American Careers in the Terkel's Working Essay

In history, there are many recurring themes, one of the biggest is the “American Dream”. Many people resonate the words dream, freedom, equality, and the opportunity to achieve their utmost desired and achievable dreams. This definition of a perfect land that helps you achieve your dream has been termed the “American Dream.” The “American Dream”, which is supposedly available for all Americans, has unfortunately become untrue for those who are minorities or immigrants. The “American Dream” is dictated by the American society that is controlled by a racial hierarchy that does not give access to the American dream for those who are not part of the preferred race and who don’t fit into its structured box of singularity. Overall, The American

The American dream, an idea that is inextricably linked with liberal democratic principles, is based on the notion that on American soil, every person has equal access to opportunity and fair treatment under the law. America has been, and continues to be a primary destination for millions of immigrants from around the globe because it promises hope, freedom, and most important, a fair chance; migration to America has been predicated on the belief that with hard work and determination, success will eventually come. However, today, whenever the American dream is uttered, a negative connotation too often appears to be attached to it. There’s a certain attitude of pessimism as those who speak of it attempt to argue that the dream is dead,

The capability of all Americans to achieve the American dream is what many believe to have made this country great. Perhaps this is why more immigrants flock to the United States than any other nation, because they view America as “the land of opportunity”, because here anyone can achieve the American dream. Generally, the American dream is the belief that anyone, even one at a low income level, can achieve success and make themselves content if they work hard enough and are determined. Unfortunately, when looking at certain aspects of society, it’s apparent that nothing can be further from the truth. For example, a person can pursue and live the American dream and still be unhappy. Also, the lifestyle that one may live to pursue the American dream can be dehumanizing. Both of these examples are flaws in the American dream that can be seen in the film Fight Club. Furthermore, rising levels of income inequality and the crushing debt people face also shows flaws in the idea of the American dream. When analyzing the evidence, it’s clear that in the modern United States, the American dream is non-existent.

From the time our Founding Fathers introduced the idea of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, many individuals are now craving to achieve their idea of the American Dream. The American Dream has changed dramatically over the few centuries. During the Founding Fathers’ time, many believed the American Dream meant freedom, equality, and mutual respect. Time has changed this ideology of the American Dream, which is now seen as owning a million dollar mansion with multiple luxury cars. This isn’t the case for many immigrants who come to the Americas to have a better life for themselves and their family. To many of them, the American Dream is as simple as living in a house and being able to provide their children with an education and

The American Dream has many variables in individuals from different backgrounds, depending on what they feel should be achieved. Many of us consider the American Dream evolves around us by what we’re advised to believe. However, the belief of beginning with nothing and ending with the hope of becoming someone has persuaded many people from around the world regardless of their background to migrate to America. Not to mention the obstacles that come along with their journey has assured us to be more conscious of the path we prefer to walk upon. Whether it’s short or long, is optional, since there are limited opportunities, with the growing population. The knowledge and understanding of the diversity around us should be noticed, and always taken

When the first settlers came to America many years ago, they found freedom and opportunity.  With hard work and determination an average man or woman could be prosperous.  This concept was not only revolutionary in theory, but has proven to be true for many successful individuals. This idea has come to be known as the American Dream. Its foundation was based on good ethics; however, with the passing of time it has become distorted.  The American Dream no longer stands for equal opportunity and hard work; it involves wealth, false happiness, materialistic possessions and high social status.  Individuals who have achieved the materialistic American Dream give the appearance of perfection.  However, for many, their lives are not as ideal

When someone is asked what the “American Dream” is, he says it is freedom, choice, opportunity, wealth, and the pursuit of happiness. All of these descriptions of what the dream should be is just a notion made up by society. People want a nice place to live, a family, and most of all people want to be economically and physically wealthy. In most cases, to live the American Dream is to live in a constant struggle with yourself and with society. Everything people want or desire is just a doorway to a lot of struggles and at the end of the path is the sacrosanct American Dream. The American Dream is often misleading because there are times where people can not reach the goal no matter how hard they work and sometimes the following generations are affected by the struggle their own parents went through. Living the dream is not always pretty and it is not perfect either. Like most things in life, the “American Dream” is not handed to you. It is just made up and people have to suffer the consequences. Today, people still have hope and believe that there will be a better tomorrow. People still share the same dream that has been upheld as a sacrosanct for many years. Life has become a tad bit easier but in the early 1920’s there was a family who could not seem to understand and accept the rough path of life find the end of the. In The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, Ayana Mathis tells us the story of a true American family who is living in the middle of segregation and a national

The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of a person’s birthplace and class, can gain their idea of success in a country where mobility is possible for everyone. Working hard and pushing forward can lead to the wonders and triumphs of life. The idea of The American Dream has changed over the years, once representing a successful life through hard work, but now representing a person’s “entitlement” and belief that they deserve the easy way out just because they are American.

The American Dream is a quite abstract idea, being interpreted in a variety of different ways. For every American, the concept of the American Dream is slightly different, changing depending on the values instilled in the individual. This idea varies greatly between different social classes, with the greatest variation being between the lower and upper classes. Because of so many different opinions, idealisms and values, the definition of the American Dream is merely a collection of many different ideas. However, I have seen through my interview, the American Dream is more based on perspective than on the commonly held beliefs and values of Americans as a whole. Because of this, the American Dream needs to be redefined for the current generation

“The American dream is more about opportunity than anything else.”- (Parker). This quote states what seems to be true about the American dream and how opportunity is how you achieve it. To me the American dream is being able to do what you want and achieving your end goal in life. Although this means something different for everyone but, to historians, it means that the government protects the rights of people to to do what makes them happy. In this paper I will discuss what the American dream is and if it is even still possible to achieve. Another thing about the American dream; it could mean the same thing in modern society as it did a long time ago because it is still a person's ability to do what they want and what makes them happy. However it has changed a little bit.

“The American Dream of the past inspired hope and optimism. When you could believe that anything was possible, it became easier to dream… The infrastructure and resources of the past are either gone or much more difficult to access… Earning the right to pursue an opportunity has now become not only a responsibility, but requires a set of skills that must be learned in order to properly seize opportunity and keep momentum alive” (Llopis). This statement proves that what once was the American dream has now become unachievable due to a change in society. Throughout American history, the dream changed from a more simple idea to a lavish lifestyle; almost impossible in today’s world. The average citizen possesses a house, an income, and a reliable form of transportation. However, there will always be someone who has more, no matter where one lives, their occupation, or their race. Today’s American Dream is unachievable due to change in society, prejudice, and unforeseen obstacles.

“The American Dream” is advertised as being the act of a person having an idea, goal, or as the saying suggests, a dream, and then them spending time, energy, and money to make it come true. However, if you haven’t realized it yet, there’s a reason they call it a dream because it hardly becomes a reality. More and more people are realizing this so called “dream” is nothing but a hoax, and that the promises America assures and guarantees such as equal opportunity and equal success are nothing but pure manipulation. Furthermore, the American dream no longer stands by the virtue of discrimination and prejudice, overwhelming debt, and failed establishments.

The American dream is like a tree constantly growing and evolving. At its roots are God given rights like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness a defining staple in the American dream. Then comes the trunk which represents the basic necessities such as having food on the table, a house and prosperity to name a few. Each generation adds its own branches and amendments to the dream. These amendments become standards or goals for each following generation who in turn give their all in order to meet the mainstream goals that have been handed down to them through generations of dreamers and achievers. Recently, more and more people have put their own stamp on the standardized American Dream causing many to suggest that the American Dream is

The United States of America is the most powerful and wealthy country in the world. The varieties of class, individuality, religion, and race are a few of the enrichments within the "melting pot" of our society. The blend of these numerous diversities is the crucial ingredient to our modern nation. Even though America has been formed upon these diversities, its inhabitants- the "average American"- have a single thing in common; a single idea; a single goal; the American Dream. The Dream consists of a seemingly simple concept; success. Americans dream of a successful marriage, family, successful job, and own a Victorian-style home with a white picket fence and an oak tree with a swing tire in the front yard. The

What is the “American Dream?” Is it not the ideal held by billions across the globe that in the United States, the land of opportunity, one can find a well paid job, be able to raise a family and create a better life for both themselves and their kids compared to their living situation beforehand? Or is it the ideal, since the United States is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, anyone no matter what their situation, through hard work can take their share of that profound wealth? Ever since the late 1800s, when the United States emerged as one of the world’s leading industrial powers, millions of immigrants have came to this country to make a better life for themselves. They held on to the idea that in America, they would be able to afford such amenities such as a television, a car and maybe even a home. What many did not realize was that it was only through hard strenuous work would they even be able to survive in America, let alone afford the luxuries of life. Often many of these