Essay : Affecting The American Dream

The American Dream has held a special place in the hearts of patriots since the very founding of America in 1776. It has been a subject of many authors who grapple with its attainability, and is a beacon of hope gazed upon by victims of circumstance. The Dream has been interpreted by great minds in various ways, and has been deemed both an evil deception and a great promise of a better life. However, the American Dream has morphed from this promise of opportunities and second chances--in fact, it has become viewed as a cause for societal competition and the reason for decreasing happiness among the American people. As Americans attempt to “achieve their goals,” and “keep up with the Joneses,” they subject themselves to the materialistic cycle of greed. Success, and the goal of the American Dream, has been redefined. To be put simply, the American Dream is now to be richer than one’s neighbor, despite the fact that happiness--and thus, the Dream--cannot be achieved solely through wealth and material goods.

All around the world the United States of America is viewed as a place of freedom and equal opportunity for all people who settle in the country. Immigrants, especially from second or third world countries, view America as a chance for them to start over and a live the lavish lifestyles they are accustomed to hearing. However, this belief that everyone in the United States lives how they want to and has equal opportunity is false. Immigrants from countries all over the world face many different issues as they settle in the United States. Although these problems may vary, the message is the same; the American dream is a lot more difficult to achieve than previously thought. Although every immigrant is different in the problems

We have come a long way from the publication of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. In hopes of change, colonies came together to declare independence against the British King for his indictments. The Declaration of Independence was made entirely opposing the Kings unfair motives, injustice of systems, and the absence of public services. For which these opposing actions towards the king, was the general idea to become the American Dream. That dream consists of equality, justice, and freedom. The dream of freedom is for everyone to say and do as they please regardless of sexual preference, religious believes, race and body image. Freedom is opportunities to educate oneself, to better them and their children’s future. But after

The American Dream is a concept that is essentially older than the United States, dating back to the seventeenth century. It was then when people began to come up with hopes and aspirations for the newly discovered, unexplored continent. The “American Dream” is in essence the idea in that puts forward the notion that all people can succeed through hard work, that all people have the right to the pursuit of happiness, and be successful. The definition of the American Dream has been expanded upon and redefined over time. The concept of the American Dream has always been debated and put under criticism. There are many that believe the structure of American Society belies the idealistic goal of the American Dream. It points out examples of

The idea of the “American Dream” was first created and presented by James Truslow Adams, in 1931. In his book “The Epic of America” he defined the dream as, “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.” (Lib of Cong, 2014). The American Dream has been dead for quite some time now. The traditional idea of the dream as stated by Adams, was to have a “richer” and “fuller” life with equal opportunity for all, under the circumstances of each person’s abilities or achievements. America is flawed in many things that are responsible for the American Dream and the lack of it’s presence, such as inequality, a poor education system, and fear of violence.

America is famous for the reputation of being the land of opportunity, and for generations immigrants have fled to the United States to experience the freedom and equality our government lays claim to. The fundamental of this reputation is the American Dream, the belief that life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each by hard working regardless of social class or circumstances of birth(by James Truslow Adams). The American Dream is different for everyone, though it is most commonly associated with success, freedom, and happiness. The concept of the American Dream seems to have dwindled from where it was in the past few generations. It has gone from success, freedom,

The term “American Dream” is one of the most widely interpreted ideas in American culture. The term is used to represent anything from freedom of speech, to homeownership, to having enough food to eat. When James Adam wrote the Epic of America coining the phrase “American Dream,” he was referring to America as ‘“a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement”’ (qtd Delahorne). Adam’s definition of the American Dream was not about the attainment of material goods but instead about the possibility of full life and social mobility determined by effort and capabilities rather than

The American Dream represents the success that opportunities bring to those who work hard, however it has become marred throughout America’s history due to the key differences in culture and economy. The American Dream changes and evolves to meet a new standard, as we first see post World War I, this is where we see that, “the American Dream is really money.”(Jill Robinson, British Activist) In the booming economy, money making opportunities determined a new idea of success, which made it easy for the wealthy to become complacent with their lavish lifestyle, . The issue with this is that it sets a goal that, although seems attainable for the privileged and lucky, is not something that an everyday immigrant or underserved American can achieve,

What is the American Dream? Cambridge dictionary believes it is “the belief that everyone in the US has the chance to be successful and happy if they work hard”. Dictionary.com says it is a “life of personal happiness and material comfort”. No two definitions of the American Dream seem to be the same, probably because it has changed so much over time. In the 1950’s, the dream appears in a hazy view of the perfect life. People are almost brainwashed- everyone’s life looks exactly the same. However, this is no strange coincidence; it is described by the phrase ‘keeping up with the Jones’’. If one person had a television in their house, then everyone would have one. Life for them was all about seeming ‘hip’ and ‘cool’. The

“American Dream” has a long history, originally refers to the Puritan immigrants belief in freedom to create, dreams and desires. However, as in the new continent and the west in the process of development, the “American Dream” gradually evolved the yearning and pursuit of success, including the pursuit of wealth, class and love. In American, people always think, through your diligently work that you will be able to change their social status, live a life of rich people in the United States. But by the 1920s, the “American Dream” began to slowly become decadent, all the positive meanings are later replaced by hedonism, extravagance and waste. All the dream about the treasure, equal status and

The American Dream is achievable by everybody who puts effort and determination into their dream. The American Dream is the idea that every U.S citizen should have equal opportunity to attain success. This is an influence to America because it allows Americans to work hard for something they might have always wanted. America does provide the American Dream to the “tired, the poor, and the huddled masses” due to everybody’s dream being different.

The American Dream. Ahhhh, sounds nice doesn’t it? From the earliest centuries beginning with the Pilgrims settling on Plymouth, to the struggle for gender and racial equality, to the desire of having a perfect family with a substantial amount of money, the American Dream is always present. The idea that used to be so romanticised because of the materialized glory and fortune that came along with it, is now the ideology has completely changed. In our world today the impact of the American Dream lives on but is constantly evolving. Many even argue that the Dream has become extinct. The American Dream is always there, but, sometimes, people do not realize that they are in fact living this Dream. The aspects are still considered prominent in many people's lives although it now has a variety of meanings. One of the original interpreters of the American Dream, James Truslow Adams, believed that the Dream was “of a land in which life should

I am a beneficiary of the American dream, my family has gone from moving around dangerous neighborhoods and relying on my grandparents for food to working in fantastic positions and sending all three kids to college. I have experienced life from both sides of the economic tracks and have become open-minded and extremely independent because of my experiences. Being part of my family has motivated me to look for challenges. Looking for an adventure, I am planning to solo hike the Appalachian trail following my graduation in December. A trek of 2,190 miles will provide me with solitude and logistical challenges that will prepare me for a new phase of life. When I do not fill my days with productive activity, I become increasingly restless. Looking

The concept of the “American Dream” is that everyone can be happy, wealthy and successful. Through education, hard work and determination one can achieve the “American Dream”. However, today even with an education and working hard people are still struggling to make ends meet. This is partially due to, the economy and partially due to, the more money one makes generally, the more money one will spend. Over the years the “American Dream” has changed significantly, years ago people were happy with the simple things in life, family, health and food on the table not the size of their bank accounts. Today, the “dream” still consists of the family, health and food on the table for some, but it also seems to emphasis more material things and money.

In January of 2017 President Donald Trump announced to the American people that “The American Dream is back.” When Americans hear the words The American dream they think about working hard day and night so they can afford to buy a nice big house, find a wonderful caring spouse, have at least two kids and be able to retire with a 401 K. As wonderful of the idea of the American dream is, it caused a major issue, it turned Americans into very materialistic society. The New York Times wrote an article called The Transformation of the 'American Dream' which explains the history of the American Dream and how society changed the dream. The idea originally began in the 1930’s, it meant freedom, mutual respect and equality of opportunity, it had nothing