Analysis Of The Book ' The Nordic Theory Of Everything ' By Anu Partanen Essay

America still to this day holds on to the idea of the “American Dream”. This is rather surprising in today’s society and the ups and downs that the nation is facing. The dream in the past was more about freedom and equality. Moving through the decades, this dream has morphed into something quite different. Instead of what America means for all of its inhabitants, the nation has become more individualized. Society has moved to interpret the dream of what America can do for the one. Instead of the unified nation, America has been known for in the past, a shift has started creating an inconsistency in who can realize the dream. The myth of the “American Dream” has been hugely affected by increased materialism, the gap in economic status, and the fantasy of “rags to riches” idea.

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.

(Intro) since July 4th 1776 the great country we call the United States has been growing. It started small; just a few immigrants seeking a new world for religious freedoms, and has grown into a world power. It was not an easy journey though, our country experienced many struggles along the way: political disagreements over land, wars, Indian, and technological blocks. As a country we have been very resourceful; throughout history we have come together, explored new land, made monumental changes in technologies, and our thought processes. Once a country of only thirteen colonies, we have gone through great westward expansion to become a united nation of fifty states.

When people think of the American Dream, most think of the good that arises with it. They don’t consider the hardships and obstacles one must overcome. Many immigrants come to America in hopes of accomplishing their dreams and aspirations, and if they can’t, maybe their children can. Haspel debates how “The U.S. has changed drastically in the last several decades. The middle class, which was the heart of the American Dream, is dwindling, and the disparity of wealth among social classes continues to grow.” (41) This defends the popular phrase “The rich get richer while the poorer get poorer.” In essence, the American Dream can be viewed as the aim to climb the economic ladder. As the economic gap between the different social classes grow, it becomes harder for certain groups to see the American Dream as an attainable goal. The American Dream entails a variety of opportunities, and it is hard for minorities to grasp such opportunities with limited resources. Haspel also debates that “Another issue contributing to the decay of the American Dream is the country’s changing family

When it comes to the topic of the American Dream, most of us will readily agree that nothing worth having comes easy. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether or not the American Dream is currently dead or alive. On the one hand, Brandon King, writer of the essay, “The American Dream: Dead, Alive or on Hold?” argues that “it’s more alive and important than ever- and that it is the key to climbing out of the Great Recession, overcoming inequality, and achieving true prosperity.” (610). On the other hand, Keli Goff, journalist of the article, “The American Dream is Dead, and Good Riddance” contends “It’s time to redefine what it means to be successful in America… the American Dream as we know it is dead, and good

“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 one dream that many worldwide wish they can accomplish and have access to. Many want to obtain the American Dream because it provides opportunity which would eventually lead to success and happiness. The problem with this dream is that it is only accessible with hard work and a few circumstances which are only obtainable to very few individuals. These few individuals known as the “top 1%” are the ones mainly capable of obtaining this dream without any hard work. Even though this dream may sound impossible for lower classes, it is still obtainable through much more hard work. This dream should be attainable and reasonable for everyone, however difference caused by the changes of development, social inequality, and immigration

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.

Land of Opportunity, Home of the Brave, and Land of the Free often come to mind when envisioning the United States for most individuals around the world. Through the media, America and the American Dream is depicted as the salvation for poverty, sorrow, and hardship. The Founding Fathers invented the American Dream, offering life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, an abundance of immigrants were falling short of possessing the American Dream and slowly began to realize that these alluring portrayals were merely a facade. Wealthy and influential corporations needed to revitalize the American Dream before it would dissolve amongst the masses. In order to keep American deception ongoing, a new American Dream was implemented into society. This time, it was not affecting individuals’ careers and lifestyles, it was affecting their identity and their consumerist behavior. The ‘American Dream’ embodies the accessibility of opportunities, the longing for social acceptance, and the yearn for economic acquisition (awk). Consumerism harvests this elusive ‘dream’ by perpetuating an ideology of an ‘empty identity’ through media marketing, corporate imperialism, and the limitless consumption of brands that construct identity.

For many years, America has remained the top destination for migrants from all over the world. While other people come to America fleeing from war and persecutions in their homelands, some of the people also come in to pursue a greener pasture due to the lack of opportunities in their homeland. Regardless the reason for one’s choosing of America, the undeniable fact is that, America is a land full of opportunities. A land one can achieve his or her dream provided the person is determined to do so. But as generation changes, so also conditions continue to change. Now, with high cost of education and low wages which continue to diminishing the middle class, people are questioning if the American Dream is still

The future is uncertain: therefore, the American Dream is also wavering. The American dream has shifted greatly from its origin in the early 1930’s. But what has caused it to do so? The question formed above was greatly influenced by the words of former President Richard Milhous Nixon. In his speech Address to the Nation on Labor Day, Nixon opens by proclaiming that Americans need to “dedicate ourselves to a goal we have rarely been able to achieve in the past forty years - a new prosperity without war and without inflation”. Essentially, a nation vowed to live by and uphold the morality of the American dream.

Today marks a victory not of a party, but of a nation. It is a celebration not of red or blue, but of the nation itself, as we strive for our ideals of democracy. As a democracy, or nation rests on the soldiers of its people, as We the People bear the responsibility to uphold this country to such democratic standards. When our Constitution was drafted, the founding fathers used the phrase “We the People” to emphasize that, although we are divided by state, the power of the people is the driving force in our political system. As a democratic state, our society is run on the will and beliefs of the American people. More importantly, it is directed by the beliefs of our youth, and the values that they stand for, However, in recent years this has not

We are blessed to live in a nation with the highest standard of living on earth, with an abundance of food, freedom to travel, freedom to vote for our leaders, freedom of speech and religious belief. Yet, so much still remains to be done. We live in a nation where some are still discriminated against. We live in a nation where prisons are filled, and more are needed. In our hands, the potential for a great America can be found -- where cures for disease and cancer are discovered; where we can feed the hungry millions of the world; where peace and tolerance toward each other is taught; and where honesty and integrity prevail.

In this election, America was once again faced with influential forces threatening to divide us. But just like our founders, we stayed united. We did not let them tear us apart. And instead, our bonds have grown stronger. We have stayed true to our country’s motto: e pluribus unum (out of many, we are one).

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.