American Dream Vs Urban Anthropology

For example, I am a first time college student. That is why I chose to perform an autoethnography over this subculture, and how the American Dream relates to it. Growing up I had to make sure I worked extra hard in order to prepare myself for college, because I never really had a parental example of what exact steps to take. However, my parents always stressed the importance of a college education, and how important it was to become successful later on in life. Their influence, along with other teachers and mentors of my childhood, helped shape my perception of the American Dream. Now, I am about to start living in the American Dream for the first generation college student, and that is why I felt it fitting to discuss what living that Dream means to me as well as the subculture as a whole. The American Dream for a first generation college student is best represented by securing support to stay in college, graduating and obtaining a degree, and opening up opportunities to make life easier in various ways in the future.

For the interview about the American Dream, I interviewed my mother Ellen McKelvey. I interviewed her because I believe she has a very good outlook on life and an open mind. However, she seemed to be a little stumped by the questions about the American Dream. The American Dream may not be a thing we consciously think about. However, it is a thing that we as Americans are continuing to strive for each and every day.

The American Dream was a well thought idea during the creation of the Declaration of Independence; in fact, the original belief of the American Dream was that all Americans could pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (McQuade and Atwan). Furthermore, today the American Dream is an ideal thought to the overall strive for success. According to Kimberly Amadeo, a well-known author, she elaborated in her article What is the American Dream Today “… a focus on more of what really matters, such as creating a meaningful life, contributing to community and society, valuing nature, and spending time with friends and family” (Kimberly Amadeo). Creating the American Dream, controlling decisions, and building a life that can carry out success

However, the American Dream is now a more modest version of itself than what it was before. People would rather live in a 3 bedroom home than a lavish gigantic home because gaining financial care and security for the forthcoming is more critical. King indicates that the Great Recession had brought many obstacles in the United States, but people are working to rise out of the Great Recession by changing their way of life. Indicating that the American Dream is still alive, but it is now all about working harder to prepare for the future and have a secure life.

It can be argued that the American Dream is dwindling as the country ages. As the country’s population rises, competition becomes more intense. This undoubtedly can make it more difficult to achieve a level of success that was more easily attainable 30 years ago. In addition, the cost of education has gotten so high that many graduates are paying back student loans for years. Many are stuck in a pit of debt that greatly hinders their career and personal goals. Also, rising costs of healthcare make it nearly impossible for some lower-income families to worry about more than keeping their basic needs met. In fact, some millennials are so fed up with current conditions that they completely deny the existence of the modern American Dream. For example, Andy Vasoyan, a 24 year old freelance voice actor and audio producer said, “I feel that the American dream (existed) and then just disappeared into the ether. Right now, because of income inequality and the difficulty of living in urban centers, it’s probably impossible for a huge segment of the population. And I don’t know if it was ever a real thing, but the idea of working

Over time, The American Dream has changed in an innumerable amount of ways. Past civilizations have laid the foundation for what we view it to be today. In the 1970s, people looked at a variety of aspects such as culture, political affairs (government), one’s appearance, and entertainment to fit their definition of “The American Dream”. The 1970’s helped shape and influence what people regard as the current American Dream.

Every person is entitled to their own opinions. Some people say they are happy and living the American Dream and others say the complete opposite. According to Everett Rosenfeld, “The poll conducted by DDB as part of its 2014 Life Style Study, found that only 40% of American adults over the age of eighteen believed they were living the American Dream” (The American Dream is Alive but Unrecognized). 129,240,000 people consider themselves living the American Dream. As long as one person says they are living the American Dream, it is still alive. Yet, with all those statistics one must ask themselves what does it mean to be living the American Dream? To determine if a person is living the American Dream, they must come up with their own definition. The Center for a New American Dream conducted a poll to establish what American’s consider a significant factor of the American Dream. In the poll, it was determined that 78% feel freedom is a crucial factor. 75% say basic needs are a major key. 71% say achieving one’s potential. 67% says it depends on how much free time a person has. 54% say harmony within nature. 23% say achieving affluence. (The American Dream is Alive and Well). Those listed are just some important factors, but anything that a person considers significant can define the definition. A person will never be able to accomplish the American Dream unless they get their priorities straight and determine what the American Dream means to them. After doing all that, a person will go through ups and downs, but a person must not quit.

The American Dream is indefinable. There is no one set of words or characteristics that the entire population assigns directly to its definition. With the American population consisting of people of various races, ethnicities, ages, classes, and genders, it seems trivial to even attempt to attribute a single definition to the concept of the American Dream. It is this inability however, to be confined within one single meaning, that allows for the American Dream to govern the desires and goals of the large and diverse American population. And, regardless of all of the heterogeneity within society, the American Dream is generally a goal of all American peoples. In examining this idea, I began to think about the specific meanings attributed to the American Dream for different types of individuals. I broadly outlined the American Dream for myself, to represent the belief in hard work as a pathway to success and raising oneself in society. Consequently, this higher position in society allows for the possession of increased amounts of power. My definition however, neglects to take into account the certain other societal constructs that could possibly have a decisive role in how to both define and achieve the American Dream for the wide variety of people who pursue it.

The American dream today is a household concept, which states that if a person works hard enough, he or she can make a better life for themselves. This concept inspires countless people every day to overcome adversity in attempt to better their life. On a personal level, I can relate to this dream vicariously through my father. My grandfather immigrated to the United States in 1923 from Bisaccia, Italy. The Procaccino family stood firmly on the belief that following the American dream was key to success, but despite how hard my great grandfather worked, the Great Depression drained the money out of the Procaccino household. John (my grandfather) yearned to become a doctor, but due to his family's financial situation, John enlisted in the US Army during World War II. After completing his duties, he earned an engineering degree and became a New York City engineer. John bore two sons named Angelo and John II. Angelo was a naturally gifted child with tremendous brainpower, but John was more of a rapscallion. With the guidance of Angelo, John realized that the best way to create something with your life was to follow the American dream and work harder than anyone else. John II became an incredible student and eventually went on to be a nationally

The American Dream is something many Americans desire. The desire to the mind – set or belief that anyone can be successful if they worked hard for what they’ve been yearning. It is considered to be a ‘perfect life’; it can be full of money, contentedness or even love. There are many divergent opinions given by people. Walter Younger from Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ and Willy Loman from Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of the Salesman’ both have their own views on the American Dream and how it can be achieved. Walter Lee Younger, a

No one universally accepted definition of poverty exists because it is a complex and multifaceted phenomena. Poverty is borne out of economic factors that include a lack of access to secure employment, insufficient income, and a lack of assets, especially that of real-estate.

Part of the issue with poverty is that most people can’t truly define what it is. It is important when defining poverty that the people understand that

Nowadays, many Americans wonder if the American Dream is still alive. At one point in our country, people felt that they could achieve success by working hard. However, after the economic hardships and recession of the 21st century, a number of Americans not only lost income, but some also lost their jobs. Although there has been slow progression to improve the economy, there are those who question whether or not the dream of Americans can ever be achieved again. With unemployment levels still high and salaries failing to increase, there certainly is doubt in most of Americans. In his essay, Brandon King formulates ways to redefine and change the way to look at the American dream. After analyzing King’s essay, one can see his view as believing that the dream is still very much intact. As he points out, the American economy is a very complex system that has had downfalls, but there is always a way to get back up from it. Regardless of your economic status (poor or middle class), if one has a working job, it is possible to succeed based on how much someone is willing to work to achieve their goals. As King would agree, the American dream is not only still alive and well, but anyone can reach success.

What is the definition of poverty? According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary,“ poverty is the state of being poor or indigent, it also means the state of having little or no material possessions”. The word poverty can be defined in many different ways. But nothing can compare to the thought of you and your child living in poverty. Many Americans and children are living in poverty each day. Many of the million Americans and people nationally over the globe have no control over it. According

Poverty can be interpreted in many ways, in different parts of the world which include medical, nutrition, and materialistic. In today's world, the word poverty is well known throughout most societies, and been redefined in industrial countries were poor is classified having less than the rich. Poverty in my opinion is hunger, homeless, or being ill, but not having the opportunity to consult a doctor. Poverty is the fear of living your future without having the health care to live or starving because there is no food available to receive or drinking unclean water. Despite the many attempts to eliminate poverty, the problem has never been solved on the way look at the true meaning of it. The effort to solve the problem with the people that really need the help for example, in third world countries. You can't compare third world countries with America or Britain having access to resources helpful to live every day.