American Dream
By Rafael Camacho
English IV
Mrs. Proctor
May 8th 2017
"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." According to Kimberly Amadeo as she wrote the article on the American Dream for The Balance. Though there are many sacrifices that one person has to do just to reach their own dream and continue to uphold to it. Everyone carries their own version of the American Dream, in hopes that they will one day be able to look back and be proud of what they have accomplished by living their dream life in America. The author Steinbeck wrote about the American Dream through his novels, Of Mice and Men
…show more content…
Also a big one for us regular people is the social status we are born into, an article I read by David Martin, states “It goes without saying, that the playing field has not always been level for everyone to reach their dream.” This is referring to your social status and how much money your family makes yearly, to see how much of a struggle it is to achieve your American Dream. The playing field is what we all try to change during the course of our life especially if we are born into a lower tier family. When we are born into a lower tier family, we try our hardest to be able to not only set up our lives but set up the lives of our children who are the future after us. Clearly, the effort is made to get to that higher life but usually move by the slimmest amount compared by the amount we want to move up. The playing field will never be equal because of all the differences amongst the social status in America. Though, the American Dream can still be obtained but not by everyone even though the sacrifices they make can sometimes not be …show more content…
If sacrifices stop once you get to your dream, it may be taken away from you for not being careful and treating it with care. Though, that is if it’s even reachable because it also depends on the economy for it to be even suitable to reach your dream. Also, in today’s world the American Dream always revolves around money and the want for it. The money is in everybody’s dream because you can’t get all you want without money and most of the things people want is expensive, plus on the side they also want to be rich. 1% of America is qualified to be considered reach while the other 99% is not, so with being rich and having the money to buy what you want is nearly impossible in today’s economy. But, nonetheless it is obtainable when all the stars align and you can make your way to the top, due to the fact there is still a tiny chance in today’s world that you can make it to your dream. Even when Steinbeck wrote his books in the 1930’s the dream was hard to get to but easier than today’s world because you could buy your own property a lot easier and more land for a cheaper price than in the world we live in now with inflation and economic problems. For one individual to reach their dream with all the sacrifices they have to do and having the economy in the right balance and favor for them to continue to progress to the 1% and be considered rich to
The American Dream has always been a driving force in the lives of Americans. It has become a foundation of ideals and hopes for any American or immigrant. Specifically, one of the ideals that always exist is the dream of America free of class distinction. Every American hopes for a society where every person has the opportunity to be whomever he or she desire. Another ideal in the American dream is the drive to improve the quality of life. As one’s idea of the American Dream gets closer and closer, often times political and social ideals of America cause their American Dream to take a turn for the worst.
The myth of individual opportunity, the American dream is different, for everyone though it is most commonly associated with success, freedom, and happiness. Mantsios being with the fact that most people living in the United States rarely discuss the issues surrounding different class. Instead we choose to identify more readily to race, ethnicity, or geographical location. With the phrase like “working class,” “upper class,” and “ruling class” are rarely uttered by Americans.
We were raised considering the jobs we could do in the future and the universities we may attend; we heard that hard work and dedication was the only essential to fly in this world. Everyone was aware of the standard of living that was expected and few hesitated to buy into the legendary dream. The American Dream itself is what we all grew up desiring. Suburban homes, multiple cars, hefty paychecks and fantasy vacations are its elements. The American Dream is exclusive and unsatisfying at its core.
Throughout the article the author supplies us with many examples of what the American dream is. Although people think that they have a different dream for everyone else it actually
The Founding Fathers once preached that the American Dream entailed the right to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” nothing more, nothing less (Declaration of Independence). For centuries, the American Dream meant having a good job, owning a house, having a nice family, and generally enjoying life the best way possible. As history progressed however, people started working toward achieving individualistic success by any means necessary. Go back to the 1930s in New York City one fine spring morning. A boy, Moss Hart, remembers that back then “wealth, rank, or an imposing name counted for nothing. The dream of the wonderful American consisted of having a decent chance to scale the walls and achieve what they wished” (Kamp 1). Now flash-forward a century into the year 2014. Today in America, success does not reflect how muc...
The American Dream is a strong and powerful set of values that includes the chance to have an abundance of freedom, wealth, and success. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the American Dream is something everybody wants. Sometimes it takes a long journey to achieve these goals and the path taken may not be an easy one.
The American dream is impossible for the more impoverished because over the years poverty rates have been increasing. The richest country in the world still has more than 12% of its total population, and almost 20% of all children under the age of 18, unable to meet, let alone be guaranteed coverage of basic needs. With that said the nation has fallen apart in the last 25 years. America has faced economic insecurity and it is up to us to change it. Furthermore, the three main issues why poverty in America continues are the high cost of living, a great percentage of people living (below the poverty line) and the economic inequality that the impoverished face.
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 bills 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).
... 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.
The American dream is a slowly fading dream that seems to be escaping all the lower classes of American society. The American dream still exists if we examine it correctly. The dilemma with the American dream is that it has become so much harder to fulfill. Social inequality, along with a lack of social mobility, have negated the ability to accomplish this. As time has passed, the gap between the rich and poor has become larger and larger.
The American Dream has been the ideal way of life to every citizen. Equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work and persistence allows people to strive for The American Dream. For others, The Dream might have a different meaning to what the think is achievable. In the essay, “Is the American Dream even possible” John Steinbeck makes accusations about the American Dream and the credibility of it. The American Dream in Steinbeck's perspective is that in reality, The Dream is there to believe but not there to its full potential.
America is one of the wealthiest nations on earth with having a high inequality than other industrialized country. Inequality exists in income, wealth, power and education. Persons who are legally and socially poor in the United states tend to stay in a cycle through life, not always by choice but because they are given fewer opportunities, education and tools to achieve success. Poverty class has a much larger income gap than the upper class, the American Dream is lessens through opportunity and is shown through statistics.
The American Dream is so important to our country and especially for our generation to take seriously. The American Dream is the opportunity to reach the goals one sets for themselves. It is about having your dream job and life you have always fantasized about. The dream is also about having freedom and equality. The American Dream was much easier to attain a few decades ago compared to today. However, it is still possible. The economy was better fifty years ago than it is today. People are in greater debt now and the United States is in higher debt than it was fifty years ago. The American Dream is still possible despite the lack of improvement within social mobility in American society over the past years. The American dream is achievable by being able to live a middle-class lifestyle and that lifestyle is obtainable through hard work and perseverance, even in light of obstacles such as racism. “The American Dream is still achievable, however, the good news is that people at the bottom are just as likely to move up the income ladder today as they were 50 years ago” (O’Brien 1). The ability to attain the American Dream is hindered by race, the middle class, and giving up facing adversity.
"The American Dream" is that dream of a nation in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with options for each according to capacity or accomplishments. It is a dream of social stability in which each man and each woman shall be able to achieve to the fullest distinction of which they are essentially competent, and be distinguish by others for what they are, despite of the incidental conditions of birth or stance. The American Dream is often something that humanity wonders about. What is the American dream? Many people discover success in a range of things. There are many different definitions of the American Dream. However, the American Dream embraces prosperity, personal safety, and personal liberty. The American dream is a continually fluctuating set of ideals, reflecting the ideas of an era.
The main ideas of the American dream as well as the way we are exposed to them is ever-changing. Nowadays, to a large portion of individuals, the American dream is to own a big house and a nice car. . Though the term the “American Dream” was not introduced until 1931 by James Truslow Adams it was birthed with the signing of the Declaration of Independence (Where Is the American Dream?). Founding fathers did not conjure this dream in means of monetary success but the ability and freedom to be as equally successful as how hard you work and not of what or who you are. The byproduct of such freedom could then be to own a big house and a nice car. One of the most infamous phrases in the Declaration of Independence,