success, people tend to set goals for themselves. Instead of living in the present, those with this goal-driven attitude spend their time working hard whilst looking towards the future. Once the goal is reached so is success. No matter how small and insignificant to larger ones that require great ambition, these goals are the key
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It is quite obvious what current society associates with success: material wealth and high status. This perspective is seemingly obvious since having lots of money simply makes it easier to live. Rather than spending time worrying over missed payments and meeting deadlines for jobs, having money readily available makes it easier to enjoy oneself in times of leisure. Although high status has no monetary price tag, being of high status opens many doors. Along with this, high status, usually attained with money, also plays a part in making life a lot more easier and enjoyable. Rather than working to please others in order to earn money, those with high status are catered to. This kind of success, monetary success, through money and status, is one of the most common goals for individuals, seen within the most prominent points of the American Dream. Those who wish to achieve the dream, aspire to reach for a certain job that will guarantee a good salary or to rise through promotions to reach a higher …show more content…
As Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self Reliance dictates, numerous people who strive for material goods and status will consistently be met with feelings of inadequacy due to constant comparisons to others who have more. By setting goals pertaining to improvements in income or status, you set yourself up to comparisons to others. Setting a goal to earn more money or reach a higher status depends on constantly comparing yourself to others in order to monitor progress and to determine accomplishment of the goal. While reaching for these goals of money and high status, they spend their time working, wasting their lives for the sake of the future rather than enjoying the present. Even if they achieve this success of attaining admiration and riches, these people aren't guaranteed satisfaction due to others always being ahead, having more money or being of a higher social status. Instead of having the individual set an end goal themselves, they have to depend on others to create a finish line for them. Much like the titular character, Willy Loman, from The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, who goes insane from the illusion of the American Dream, these individuals cannot be fulfilled until they reach the top, which is simply impossible. Since material success doesn't lead to fulfillment, it makes us question why so many strive for money or material goods rather than happiness itself. As we
The power to grow emotionally and reach specific life goals lies in mindset of each person. Truslow was a marvelous historian who initially came up with the infamous term “The American Dream” (91). It is because of him that thousands of people seek and question what that dream truly means. To Adam the simple relationship between an employee and boss was sacred. In America looking at each person with equality is highly expected. This is why America leaves such high expectations for the rest of the world. The United States is known to be the land of the free where each person has the same opportunity as the next guy. The simple fact that people in America have room to choose what they want from life is extraordinary (Adams 91). According to Adams, “The American Dream opens all sorts of questions” ( 92). The true meaning of succeeding and being financially set will forever vary on the
He further shows us that the people of today are richer than their grandparents but are not happier in their lives (from National Statistics of social pathology). Even with these facts, people in the United States still believe if they had more money all of their problems would be solved, but once they reach that next income bracket they are not satisfied and try to reach the next one. Myers et al tells us, "even if being rich and famous is rewarding, no one ever claimed material success alone makes us happy. Other conditions like - family- friends- free time - have been shown to increase happiness" (Csikszentmihaly 145). therefore we must find balance in our own lives, and not just focus on making money. Instead we need friends, family and even free time, as aforementioned doing an activity you enjoy such as listening to music or
Living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, our culture has naturally valued prestige and luxuries. We admire fancy items and often judge other individuals by the clothes they wear, the car they drive, and the schools that they attend. The “American Dream” serves as a motivational factor for people; believing that hard work and dedication can bring “success” to ones’ life. Although this is partially true, it is difficult for individuals in the middle class and lower class.
... shining, his golden opportunity…the right to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him…”(qtd.in The American Dream). A person who “manages” to achieve his or her version of the American Dream is often said to be “living the dream”. However this concept has been subjected to great criticism because some people that the social structure of the U.S. prevents such an idealistic goal for everyone. May critics often allude to various examples of inequality rooted in class, race, ethnicity, and religion, which suggests that the American Dream is not attainable to everyone. The principles of the American Dream are too idealistic. Everyone has dreams and goals, but the American Dream is one that is infinite and endless. It is very difficult to live the dream when so much of it is obscured by the government.
In 1931 when the American Dream arose, Americans believed that the harder one worked, the more one would prosper (Meacham, 2012). In other words, they strongly believed that the American Dream was gaining a better, richer, happier life. Today, the American Dream is still hoping to earn a college degree, get a good job, buy a house, and start a family, but according to MetLife’s fifth annual survey, 41% of the respondents said it was about personal fulfillment, while most American’s say it is out of reach for many (White, ...
As a society, individuals often revert to the financial status of a person in order to judge their character and potential. However, looking solely at social class, the perception of the individual is primarily based on material possessions or lack thereof.
People who work hard enough become successful and build a good life for themselves and their family. Millions of Americans and others who admire America have believed this for generations. However, is this still true? Brandon King debates his interpretation of the American Dream in his published work, “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” During his essay, the speaker highlights how important the American Dream is to the economy and providing a distance from inequality. The speaker emphasizes his belief that the American Dream is still alive within America and that people must work hard to achieve it. When discussing the American Dream, King will agree that the idea is alive and thriving in the minds of Americans; yet, I argue that the idea is on hold within American society due to lack of upward social independence and economic mobility.
Money constitutes the American Dream, because in America, to be successful in life means being wealthy. We live in an industrialized nation, in which money controls our very own existence. The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara establishes an argument about society’s injustice that entails financial opportunities by revealing the differences in living conditions between upper class and lower class. Another important point Stephen Cruz, a successful business person and a Professor at the University of Wisconsin at Platteville, makes in his speech is that the American Dream is getting progressively ambiguous, because the vision of success is being controlled by power and fear which only benefit 1 percent of Americans. For most people, the American Dream is to be financially stable to the point of content; however, realistically the accomplishment of the American Dream is often obstructed by society’s limitations and influences from higher power.
The American Dream is someone’s pursuit of happiness. Money, power and social status, are primarily given and rarely earned. Many fail to realize money and social class do not make someone successful. Being humble, working hard and making an honest living while achieving success says more about an individual than being handed down things. Attempting and failing builds character, achieving and progressing gives pride and hope.
With America actually being seen as the land of assurance, the American dream is usually associated with the freedom and opportunity of gaining prosperity, recognition, power, triumph, and contentment. On the surface, this dream appears virtually delighted, offering individuals the exceptional hope of accomplishing success despite of one’s race, religion, or family history. The American Dream is accurately what it seems to be the chance of perfect lying nearby the corner. However, the actual nature of this dream prohibit the pleasure of the victory one has earned, as the desire is always demanding one to work a slight harder and gain a slightly more.
Socio-economic status may define how individuals think, how they act, the way people behave, the outfits individuals choose to wear, and furthermore, the use of language. Wealth tends to affect how one looks, where one eats, the stores one chooses to shop, the education one receives, and the occupations one may hold throughout life. In addition, it may also affect the person one chooses to love, the friends one has, the quality of one's health, and above all it shapes the perspective individuals have of their own existence. It then becomes relevant to question whether if Americans are able to forge their own destiny and to question the true validity of the American Dream.” (Marin).
The contemporary American dream focusses on the pride one takes in a high social status, rather
Individuals may feel very happy and demonstrate gratitude and graciousness within the wealthy lifestyle, expressing their humility by giving back to the community. Very frequent in this schematic are feelings that there is ‘not enough’ which fuels a constant comparison with others and feelings of competition. Such individuals will experience this psychological paradigm rooted in feelings of low self-esteem, self-worth, and insecurity. This is the basis of most Western societies very ingrained with consumerism, where individuals feel as though they must ‘consume’ something including food, items, and work an extravagant number of work hours to ‘keep up with the neighbours’.
..., a person who earns $25,000 is happier than a person who makes $125,000 and an employee who makes $500,000 is only slightly happier than someone who makes $55,000. Lastly, there are more important things in life that and make you happy, for example, friends. They don’t come with a price tag, and if they do, you definitely need new friends. Money won’t make you happy since good times can’t be bought. You don’t need a fancy vacation to have a good time; it’s just a matter of who you spend it with. Over the years, humans have blown the value of money way out of proportion. People make it seem like if you’re not filthy rich, then you won’t live a good life but it’s not true. You can lack money and yet still live a perfect, happy life.
One way that one could see success is being rich and well known. In the novel Outliers: