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American dream, my dream
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Poor in the great land called America! No one should be poor in this so called land of America. America the land of free and the home of the brave! Living the American dream, now I wonder what that really means. Is it that it’s only a dream for most? When you see the homeless and working families struggle what dream is that? I am pretty sure the homeless did not see poverty coming their way. Those families that struggle to put food on the table are they living the American dream? So, I wish someone would give clarity to the word dream. See, for the homeless there is no hope. For struggling families there is always fear of losing what they already have. People say we need more jobs and this may be true however the fact of the matter is how …show more content…
This is not always the case however, there are those homeless who made the choice to live on the streets because it is easier not having to live up to the standards of this American dream. They don’t worry about taxes and rent. They just live from day to day on whatever is given to them. No matter the reason no one is ever exempted from being homeless or moving down to the working poor status. We live in a world that may have high hopes but utilizes false dreams. You have people who will donate food and build shelters for 3rd world countries and won’t even look twice at the ones who are in need in their own backyard. I believe all in need should be helped to get on their feet. With the abandoned houses could it be used to house those in need? Sure we have habitat for humanity however, there are stiff requirements to receive housing and once acquired people still need to be able to afford the taxes and manage the utilities. Section 8 housing shell out millions of dollars to help those in need. Some which help support the working poor to survive, others just don’t qualify for making 5 to 10 dollars over the limit. Welfare is supposed to be a temporary fix. Somehow there are those who have been on welfare nearly all their lives. So what’s wrong with this picture? Is America enabling the poor and the working poor? There really is not a quick fix to this because we are talking about decades of these troubles. I know one thing America loves statistics to show how inadequate they are in helping people not to live a comfortable life or at less a half decent
In the poem “Let America be America Again” by Langston Hughes, he states “The millions who have nothing for our pay--Except the dream that’s almost dead”. This means that people have been working hard all their lives to be successful and to live the “American Dream”, but it's all fake. This also shows that the American Dream really doesn’t exist. The documentary “Inequality For All” by Robert Reich has showed us that America really isn’t equal. Robert Reich states “The middle class is struggling”. This means that the middle is having to work ten times harder than the upper class to make a living and it's just not fair. This shows that everyone is just “indifferent”. This also shows that no one seems to care about making America the real “Dream”. I’m starting to question, who is actually looking out for the American workers? And to be honest, it’s NOBODY!! Mr. Reich also states “400 people have the most money in the U.S”. This is just showing Americans that the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer. Economic Indifference is just making things harder and harder for Americans to make this dream into a
In order to be radical about poverty, we need to understand the difference between wealth and income. Income is a transfer of money by working or by gifts. On the other hand, wealth is more of a total of accumulated assets that has been stored for a period of time (Conley, pg. 253). Wealth is not distributed equally among the public. (NCH, 2016, http://nationalhomeless.org/about-homelessness/). Declining wages has also caused a lot of stress and increase people’s inability to pay for their housing or other needs. If there are affordable housing, it’s usually in an unsafe and polluted environment or it’s extremely overcrowded that people have a higher chance of being homeless or inadequate housing arrangements than getting their applications accepted (Why Are People Homeless Research, 2016, NCH). Also, privatizing housing will increase the accumulation of wealth of the power elite or those that own property and lands by their pricing in rents. Most people go through depression because of loss of home, jobs, or a sense of self. Often times, the lack education about health and they don’t receive adequate support for medical care if they are homelessness. Poverty is also treated as a criminal offence and if people were to ask for public assistance, they have to prove their eligibility. If they have a criminal record, they are
The phrase “The American Dream” is an incredible thing. The promise of that dream has convinced hundreds of millions of people that, as a citizen of this country, you can accomplish anything if you work hard enough. Whether you want to be a doctor, athlete, or even a president, those things should all be within your reach, regardless of your class or race! America is the nation where dreams can come true. Unfortunately, for a large number of people that believe this, this is a concept that does not apply to them. Many Americans find opportunities are denied to them because of their race. Others can be found living in poverty and far from anything that would be considered desirable. Statistics show that the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans earned 9 percent of all U.S. income in 1979. Did you know that the same 1 percent earns 24 percent of all U.S. income today? That is a staggering example of the income inequality in America. The American Dream is that if you work hard and have the ability you will succeed, but that has become an impossibility for millions of disadvantaged Americans because the income inequality has been steadily increasing since the 1970s and racism and poverty are constant barriers to their success and financial security.
“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).
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
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.
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.
Homeless individuals are known for taking hand outs and they prefer to plead for money rather than to go work for it. People assume most of the the money that is given to homeless people they spend it on drugs and alcohol because of the fact that many homeless people have drug and alcohol addictions. It is not uncommon to come across homeless youth and older homeless population that are known to abuse substances like drugs and alcohol. Because of the fact that homeless people have substance abuse problems, they tend face illnesses and infections. Many hard working Americans ask themselves “why don’t homeless people just get jobs?” The assumption is they are just lazy and unmotivated. Homeless people choose to live the life they live. Everyone goes through problems but not all people take the path homeless people do. The problems homeless people face is not an excuse for them to be helped and maintained by other hard working people. Although homelessness might be a choice to some, no one knows the hardships these people have gone through. Some assume these people are just lazy but in reality a lot of these homeless people have jobs of their own, they just can’t afford housing and a decent life. Everyone has their own opinion on homeless people, but that does not change the fact that one should still serve the homeless. Not because homeless people need help but because we are
If the homeless do not have a function in society they cannot compete for the resources available, but if we give them back their purpose they will have an equal opportunity to the resources they are due. The homeless- and most people in poverty- are in an endless circle of disadvantage, since there are no jobs available they cannot establish a place of residence and with no place of residence they cannot get a job or show previous work experience. Even if they have the skills that qualify them for a job they will not be able to take the next step and become a valued member of society once more. Many of the homeless population are not homeless by choice, many have lost the only job in the household, many are military veterans that have not assimilated back to civilian life, and some are homeless due to natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. "It can happen to anyone of us. A hurricane, earthquake or wildfire that is out of control can destroy our home within minutes. We must never say never when it comes to the possibility of being homeless, especially when we consider the impact that natural disasters have. Worldwide natural disasters render middle class people near poverty and the poor,
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
There are over 3.5 million homeless people in the US now. Also, a quarter of people living on the streets are severely mentally ill, and must be admitted to institutions, and have the capability to if they were given or knew they had a chance. The poverty level is constantly rising, and is forcing more and more people onto the streets. We can just sit around and hope someone else does it, or we can take action. Next time you walk by a homeless man or family, and before you make a judgement about them, just take a minute and think about how easy it could be for you.
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
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...
Everything changed in August 1963. America was mesmerized with the famous speech “I Have a Dream” delivered by Martin Luther King. People from all over the nation gathered for one single motive, social justice, and with that citizens of the United States yearned hope for a better tomorrow; a tomorrow in which they could see a breaking dawn to a day full up roaring opportunities for everyone disregarding their ethnic background, gender, sexual preference, or economic standing. This soon led to what is now known as “The American Dream.” America’s reputation for being the land of endless possibilities has captured both foreign attention as well as native patriotism. Success here in America is defined as having a good social position and a plethora of
In a country where 45 million people struggle to survive below the poverty line, inflation continues to rise as wages remain the same. What happened to the American Dream? As the rich continue to get richer, even those in the middle class can’t seem to catch a break. The structure of American society makes it nearly impossible for those in poverty to rise above, and there are other factors, including race and gender, which play a role.