The American Dream is based on the idea that everyone in the United States has an equal opportunity to succeed through hard work and determination. During the Cambodian Civil War, my parents immigrated to America in the hopes of building a prosperous life for my family and to pursue “The American Dream.” As a first generation American I feel like there 's an abundance of pressure to succeed. Asian parents think in order to build a prosperous life and pursue the american dream one needs to succeed in school. School is all you have, and knowledge is the only thing you will carry on for the rest of your life. In which it’s understandable that asian parents think this because in their country, they never had an education like their kids. As a student …show more content…
I always remembered going the extra mile to receive a better grade on my writing papers. I still was a standard writer, but my confidence was the best. Ever heard of “fake it till you make it?” that was the elementary school me I faked it and eventually I made it. I would breeze through my papers like a piece of cake. I want to graduate as valedictorian, I wanted to go to college and become a doctor and provide my parents with everything they did for me but even more. Around this time I was exceeding my standards in my …show more content…
While watching the smoke come out my windows and firefighters surrounding me. This dramatic scenery, made me feel vulnerable as my house filled with every single photo I had a child and things that can never be replaced was being burned to ashes. As my whole life changed before my eyes, everything else was a blur. Everything was different, I was so vulnerable at this point. Eventually I started writing in a dairy because I didn’t have anyone I could talk to, It felt good as if someone was there without giving me a look of pity. Although my lack of writing skills weren 't all their. I still wrote like I was in elementary again. I never knew how much writing would make me feel so much better. Eventually I moved, I slept on a welding table with a carpet on it for cushion. Several months ago, my mom got approved to live in low-incoming housing. In all honestly, I felt so ashamed to tell people where I live. Why is it that I felt ashamed for living in public housing, but not ashamed of when I slept on a welding table? It’s as though I took ten steps backwards, rather than moving forward. Because of the drastic change with money, I wanted to help my parents buy a house, so that we can be a family again. Although I worked for a short amount of time, my mom told me to “go to school” so I can be better. I wanted to help my family grow, as well as myself so I quit working and went to school. I’ve never
My father, like many Asian immigrants, left India to pursue his educational goals in America in order to provide a better life for his family. He arrived in the U.S. with fourteen dollars in his coat pocket, a suitcase in his hands, and a will to succeed. For my father, in a place like America where opportunities were plentiful and where hard work actually paid off there was no excuse not to succeed. The practical translation of this belief meant that if his children worked hard in school there was nothing they too could not achieve. As such, in my father's household, not doing well in school was not an option.
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.
Because the concept of the American Dream has been around for many years, it is something that is familiar to everyone. It can be agreed that people all have their own opinions and views about it; even decades have their own version of the American Dream. But what about for the 1990’s? What was the American Dream during that era? The American Dream in the 90’s was greatly influenced by three things: the expansion in technology, the thriving economy, and various, pivotal political events; based on those three components, the American Dream can be defined as individual success, such as money, power, fame, and development.
“We like to tell ourselves that America is the land of opportunity, but the reality doesn’t match the rhetoric - and hasn’t for awhile” (Matthew O’Brien 1). In today’s economic situations, dreaming big may seem unaffordable, but not impossible. To achieve this goal many aspects should be analyzed to understand the American dream, weakened retirement, and smart investments. Megan Cottrell states that “graduate from college. Get married. Buy a house. Have kids. Put in a few decades of hard work, and then it’s time to retire by 65. That’s the American Dream, right?” (1).
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows American dream as an unreachable goal for the characters. Of Mice and Men is a novel based on two childhood friends, Lennie and George, who travel together in search of work. Lennie, the gentle giant, has a mental disability and an obsession of petting soft objects. One day, while stroking a girl’s hair, Lennie accidently kills her. And eventually by the end of the novel, George is forced to shoot Lennie. Steinbeck shows American Dream as an unreachable goal because of a character’s standing in the society, their dreams to be unreal and their dependency on other characters.
Everyone grows up with the thought of an American dream in mind . Unfortunately that American dream is only limited to the people who are not of color. Sadly the people of color and the american dream don 't match up to well. I feel that this is because it can’t be easily obtained due to improper education and never being given the opportunity to show what they’re made of. Maybe if we weren 't categorized by our living arrangements, or the amount of our wealth, or better yet being presumed as these incompetent animals who aren’t good for nothing. Then we too would be able to achieve our own american dreams ,but as people of color the chances of that are not likely living in a world that feeds us with this improper mindset.
are taught by their parents that determination and persistency are the keys to academic achievements. In addition, many Asian parents are extremely involved and invested in their children’s education. For many first-generation immigrant and refugee parents, they believe the way to realize the American dream is through higher education and professional status. They encourage t...
The American dream is the general belief that American Citizens all have an equal opportunity to succeed socially and economically, regardless of any predating circumstances. This idea has been accepted as possible by the majority of citizens in this country. This “dream” cannot be true, as there are multiple discriminations in this country, which make it impossible for everyone to have the same chance to succeed. Biases against racial minorities, women, and citizens from lower social classes are examples of just a few reasons that everyone does not have the same chance to succeed in our current economic and social system in America, resulting in unequal chances to achieve “the American Dream.”
The American Dream is known to be a hope for a better, richer, happier life for all citizens of every class. For almost all Americans, this entails earning a college degree, gaining a good job, buying a house, and starting a family. Although this seems wonderful, a large amount of the American population believes that the Dream has changed immensely because of increased prices in today’s society, the price of tuition being highly unaffordable, as well as the unemployment rate skyrocketing and weaker job growth. While some American citizens believe it has changed, others believe that the American Dream has not changed, but point out it is harder to obtain.
The ‘American Dream’ means different things to each individual. What the ‘American Dream’ means to me is that I’m an American citizen who is free to do as I please under certain circumstances of course. I understand that many people have troubles trying to achieve this ‘American Dream’ though. If you look at the illegal immigrant problem, they have problems achieving this American Dream. I know that to get into the United States of America, you have to take a test, along with years of being in the system until you’re picked. You also cannot be a criminal and either you come here to work or you come here to stay; it costs quite a bit as well to achieve this dream. In my opinion it makes me mad when people come here illegally and claim that they
The American Dream is about not giving up. It is about working relentlessly through the hours of the day at two or even three jobs to supply your family with a sufficient income. It is about overcoming the language barrier, the achievement gap, and the limitations at any school or work force. To me the American Dream is about seeing the results of your dedicated hard work and paying it forward to those who are working just as hard to thrive. The American Dream cannot be measured based on the abundance of tangible goods; it cannot be taken superficially. Rather it is driven by not letting the lack of sustainable income or resources hold you back from achieving your greatest potential. The American Dream is still thriving today thanks to the entrepreneurs taking a lead in
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.
Everything changed in August 1963. America was mesmerized with the famous speech “I Have a Dream” delivered by Martin Luther King. People from all over the nation gathered for one single motive, social justice, and with that citizens of the United States yearned hope for a better tomorrow; a tomorrow in which they could see a breaking dawn to a day full up roaring opportunities for everyone disregarding their ethnic background, gender, sexual preference, or economic standing. This soon led to what is now known as “The American Dream.” America’s reputation for being the land of endless possibilities has captured both foreign attention as well as native patriotism. Success here in America is defined as having a good social position and a plethora of
Until recently the possibility of achieving the dream had been within reach. However, recently the youngest generations of Americans did not and are not growing up with this idea. America’s youth, made up of teenagers and young adults, especially those of color, are not able to reach their American Dream with the same relative ease that past generations were able to do so.
The American Dream The American dream has always been a talk amongst the American culture. When people speak of it, they often think back to the 19th century. The American Dream can be thought about when learning information on the Declaration of Independence which states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. This was written by Thomas Jefferson.