The American Dream And Brandon King's The American Dream

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While Americans suffered through the Great Depression in 1931, James Truslow Adams popularized the term, “the American Dream”, in his book, “Epic of America”. As Adams defines it, 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...”. In other words, the American dream is the concept of a future of equal opportunity and freedom of improvement.
On one end, economists and activists believe that this concept has ultimately died, but on the other end, Individuals like, Brandon King, believe that it’s still alive and well. In his essay, “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?”, King describes that, although the American dream is alive, it has undergone drastic changes due to the great recession and has made Americans aspire to, “work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future.” instead of the life of luxury. He theorizes that if we support big enterprises and that if tax cuts are applied to the rich, our economy will finally recover and the American dream will be reverted to its previous definition. Although I agree with King on various points, I believe that his solutions will further deteriorate the American …show more content…

They always tell me about their life journey from “scraps-to-riches”. They left their family in Mexico and fought through extreme emotional and physical abuse for the opportunities awaiting for them in America. After many rough years working minimum wage jobs with no experience and no education history, they went from renting out a basement to finally buying a home and officially becoming US Citizens. Although we may not be rich, what others perceive as below average is what we see as luxury because of what we’ve been through. As Kings perfectly says it, “The American Dream… Is based on perception, on the way someone imagines to be

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