Chasing The American Dream Analysis

In my opinion, America does not provide access to the American dream as originally intended. The American Dream was the belief that hard-working citizens could better their lives, provide a better life for their children, and save enough money to live comfortably after they retire. Some would argue that the American dream is still accessible, however, evidence shows that Americans are struggling financially and not quite receiving the opportunities and access to reaching that “American Dream”. I think America does not provide access to the American dream because of the real stories and speeches shared about American people’s struggles and unfair realities in attaining their American dream. My counterclaim describes the originally intended

In a country that is based around the idea that you can be anyone and do anything, one would think that most Americans all want the typical “American Dream.” Many would agree that when we think American Dream, we think fancy yachts, designer clothing, and big buildings, but is that really what the dream is all about? By definition, the American Dream is defined as, “the idea that every U.S. citizen should have equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work and determination” (“American Dream”). It is the idea that someone that comes from the very bottom can make their way to the top through determination and persistence. But what is considered to be “the top” is hard to

I was born in a middle class family in China and my parents care about me very much. Before I was even born, my farther adjusted the business hour of his clinic to make more profit by accepting more patients and my mother was a nurse who worked in my dad’s clinic, so they saved the money to send me to school and prepare to move to the U.S. Most of the members of my family already moved to the U.S. Moreover, once my aunt got her U.S. citizenship, she, as the sponsor, was able to apply for us to come. When I was 15, we finally got our immigrant visas and my parents told me we were ready for move to the America. Therefore, we sold everything we had in China we were staying at my uncle’s house in Hong Kong because we need to take the airplane from Hong Kong to Missouri, U.S. I still remember what my uncle said to me because he looked at me with a very serious face that caught my attention. “Qianxin, the America is different from China. I’ve heard people said life in the America is harder than China. However, if you work hard enough, you will get what you deserve.” The words are always in my mind. I tried to do my best in school and in everything because I want to be the person who can help my family.

What is the American Dream? Is it home ownership, gaining fame or wealth, having a great family or is it gaining a peace of mind? Many people have different versions of what the American Dream is, some people believe the dream is lost, and some people are right in the middle and still believe the American Dream is still alive. “The American Dream” by Brandon King debates about what the true state is left in the American Dream now. Throughout the essay, King asks if the American Dream is dead, alive, on hold or just changing due to economic hardship. King believes that the American Dream is still alive even though there are people who believe it's not, and is defined today as the ability to work hard, plan for the forthcoming and have a

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

David Kamp's 2009 Vanity Fair article "Rethinking the American Dream" focuses on the general perception of the ‘American Dream’ and how it has evolved throughout our nation’s history. It clearly states that as the average American household's lifestyle has become more and more consumer-oriented, the original spirit that invigorated and united its people from the age of western expansion to the Great Depression has begun to fade. The dream has been dampened as the vision of "success" has become more focused on gaining material/getting rich quick, rather than working hard all throughout one’s life to attain what they want and desire.

In her 1961 essay “What Has Happened to the American Dream?”, Eleanor Roosevelt stated that “no single individual and no single group has an exclusive claim to the American dream...but we have all a vision of what it is, not merely as a hope and an aspiration, but as a way of life, which we can come ever closer to attaining its ideal form if we keep our belief in its essential value”. The belief of pursuing the American dream is one that has been instilled since the formation of the country itself, and with those beliefs come those who pursue it. Unfortunately, achieving this dream is not without difficulty, and those who realize the true obstacles in front of them turn to other ways to sustain themselves in this nation. Not everyone has an equal opportunity to pursue the American dream because of social exclusion, the government prioritizing the wrong issues, and economic gaps, which has thus led to organized crime, however some say that all citizens do have the equal opportunity.

For years there has been debate over the state of the American Dream. There are many differing opinions over not only its health, but how it is defined. In his essay, The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?, Brandon King adds to the ongoing argument by stating that the American dream is alive, but has changed from what it was originally. He states that the American Dream used to be the ability to become wealthy. However it has now become the ability to earn and honest living and to save for the future. He continues to explain to American’s what this information means in the context of the recession of 2009. He also strives to prove that the American Dream has not been destroyed by the economic hardship. King creates an effective argument

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.

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.”(quoted in “In Search of the American Dream”) For some, Truslow Adam’s definition of the American Dream leaves out the reality of how one’s socioeconomic status, on average, determines one’s wealth in American society. History shows that people born without certain privileges can’t ascend the figurative ladder to success with ease like their counterparts. Among these privileges were generational wealth and being White. A time when this was most evident was the 1920s: a time of mass spending, lavish lifestyles, and materialistic attitudes. Literary works like “In Search of the American Dream” by Jonas Clark, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and “One Christmas Eve” by Langston Hughes, show how the roaring culture of the 1920s caused an economic boom which widened the gap between the rich and the middle class, making it even more difficult for the majority of Americans to attain a sense of social and financial security. By the 1920s, the American Dream begins to lose its inclusive message and transform into an exclusive one in where one’s socioeconomic status mainly determines if one attains the Dream.

Is the American Dream still alive? In my opinion it is not. The American Dream is not something that can be applied to the people in this day and time. It’s just a piece of history that people are holding on to. Brandon King’s definition of the American dream being that it is the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future, but it is not believable to say the American dream is alive in today’s society thanks to the changes in the economy.

At 1981, The George A. Hormel Meatpacking Company cut wages from $10.69 to $8.25 to claim the need to remain competitive. Companies threat workers that they either close one plant and then open it at lower wage places or exit the business directly. Local unions like P-9 firstly request that all the workers should stick to $10.69 an hour in ten or fifteen years that we could call its target point. The company didn’t agree, they asserted new member workers the company recruited would be paid two dollars less for the same work, which is different from the P-9 decision. Union P-9 refuses any concessions in the negotiation process at first, which proves it is an over-aspiring negotiator. It reveals its reservation point that keeping the $10.69 at least three years too early because it has absolute confidence to win the negotiation. But actually P-9 Local wrongly assesses the counterparties interests and BANTA and lead to final negotiation failure unavoidably.

Since I was a little girl, I always knew I had potential to do great things. I've always been good in school, but not maxed out my full potential. As I got older I learned more about what the "American Dream" is. Too many people say its money, the more money you make the better off you are. I have learned that money isn’t always the answer. The true meaning of the “American Dream is really success and happiness in any thing you do. But how do you really achieve that goal? Now a day’s education is the key to success. When I turned eight teen I made up my mind I was just going to graduate and work. I wasn't interested in college at all. I was tired

In the article “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” Brandon King states that even though The Great Recession had a huge effect on the nation’s economy and each person’s life, he believes that the American Dream is still living, and it is a significant solution of recovering the economy. King begins his article by providing two contrasting ideas of the American Dream, which are about the existence of it or not. Then, he continues to give the new definition of the phrase “The American Dream,” known as having comfort and security instead of working hard to achieve success. The author goes on to write about the fragile economy nowadays, and he believes that the economy is having a hard time to recover because of difficulties from the Great Recession: the price of housing goes down, people get jobs slowly, and it is not easy to get money immediately. After making note of this, King continues to discuss that the government’s solution currently does not work for everyone. He states that the result of raising minimum wage does not help poorer become richer. Furthermore, King agrees that we should plan by saving more and enacting policies that sustain economic growth that will keep the American Dream alive. After reading this article, my point of view is opposite with the author’s idea that the American Dream nowadays does not exist like before the Great Recession happened, which was in 2008. It is shown through the debt of new graduated students

The American Dream is symbolic for personal growth and the pursuit of endless opportunities to prosper in anything from monetary and materialistic gains, or even personal fulfillment. This topic is difficult to discuss because each person has different goals and aspirations, which means each person, will have a different idea on what the American Dream is because of these differences in ideals. These ideals can range from religious, intellectual, personal pursuits. This is best expressed by Congressman Marsha Blackburn when she stated that “the American Dream is independence and being able to create that dream for yourself” (Blackburn). With the intent of examining the American Dream, I will go over the history, explain how the dream is changing, debate on if it is still possible, discuss the obstacles, and explore my American Dream.