American Dream Research Paper

Living in America is said to provide an opportunity to anyone who works hard and strives for prosperity. Despite this saying, many people still reside in the lower-class after years of working laborious jobs. Indeed, some people have miraculously found their way out of the gutters on the system, but most people happen to not be as lucky. Through experience, author Barbara Ehrenreich finds that the social divide in America makes the American Dream much more difficult than it is perceived to be by the upper class. The truth she finds by living as a person in poverty incited her frustrations and disgust with the system. The attainability of the American Dream is definitely unlikely, but still not impossible.

Thesis Statement: The achievement of the American Dream, represented by social classes and opportunities available for social advancement, is unrealistic. The American Dream is propaganda for capitalism, rooted into the minds of believers that are used for labor. Capitalism’s fixed social classes leave no room for immigrants or for the hopeful to move up towards material success and wealth.

Wealth and power are drivers that turn the gears of American society. The constant struggle for these sought-after commodities has beneficial and harmful aspects. The American dream is perhaps one of the most influential ideas that acts as the bed rock for achievement and success. But new found or inherited wealth can be a blessing and a curse if not properly utilized. In society, class, popularity and power are all highly valued and actively pursued by many people. Without structure and support, a individual will lean on these values for happiness.

The American Dream. Three words that give hope to those who never imagined having it. Immigration isn’t something that can be understood by those who never went through it; it’s more than a term, more than some citizenship papers, more than a new country, it’s a completely new life.

   The story of America is an exciting one, filled with swift evolution and an amazing energy unprecedented in world history. In America's short existence, it has progressed from a small collection of European rebels to the economically dominant nation that it is today. Mixed up in the provocative reputation of America is the celebrated ideal of the American Dream, the fantasy of complete independence and self-reliance mixed with the opportunity to attain wealth through one's labors. On the surface, this reverie seems almost enchanted, offering people the unprecedented prospect of achieving success regardless of one's race, religion, or family history. The American Dream is exactly what it appears to

The American dream can be defined as the promise of living in America with opportunities for all, regardless of social class, and according to their ability and effort (Schnell, 2010). Proponents of the American dream believe that there is equal opportunity for all in the American society to achieve success. Success is not pegged on social status, race, or creed, but rather on an individual’s own efforts. The definition of the American dream has unique interpretations to different people. The most common meaning is that of a life of abundance and prosperity, characterized by economic rewards that enable one to live a middle class life of comfort. Here, success is measured by material possessions such as beautiful homes, cars, a high

Here, in the United States, the “American Dream,” is a popular belief. There is a strong relationship between hard work and success. In this perfect scenario, those who put in multiple hours are on the road to success and can move up the social ladder. Thus stating, one could be thrust into the lowest of the social status, and with some hard work, one can elevate into the world of the social elite. As a demonstration to this global view of the United States, immigrants from all over the globe have made the excursion to the “land of opportunity” in beliefs of better education, employment, government, communities, religious freedom, and lives for not only themselves but the generations that come pursuing behind them. All of this survives based on a game of social stratification – a diagram on how to successfully obtain the American dream. This observation of social class is based on many mechanisms, some of which is bestowed to people at birth, and not rewarded for hard work and dedication. The class system at play in the United States has become incredibly complex – it no longer has the fundamental class values of our forefathers. Those trying to move up in the social ladder of America are often caught replication the actions of the rich and famous, but this alone cannot make them part of the higher social class. Some think that there are simple rules to follow to climb higher into another social class ladder, but there is more to being upper class than just talking the talk or having the right identity.One way to look at class is the model developed by Janny Scott and David Leonhardt's article, “Shadowy Lines That Still Divide,” in The New York Times. They assert that “one way to think of a person’s position in society is to imagine a hand of cards. Everyone is dealt four cards, one from each suit: education, income, occupation and wealth, the four commonly used criteria for gauging class” (Scott and Leonhardt 27). While being sure on these four criteria, a basic understanding of a person’s predicted class can be made. While this model works fine for providing an elementary level of perception, it must be recognized that a person could rate well on this scale and still be in a different class than those

The American people once believed that the dream included “a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each person according to ability or achievement...regardless of fortuitous circumstances of birth or position” (Adams 2).. Once the ideal of millions to achiever a greater life of success for all, the American Dream has now become distorted, and replaced by new immoral ideas on how to succeed. The renowned sociologist Robert Merton published his Social Structure and Anomie in 1938. In it he states that rigid adherence to

What is the american dream? The amercan dream is the idea that everyone has equal oppourtunity to acheive success and prosperity through hard work and determination. But is the american dream the same for everyone?

Let me now refer this experience to the concept of American dream. A strong contributor to the development of societal norms in America is Barbara Ehrenreich, a contemporary American writer who aims at exposing the society by the means of personal interaction with the less successful categories of population (Jeffrey 411). The author has always been promoting positive attitude toward the position in society and opportunities associated with it. “So, you’re unhappy about your job; you have a right to be unhappy about that”, claims the author in an interview (Conniff 34). In her works, she emphasizes on the rents of society that seem to have strong effect in all aspects of life. She does not talk about the people who live happily because they represent the minority of the US citizens. She contributes to the American dream in the form of support to the working class that is usually a victim of social and economical processes. If native citizens experience difficulties in employment and struggle for the work benefits, then visitors and immigrants may probably have even worse situation within the given issue. Besides, the world economic crisis has negatively affected the employment rates in the country depriving many people in various industries from their work places. Many of them now are far more distant from the accomplishment of the American dream than they have been before.

What is the American Dream? This question is often asked and argued, having an unclear definition of what it really means. Many believe that it is a collection of ideals in which freedom gives anyone the opportunity of having job security, owning a home an obtaining a great education. While others, believe it is a promise that anyone may rise from poverty to wealth. The concept of having such high aspirations is often related to class structure and power. These terms are often linked as two abstract ideas that determine the basic framework of how we live in the United States. Furthermore, they represent the power to confine people into a socioeconomic status as Sociologist Karl Marx explains through his conflict perspective theory. Some believe that class structures are becoming more apparent as economic power continues to rise and the presence of the recent recession, still remains. This idea has made a clear distinction among social positions as people are classified into upper, middle and working classes. Although, some may argue that class structure and power can be modified, the social differences built by the minority in power still continue to be deeply rooted and cannot be adjusted.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 1 Declaration of Independence

If an individual works hard and perseveres, they can attain the American dream due to the abundance of opportunities in America available to every citizen. The statement “anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success,” illustrates the fundamental property of American ideals that anyone, despite their wealth, can achieve anything he/she desires (Walker). Likewise, America is “a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone,” showing that it is possible for people in America to surpass their former social status and further their success (Walker). “America's free-enterprise system makes possible the circumstances that allow individuals to go beyond meeting their basic needs to achieve self-actualization and personal fulfillment,” which proves that America’s society makes it easier for one to find prosperity (Walker). Furthermore, success can be “achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking and hard work not by chance” and people have “worked hard in a business or profession, put in long hours, and sacrificed,” to achieve their goals (Walker). One controls their own destiny, and if one yearns for the American dream, they must work hard. Some may argue that the American dream cannot be attained by those with meager income (Walker). Money may be an issue in pursuing one’s goals, as paying for

The American dream, crazily sought after, rarely achieved, is what some theorist may say. People of the lower class or should I say of all socioeconomic classes have this preconceived notion that the American Dream is attainable if you just work hard and believe in the system. However, the strain and anomie theories prove otherwise. People of all different background share this eager desire to obtain the status of the economically elite, but for some it is considered

In the book “Epic of America”, the author James Truslow Adams believed in the American Dream. Adams favorite quote was “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” (Adams, 131). In order for me to live the American Dream, I have to have unbelievable determination.