“The American Dream is that dream of land in which should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement,” (Adams,“The Epic American Dream”, 1931, pg 214). Reading this I had to translate this quote for myself. I got that the American dream is that every American citizen can be successful and prosper in this great nation if he/she puts in the hard work, possesses determination, and the required skill. Such ideal, I think carries a lot of weight and promise to those who take advantage of the opportunity. However this dream is slowing dying.
I was born in Amiri, Nigeria and migrated to United States (US) at the age of three. Nigeria with its rich culture is very enjoyable but lacks
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Life in America is sweet and it is easy to succeed. America has ample resources to support the growth of its citizens especially young people. This enviable country, The United States, rewards hard work and high achievers are encouraged to chase their dreams. I thought that being here was a big opportunity, that I should take advantage of it. In my family, education comes first, without an education, your chances of succeeding are slim. My mom always told me, "Work hard now and enjoy later," meaning if I put in the work now I will reap the benefits later. Through my upbringing, I gained my own understanding of what the American dream is. To me, the American dream means that one can succeed and reach the highest level of achievement if one puts one’s mind to it. No one is in your way but yourself; you either do what you need to do to be successful or you stay dormant and not accomplish anything in life. Not only do you have to make the first step but you have to be able to stay to hang in there when the going gets tough. Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts" (Churchill By Himself, 2011). Churchill (2011) also …show more content…
In reality there are so many obstacles which affect people depending on one’s economic level, education, race, gender, and area of residence to being successful. It is very appalling how some schools in some areas in US are equipped with all the resources to support high academic achievement and some schools in other low economic areas are just structured to give just the basic tool students need which perpetuate poverty and economic dependence of the people. When it comes to race, although it is considered wrong to discriminate because of race, racial discrimination still exists especially in job interviews. For example, a “non-colored” candidate could be picked over a “colored candidate”. Also the costs of colleges are increasing. In 1980 average tuition was $7,600, then in 2010 it was $27,300, and finally in 2014-2015 it became $30,094. Average American parent cannot afford the school tuition. David Sokol, from Fox News, said, “According to a recent research report from CNN/ORC International, 59 percent of adults believe the American dream has become impossible...poll goes on to state that 63 percent of those surveyed believe most children in this country will grow to be worse off than their
“Perhaps the closest we can come is to say that the American dream represents both what Americans believe themselves entitled to and what we believe themselves capable of. In other words, it is the promise inherent in the idea of America itself. (147)”
It was the summer of 1944 a year that would change my life. The dream I was having was abruptly interrupted by the loud voice of my mom yelling “Amante wake up!” Today was the day we were moving from Venice Italy to the great city of New York. There had been many bombing throughout Italy and we decided to pack up and live the American dream. I had been waiting for this day for years I had seen pictures and heard about America’s beauty but I couldn’t wait to see it in real life. The whole Dinardo family was excited to go, including me and my little sister Angelina. Angelina was only 8 years old. We’re seven years apart. She had golden blonde hair the color of honey and freckles dotted across her face. My dad walked excitedly into my room telling me that
The American Dream still lives today in society in which people strive to the top and accomplish their goals in life. James Truslow Adams coined the term in 1931 in his book called “American Dream”. He stated in the book "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement". The importance of this quote in Adams’ novel is that the American Dream can be achieved by anyone (Warshauer 3). There are no limits and bounds to these emotions and people from any social class can seek their dreams and desires in life. Over the years the definition of the American Dream has changed, but the underlying fundamental meaning had stayed the same. The American mentality is basically participation in the economy and society in order to gain a better social standard and be prosperous. The United States Declaration of Independence also had some influence in the definition of the American Dream. In the Declaration of Independence it states all men are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" includi...
“The American Dream, that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” --James Truslow Adams. The phrase “The American Dream” has been expanded upon or refined in various forms, but is essentially based on Truslow Adams’ idea. This concept has been subject to criticism because some people believe that the structure of society prevents such an idealistic goal for everyone. The economy, for instance, can cause poverty-stricken men and women to attain a major disadvantage. Other attributes goes towards inequalities that jeopardizes fairness, as well as apathy through lack of success to obtain the American Dream.
It may be hard to imagine a person dropping everything in his or her life, leaving behind many possessions, friends, and family, only to start again in a new country. Imagine a person coming to America with only the clothes on his or her back and whatever that person could carry. If one can overcome these hardships, like many immigrants to America had to experience, and make a name for himself or herself, that is experiencing the American Dream. The American Dream, a stereotypical viewpoint of one being able to move to America with nothing and become successful. This success is achieved through a gradual process of an adoption of the American culture by drowning the past and receiving an education for the future.
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, ...
Every person has an American Dream they want to pursue, achieve and live. Many people write down goals for themselves in order to get to their dream. Those never ending goals can range from academic to personal. As of today, I am living my dream. My American Dream is to become a nurse, travel to many places, have a family, and get more involved with God.
Mostly anything you want to achieve requires time and perseverance it doesn 't just come to you easily. In America we all have dreams we want to achieve, a set of goals for the future. The American dream is in your perception, what you want it to mean for you. It’s what you want to consummate in America where you can 't anywhere else. How you can succeed in life enough to survive and be happy. The reality of the American dream is the essence of any person living in America, immigrant or not. Trying to achieve in life more than their parents did and to be successful with a prosperous life, but many people believe it can’t be achieved, but with assiduous work and determination you can make your
The American Dream is something that anyone no matter their background, social standings, or ethnicity can improve their life through hard work.
The concept of the American Dream has been popular since America was colonized in the 1600s. Throughout history, the meaning of “American Dream” has changed. For the early immigrants America was a land of opportunity, offering a new start to life. In the 1900’s it meant the opportunity to work your way up from the bottom and create a better life for yourself. Today, the American Dream is about having a good education, establishing a strong career, and having a respectable social life. Our modern American Dream is often to provide the best life possible for our children (Vanity Fair).
We are all put on this earth for a purpose, no matter what it is most people strive for one common thing, The American Dream. There is no particular definition of The American Dream, mine is to financially stable and happy. My goal in life is to achieve my American Dream and to do that I will have to set goals to reach that point of success.
The American Dream has pulled me through 7000 miles of hardship and challenges. September, 2014 was the hardest month of my entire life. I was a junior in high school, just arrived from an entirely different country. Had no clue of how “high school” works. Since you were in kindergarten and until your a freshmen in college, you would be in the same school, was the phenomena in my previous education system. We would sit on one classroom for the entire day and the teachers would move around, according to the schedule.
My parents migrated to America in the 1990’s to personify the quintessential American Dream. When I was young I’ve always thought I was somehow unique comparing to others whose same age as me in school. I always carry a very strong positive self confidence entering every classroom thinking that I’m the best. I imagine myself holding the best position in the future, proud and successful. I’ve always wanted a lot and wanting more, like achieving more goals and bigger one. People around me says I’m an ambitious young lady. Due to the impact of my childhood environment in the city I grown up being independent and hard working. I find myself making every problem with a perfect solution and sometimes it does come out that way. I was born and raised in Lower Manhattan, New York City near Chinatown. A place I call home for 10 years. I used to live in a small apartment fulfill with the most memories down the street of East Broadway. Not until 8th grade my Family moved from New
When the term ‘American Dream’ was first mentioned in 1931 by James Truslow Adams, he described it as “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.” (Clark). When Adams mentioned the term, it had much more of an idealistic meaning, rather than the materialistic meaning it has in modern society. At the time of it’s mention, the dream meant that prosperity was available to everyone. In the beginning, the American Dream simply promised a country in which people had the chance to work their way up through their own labor and hard work (Kiger). Throughout history, the basis of the dream has always been the same for each individual person. It
We thrive on progress. We strive for success. We dream for a worry free life. We are motivated by hope. We are America. America was founded on the premises of a dream. This tacit idea has always been on everyone’s mind. Equality, success, and the pursuit of happiness were believed to all be attainable. However, while each may seem simple, the different stereotypical components of the American dream are not easily reached. While each aspect may not be handed to everyone on a silver platter, the idea of each one pushes us to strive for success. Through this, progress is made not only in personal aspects, but in societal aspects, as well. Because each person’s idea of progress and success differ, there will be a discrepancy in each person’s idea of the American dream. Despite the discrepancy, the American dream is more prominent and prudent than ever to the country and serves as a motivator, a freedom, a hope, and a promise that galvanizes citizens to strive to be the best they can be.