The American Dream: To Get Rich Quick

1357 Words3 Pages

Traditionally, Americans have sought to realize the American dream of

success, fame and wealth through thrift and hard work. However, the

industrialization of the 19th and 20th centuries began to erode the

dream, replacing it with a philosophy of "get rich quick". A variety

of seductive but elusive strategies have evolved, and today the three

leading ways to instant wealth are large-prize television game shows,

big-jackpot state lotteries and compensation lawsuits. In this

article, Matthew Warshauer, Professor of History at Central

Connecticut State University, examines why so many Americans are

persuaded to seek these easy ways to their dream.

How does one achieve the American Dream? The answer undoubtedly

depends upon one’s definition of the Dream, and there are many from

which to choose. John Winthrop envisioned a religious paradise in a

"City upon a Hill." Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of racial

equality. Both men yearned for what they perceived as perfection.

Scholars have recognized widely varying conceptions of these quests

for American excellence. One component of the American Dream seems,

however, to be fairly consistent: the quest for money. Few will deny

that Americans are intently focused on the “almighty dollar.” In a

society dedicated to capitalism and the maxim that, “the one who dies

with the most toys wins,” the ability to purchase a big house and a

nice car separates those who are considered successful from those who

are not. Yet the question remains, how does one achieve this

success? How is the Dream realized? For many Americans the formula

is one of instant, albeit elusive, gratification. Rather than

adhering to a traditional work ethic, far too many Americans are

pinning their hopes on what they perceive as “easy” money. This

article focuses on three phenomena in contemporary American society

that have successfully captured the quest for the American Dream.

Savvy marketers have convinced their audiences that a new wave of

television game shows, lottery luck, and lucrative lawsuits are the

Show More
Related

  • Pursuit of the American Dream in Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    While everyone has a different interpretation of the "American Dream," some people use it as an excuse to justify their own greed and selfish desires. Two respected works of modern American literature, The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, give us insight into how the individual interpretation and pursuit of the "American Dream" can produce tragic results. Jay Gatsby, from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, built his "American Dream" upon the belief that wealth would win him acceptance. In pursuit of his dream, Gatsby spent his life trying to gain wealth and the refinement he assumes it entails. Jay Gatsby, lacking true refinement, reflects the adolescent image of the wealthy, and "[springs] from his Platonic conception of himself" (Fitzgerald 104).

    Read More

  • The Reality Of The American Dream

    1827 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • american dream

    2504 Words  | 6 Pages

    For over 100 years people have immigrated to America in hopes of achieving the American Dream. Ideas behind the American Dream date back to the Declaration of Independence which states, ‘all men are created equal’ and that they are ‘endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights’ such as ‘Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness’. Of course, the definition of the American Dream and what it means in today’s society has changed over the years, and can also be defined different ways by different people, but a standard definition would historically include a person being successful and making a decent life for themselves and their family through hard work and dedication. The idea of the American Dream is incredible, and has received the attention of many. People all over the world have dreamt of moving to the United States and starting a new, free life for themselves, but is the American Dream even attainable? In today’s society the American Dream appears to base its idea of success off of material items like money and expensive possessions, so how can someone fully achieve the American Dream when there is always something new to buy? When does the American Dream become the American Nightmare? In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1926), Jay Gatsby is the perfect example of someone desperately aspiring to achieve the American Dream, but in the midst of his endeavors, takes his eye off the prize and loses himself in the materialistic world that surrounds him. Another character that struggles in his quest to attain the American Dream is Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (1949). Willy dedicated his entire life to becoming a successful salesman, but focuses too much on popularity and achieving material c...

    Read More

  • The Impossible American Dream

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1931 when the American Dream arose, Americans believed that the harder one worked, the more one would prosper (Meacham, 2012). In other words, they strongly believed that the American Dream was gaining a better, richer, happier life. Today, the American Dream is still hoping to earn a college degree, get a good job, buy a house, and start a family, but according to MetLife’s fifth annual survey, 41% of the respondents said it was about personal fulfillment, while most American’s say it is out of reach for many (White, ...

    Read More

  • The American Dream is on the Way to Extinction

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    Humans often make goals to reach an exhilarated state. When a goal becomes too hard to obtain and when too many people fail to reach this goal, society digresses. The American Dream is the national ethos of the United States that was created in 1931. It is a set of principles in which prosperity and success can be achieved through hard work and the right ethics. However, over the years, the “car has stopped.” This so-called “dream” is running low and slowly turning into a fantasy. With the exploitation of an over-powering government and the reforms of education heading in the wrong direction, the American Dream is running low and is on its way to extinction.

    Read More

  • The Reality of the American Dream

    1564 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the summer of 2009, on June 29 the legendary Michael Jackson was announced dead. Michael Jackson was a music genius and prodigy. The King of Pop was the most successful entertainer of all time. For four decades, Michael Jackson changed the way artists all over the world looked at dance, music and fashion, making him a global icon in pop culture. He truly changed the world. Most people would look at him and say he lived the American Dream to the fullest. From the talent to the fame, he had it all. He was successful, rich, famous, and admired all over the world but do these aspects of his life really relate to those of someone who has lived the American Dream? Many people when talking about the idea of the “American Dream” primarily thinking of the romantic aspects of this idea. People think of the key elements of the American Dream such as equality, liberty, independence, hard work and success.These romantic elements of the American Dream are then emphasised in the world. People much like Walt Disney built an empire off of these romantic ideals such as “You can be who you want”, “ If you can dream it, you can do it”, and “Hard work equal success”. These parts of the american dream are the very appealing parts of the american dream characterize. This side talks about the reverse of the romantic ideals. For example, how hard work does not always result in success, there are many other factors that contribute to those that are highly successful. Every American wants to live out the american dream of equality, liberty,hard work equals success but in reality is it very rarely obtained. These ideals from both the romantic and the realistic side of the american dream are strongly expressed in books such as Great Gatsby, The Outlier...

    Read More

  • Summary Of American Dream By Brandon King

    1937 Words  | 4 Pages

    People who work hard enough become successful and build a good life for themselves and their family. Millions of Americans and others who admire America have believed this for generations. However, is this still true? Brandon King debates his interpretation of the American Dream in his published work, “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” During his essay, the speaker highlights how important the American Dream is to the economy and providing a distance from inequality. The speaker emphasizes his belief that the American Dream is still alive within America and that people must work hard to achieve it. When discussing the American Dream, King will agree that the idea is alive and thriving in the minds of Americans; yet, I argue that the idea is on hold within American society due to lack of upward social independence and economic mobility.

    Read More

  • The American Dream Exposed in The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    Money constitutes the American Dream, because in America, to be successful in life means being wealthy. We live in an industrialized nation, in which money controls our very own existence. The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara establishes an argument about society’s injustice that entails financial opportunities by revealing the differences in living conditions between upper class and lower class. Another important point Stephen Cruz, a successful business person and a Professor at the University of Wisconsin at Platteville, makes in his speech is that the American Dream is getting progressively ambiguous, because the vision of success is being controlled by power and fear which only benefit 1 percent of Americans. For most people, the American Dream is to be financially stable to the point of content; however, realistically the accomplishment of the American Dream is often obstructed by society’s limitations and influences from higher power.

    Read More

  • The American Dream

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    Money, fame, and promiscuity are the three main components of the American Dream, and what better way to get to that level than through music? The truth is, almost any other profession has a higher statistical chance of achieving this goal. Musicianship is a nearly impossible career plan to survive with. An artist will spend incalculable hours learning and mastering their craft, only to be oppressed by the community. No matter how much time or money a musician spends on his/her creations, the world will typically find a way to avert their success.

    Read More

  • The American Dream

    1528 Words  | 4 Pages

    The American Dream. This concept is well known as the picture perfect family, nice house and the white picket fence. As well as succeeding and excelling in life and making the future generations lives better than the current one. This concept has contributed much of the immigration from as early as 1931 to present day. However, many immigrants immigrate to the United States in order to escape oppression as well as uprising and turmoil which may reside in their home country. Though society often places people none the less immigrants into categories from social class, heritage, and prejudice they share a common thread of hope as well as facing obstacles in their journeys and once they arrive to the states. An example of this common thread of escaping their homeland in order to pursue new experiences and hopeful new life yet experiencing different hardships are shown when looking at both the Mexicans and the Irish.

    Read More

  • The American Dream: Success, Happiness, And Money

    484 Words  | 1 Pages

    money. The reason i think this is because the reason people go through all those

    Read More

  • The American Dream

    673 Words  | 2 Pages

    "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.

    Read More

  • The American Dream: A Struggle To Achieve Success

    1762 Words  | 4 Pages

    My great grandfather, Simon Harris, grew up in a small town. He grew up with two brothers and four sisters which his parents had to support. His family was low income. He had walked and hitchhiked his way to Decatur to be able to live on his own at the age of fourteen. He overcame many struggles, due to leaving his family at such a young age. But through his hard work and determination, he made it out of the life of poverty which he had grown up in. He did everything to his best ability. He worked hard and long hours, in order to make a better life for himself. He is an example that the American Dream is achievable, no matter how you are brought up, you just have to be willing to put in the effort. The American dream is the ideal that through hard work, determination, and some sacrifice, every US citizen should be able to achieve success.

    Read More

  • The American Dream Expressed Through The Pursuit of Happiness

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    Evensvold, Marty D. "The American Dream: Stories from the Heart of Our Nation." Library Journal Dec. 2001: 200. General OneFile. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • The American Dream

    1872 Words  | 4 Pages

    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...

    Read More

More about The American Dream: To Get Rich Quick

Open Document