Many people wonder what the American dream is. No matter who you ask you’ll get a different answer almost every time. Some people want money and the ability to buy whatever they want while others want power the power to make people do whatever they want them to do. Some want a better life for education for their kids. Some seek freedom from the oppressive government in their home country. While the younger generations either want to become famous or get a girlfriend or boyfriend and end up marrying them and having a house and kids and a job to support them all. The main factor that everyone leaves out is happiness, peace, and love. The American dream to me really is just a dream that hopefully becomes a reality. The American dream is so much more that a dream it’s an idea, a hope, a wish, a believe that we chase after almost like a dog after a stick expecting to get some reward if we catch it but, who knows if that is really true or will we just be faced with another dream?
The American dream to me is first achieving complete and total happiness the question is how we would accomplish this goal. Teachers, adults, and our parents infuse use with this goal of going to college and what we want to become. A wise man once said that when “his teachers asked him to write down what he wanted to be when he grew up and he wrote down happy and they told him he didn’t understand the assignment and he replied back you don’t understand life” this wise man was John Lennon and he was right. Because what is life without happiness it is depression, it is hell, and it is a nightmare. What is the way to accomplish this happiness? Some might say it is to become rich and be able to buy whatever you want this is the American dream to some and some of...
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...e else. The other step to happiness is we need to get rid of the idea that we can tell someone what to do and tell them that they must go to school and must go to college to get a better job well we have our own dreams and we need to stop being forced to live yours. The third step is to get rid of money to get rid of weapons get rid of religion get rid of anything that opposes anything and anything that could possibly start a war and possibly make you take away the rights as others. The fourth step is to learn to share and trade our good and crafts for others good and crafts and learn to live together like the hippies and Native Americans. Once we do all this we will truly be rich, truly have power, truly be educated, and truly be happy, and finally reach the American dreams we all had worldwide. I might be a dreamer but like John Lennon said I’m not the only one.
The American Dream is a concept that is essentially older than the United States, dating back to the seventeenth century. It was then when people began to come up with hopes and aspirations for the newly discovered, unexplored continent. The “American Dream” is in essence the idea in that puts forward the notion that all people can succeed through hard work, that all people have the right to the pursuit of happiness, and be successful. The definition of the American Dream has been expanded upon and redefined over time. The concept of the American Dream has always been debated and put under criticism. There are many that believe the structure of American Society belies the idealistic goal of the American Dream. It points out examples of deeply rooted inequality based on class, race, and ethnic origin. This idea is the base that puts in question the attainability of the American Dream for everyone. Generation after generation, people have strongly had a belief that with the right mix of grit, guts, and character, one could achieve new levels of success for themselves and their families. Implied in this amalgamation are the concepts of hard work, and a determination to overcome adversity. That, in my belief, is the definition of the American Dream; with enough toil and a strong backbone, one can take advantage of whatever natural strengths one has and manipulate them to earn success. As Americans we have always believed there was someplace to move, something to overcome, in order to improve our lot in life and raise ourselves up.
Up until now, the term American Dream is still a popular concept on how Americans or people who come to America should live their lives and in a way it becomes a kind of life goal. However, the definitions of the term itself is somehow absurd and everyone has their own definition of it. The historian James Tuslow defines American Dream as written in his book titled “The Epic of America” in 1931 as “...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.” The root of the term American Dream is actually can be traced from the Declaration of Independence in 1776 which stated “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
Since the beginning of our nation, literature has attempted to define “American Dream.” For the Puritans, living the American dream meant building God’s kingdom in this world and practicing their faith without persecution, whereas other settlers sought adventure and financial success. But within the last one hundred years the concept of the American Dream has taken on new meaning as the values and principles of cultures have changed. The modern man has sought security in the unachievable goal. Throughout the twentieth century literary periods, authors have unearthed the corrupt nature of an evolving American Dream, which has led to loss the moral values and fulfilment in the present reality.
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 definition of the American dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. This “dream” has been alive since the founding of the United States. Millions of people have grown up on this idea including people from other countries. This amazing idea seems great in retrospect, but in reality it cannot be true. If the American dream did exist I have my own as I’m sure everyone does.
What is the American Dream? Can one truly define it definitely? The American Dream is different for everybody; therefore, it can never be restricted to one description. For one person, his American Dream could be to become the president of the United States. For another person, his American Dream could be to be the first person in his family to go to college. It all depends on which person you ask this age-old question. In my opinion, the American Dream is the idea that everybody has the freedom to achieve anything if he is willing to work as hard as necessary to accomplish his goal. The perfect display of this is the 1980 American Olympic Hockey Team’s defeat over the Soviet’s Olympic Hockey Team, also known as the “Miracle on Ice.” (Malafronte)
The American dream is the idea held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity.
Since the start of the twentieth century America has attracted people all over the world to relocate and start a new life. For many coming to America was a chance for a better life and new things. They all had something in common, they all had a dream, that dream was the "American Dream". In the present day the desire to achieve the dream hasn't changed. However, the idea of the American Dream, brings up a lot of questions. What is the American Dream? Who defines it? Can it be achieved? Lastly, should everyone have a chance to achieve it?
To do what makes oneself happy. The American Dream is represented in many different ways and every person lives and chases a different version of the American Dream. Chris McCandless lived his American dream by walking alone into the wilderness of Alaska. The song written by Toby Keith, “American Soldier”, shows the price some pay for their dreams and ours to come true. Jay Gatsby died trying to acheive his dream and get the girl he loved, but died happy because he had pursued her until his death. The band All Time Low wrote a song called “The Reckless and The Brave” that brings a new light to how we go about achieving our dreams. So I believe that the American Dream is all about doing what will make you the happiest in the end.
What is the American Dream? There are a myriad of aspects to it, but one general idea: the ideal life. It is making a lot of money, being respected, and triumphing difficult situations. The American Dream has been pursued by many, but only few make it all the way.
What is the American Dream? We all have dreams of different kinds. To some people, the American Dream is having all that is available in this life to meet your needs, wants, and desires. To others, it means having a great job, a wonderful family, and a secure future. And maybe to others the American Dream simply means having the opportunity to prove yourself. No matter what your definition of the American Dream is, we all try hard to achieve this one common goal.
"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 American Dream has changed; it is no longer the same as it was fifty or even one hundred years ago. Today, people not only search for prosperity and wealth, but they also search for happiness, equality, and determination. The American Dream is for everyone, not just the rich. The term “The American Dream” is a term used to describe the American way of life in general. It is a noun stating “the idea that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” Dreams are not limited to just one social class, everyone has a different version of the American Dream but they all work together in a community to create an organized, working society. A dream is a cherished aspiration, ambition, or idea that is open to anyone.
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
The ‘American Dream’, as was once known has ceased to exist in the United States and it could just be something that is not guaranteed anymore. We are merely allowed just the pursuit of happiness, as stated in the Declaration of Independence “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. We are told that all men are created equal and independent of one another, but are we really? In the movie The Pursuit of Happyness Chris Gardner goes from rags to riches displaying what it means to live the ‘American Dream’ as an African-American male in the United States. The story line ultimately suggested that you need to have a certain amount of money and stand in a certain class to be deemed successful in life as an African-American. The Pursuit of Happyness illustrates through the examples of Chris Gardener that anyone has the chance to achieve happiness if they devote a great amount of effort and time. However, in today’s world our socioeconomic factors define our meaning of happiness. Society realizes that the key to happiness is not actually determined by how much money you have, once you finally obtain wealth, money will just keep raising our bar of happiness. On the surface, this dream appears to the best thing people hope for offering the chance to better themselves, and accomplish success despite of some one’s race, religion, or family history. What Chris Gardner went through is a struggle made by socioeconomic factors which played a huge role in his ideal image of the ‘American Dream’. Money meant success to him and this is where my sociological lens becomes significant to my primary text. As an African American male, Chris Gardner, in The Pursuit of Happyness overcomes the socioeconomic factors he faced by defeating the odds and la...