Persuasive Essay On The American Dream

1284 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Narrative of the american dream

During the twenties, there was this romanticized idea that with a lot of wealth and possessions came a lot of happiness, otherwise known as the American Dream. The American Dream not only flourished during this time, but redefined itself. It went from people wanting to be able to sustain themselves and have land, to having exuberant amounts of money and a happy healthy family. But how were people supposed to achieve this? The minimal amounts of people who did achieve this dream, achieved it through illegal activity. We see this idea in the Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Gatsby was not only a young, wealthy man, but a bootlegger. But there were also those who couldn’t achieve it due to their place in society. The vision of the American Dream was perceived to happen with hard work and persistence; however, it was mobsters who got the money with little effort and the poor and African Americans who worked hard to make ends meet with little left over.
The American Dream has no set definition, but the ideas are all generally the same. The American Dream isn’t about having all …show more content…

African Americans were still being discriminated against. People didn’t want to hire African Americans, therefore they had a hard time getting a job (Problems in the 1920s). “There ain’t no job in this country can make a white man wait on a N*****” (Wilson 75-87). The Ku Klux Klan became popular again among many young, white activists. Threatening and scaring those who didn’t join the Klan, made it grow to one of the largest of its time. The klan would scare, threaten and torture African Americans so much that they wouldn’t speak out, and would stay at the bottom of the social hierarchy. The president during this time, Coolidge, did nothing to stop these acts. He didn’t even acknowledge its existence. African Americans had an extremely rough life during this time period; they were either scared for their life or struggling to make ends

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Idealism In The Great Gatsby

    2068 Words  | 5 Pages

    Since its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has indisputably been one of the most influential and insightful pieces on the corruption and idealism of the American Dream. The American Dream, defined as ‘The belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone,’ was a dominant ideal in American society, stemming from an opportunist pioneer mentality. In his book ‘The American Tradition in Literature’, Bradley Sculley praised The Great Gatsby for being ‘perhaps the most striking fictional analysis of the age of gang barons and the social conditions that produced them.’ Over the years, greed and selfishness changed the basic essence of the American Dream, forming firmly integrated social classes and the uncontainable thirst for money and status. The ‘Roaring Twenties’ was a time of ‘sustained increase in national wealth’ , which consequently led to an increase in materialism and a decrease in morality. Moreover, the

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The DREAM Act

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    The lives of millions of immigrants are affected everyday due to limited access to acquiring legal citizenship. Out of that group there are 2.1 million children and young adults under the age of 18 that are eligible for permanent citizenship at this time (The DREAM Act). In 2001 Dick Durbin and Orrin Hatch presented a Development Relief and Education of Alien Minors (DREAM) Act that provides a path to becoming a legal citizen. The DREAM Act has yet to be passed, but there is a temporary Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)(The DREAM Act). The DREAM Act will provide options and opportunities for people to continue their path of life in America. The DREAM Act should be passed as it will benefit our economy, positively affect and strengthen our military, along with increased access to education.

    Read More

  • How can Gatsby be called Great

    1326 Words  | 3 Pages

    The title of F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ can be seen as incredibly ironic: not only can the ‘greatness’ of the eponymous character be vehemently contested, he is not even named ‘Gatsby’. In fact, he is a criminal, James Gatz, who, although he appears to be an epitome of the idealistic American Dream, having grown from an impoverished childhood into a life of excess and splendour, he has obtained everything through crime and corruption. Indeed, it has been said that ‘The Great Gatsby’ is “a parable of disenchantment with the ‘American Dream’” , and it is, for the American Dream is the idea that “through hard work, courage and determination, one could achieve prosperity.” James Gatz did not obtain his prosperous lifestyle through “hard work”, but rather through felony. Of course, it may seem that he ‘worked hard’ for it, and there is no disputing his determination and perhaps even his courage, but the “hard work” on which the American Dream is based is not the work of criminals.

    Read More

  • Advertising the American Dream: Making Way for Modernity by Roland Marchand

    1828 Words  | 4 Pages

    The American Dream is a concept that has been wielded in American Literature since its beginnings. The ‘American Dream’ ideal follows the life of an ordinary man wanting to achieve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The original goal of the American dream was to pursue freedom and a greater good, but throughout time the goals have shifted to accumulating wealth, high social status, etc. As such, deplorable moral and social values have evolved from a materialistic pursuit of happiness. In “Advertising the American Dream: Making Way for Modernity”, Roland Marchand describes a man that he believed to be the prime example of a 1920’s man. Marchand writes, “Not only did he flourish in the fast-paced, modern urban milieu of skyscrapers, taxicabs, and pleasure- seeking crowds, but he proclaimed himself an expert on the latest crazes in fashion, contemporary lingo, and popular pastimes.” (Marchand) This description shows material success as the model for the American Dream. In his novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald reveals the characterization of his characters through the use of symbols and motifs to emphasize the corruption of the American Dream.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The American Dream

    1785 Words  | 4 Pages

    “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).

    Read More

  • The American Dream Education Essay

    1282 Words  | 3 Pages

    The term American Dream was initially set by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of American which was written in 1931. In the book, James Truslow Adams (1931) stated that the American Dream was a dream of having a land to stay; each person had a better, richer and more fulfilling life, and those who had the ability or achievement were always full of opportunities. In the video of the American Dream, it assumes that is also a belief that as long as the American do a hard struggle, they will be able to achieve the idea of a successful life. It’s suitable to say in the 21st century in some specific example but not all situation. (Citation) In addition, American Dream existed long before the words created. In the colonial period, the immigrants

    Read More

  • American Dream Essay

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The DREAM Act

    1277 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most of the United States (U.S) is comprised of immigrants—including those who have migrated to the States from another country and those whose ancestors freely travelled to the States in search of a fresh start. Every year, the U.S. grants a limited number of people around the world the opportunity to immigrate to the States each year. As a result of the restriction, citizens from neighboring countries cross the border illegally. According to an article by Jens Manuel Krogstad, 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants reside in the U.S. in 2014. This whopping number has stirred controversy both politically and economically for America’s government officials. As a result, many people argue whether illegal immigrants should or should not be aided

    Read More

  • American Dream Essay

    1221 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • What The American Dream Means To Me Essay

    483 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On The American Dream

    591 Words  | 2 Pages

    America is a very self-fulfilling economy and class matters after all in this so called “American Dream.” When did teenagers become any different. Last time I checked we were all equal. John M. Bridgeland in First, Help Today’s Struggling Youth. states that yet every year in America more than one million youth drop out of high school, crippling their chance at the American Dream.” John also states; “Nearly one in six, between the ages of sixteen to twenty four years old, is disconnected from the two structures that offer hope for their future.” These are school and work. This is where we need to promote growth and provide teens with any tools necessary to achieve. We need to be open to any ideas that this generation foresees in the future. John is a strong believer in the Youth Build program. In the third paragraph of First, Help Today’s Struggling Youth., he says that with a track record of success, Youth Build offers a holistic program of education, job training, personal counseling, community service, leadership development, placement in college or jobs, and follow-up support afte...

    Read More

  • American Dream Essay

    1786 Words  | 4 Pages

    The American Dream, as defined by Dictionary.com is, "the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available for every American." Unlike any other literary period, the Contemporary Period has taken the American Dream and contorted it into something completely obscene compared to its original form. The Contemporary Period began in 1939 and is still evolving in today's society. The American Dream was previously a goal that every American could achieve with hard work, but during the Contemporary Period the American Dream seems to be impossible to achieve. The dramatic shift of technology during the American Contemporary Period transformed the American Dream by giving it a more egocentric connotation along with affecting the daily lives of citizens, therefore establishing the aspiration for self-achievement, which can be revealed through the literature of this time.

    Read More

  • The American Dream Essay: To Achieve The American Dreams

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    People usually do not have a concrete plan for their future, so they do not know what direction they are going to take; it is so difficult for people to set themselves up for success when they have no real support system put in place. They often have negative people around them that will bring them down, too, which will lead to a lack of motivation, and this will set them up for failure, especially when they set goals that are not clear enough or realistic. People are usually not motivated or disciplined enough, use too many excuses, and get overwhelmed by obstacles, causing them to fail.

    Read More

  • Personal Essay: The American Dream

    1255 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The American Dream By James Truslow Adams's The Epic Of America

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream" always has something individual. That is, why till today no one succeeded in giving a universally acceptable definition of the term.

    Read More

More about Persuasive Essay On The American Dream

Open Document