Opportunity: what is it? It is taking a risk in order to reach a better life for oneself. Being the quintessential essence of the American Dream, grasping opportunity defines the bold who dare to take a better life. To many, the American Dream is a phrase used to describe the past immigration into America for a better life or the vivid lives of those in the 1920’s that author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote about in his novel, The Great Gatsby. It may not show itself in the same manner, but the American Dream is alive today for those who have the hope to change their position and have the courage to take risks. Americans such as Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and Sylvester Stallone have proven this to be true. In today’s society, accomplishing the American Dream is still possible and it is still accessible to the “tired, the poor, the huddled masses.” …show more content…
The great uncle Nick speaks of, took a risk to operate his own business. In a collection of people’s stories by Dan Rather called “They Live the Dream,” he analyses what citizens individually overcome in order to accomplish their American Dream. Success is often measured differently depending on who’s eyes the situation is seen through, however there is no denying that Delores Kesler has seen great success. Overcoming divorce, becoming a single parent, and with few resources to help her, Kesler started a company in which, “An awful lot of people benefited from what started with a $10,000 loan,” (qtd. in Rather 42). Not only did Delores accomplish her American Dream of supporting her family, but her company helps find temporary staffing for thousands of others go after their American Dream. This concept of the American Dream is alive, seen everyday, and protected by the U.S. military because they risk for America to succeed. The American Dream can be grasped by those with the grit to work for it and nothing less than all the effort that they
From the beginning of Nickel and Dimed and Scratch Beginnings, the question posed is the same: “Does the American Dream still exist in the modern America?” And while liberal and conservative commentators will openly contradict each other and argue the viability of making it from almost nothing in this modern age, all that is hearsay. Ehrenreich and Shepard, the authors of Nickel and Dimed and Scratch Beginnings respectively, tried to go beyond what the commentators were doing and prove whether the American dream was still alive by embarking on their own separate case studies. And while, it is imaginable that anyone can rise from rags to as, Shepard stated “slightly better rags,” the how to do this is the item in question. To the American public
Undeniably, the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an interesting yet enlightening read about the discrimination and unfairness African Americans faced in the 1930s through the eyes of a child. There are numerous passages throughout the novel that are life lessons for not just the characters in the story, but the readers. Without a doubt, one life lesson that is displayed in the story is the empathy shown by Atticus. The life lesson of personal integrity is also a major one in the story, as well as persistence. Lastly, the theme of courage is significant and the life lesson of the mockingbird in the story has a deeper meaning than what might appear to readers. Overall, the life lessons of empathy, personal integrity, persistence,
The American Dream is the idea that financial success, upward social mobility, and overall prosperity can be achieved with perseverance and hard work. It’s the idea that anyone, even the very poor, can make a better life for themselves if they are willing to work for it. It’s an idea that has become integral to American society, encouraging us to put in an effort to see our dreams come to fruition. However, when it comes down to individual experiences, it turns out that accomplishing the traditionally agreed-upon American Dream gets a lot messier than it’s made out to be. Using the books Nickel and Dimed and The Color of Water, as well as the movie Enron- The Smartest Guys in the Room, both similarities and differences can be found when it comes to what achieving the American Dream really means.
Human nature causes us to make assumptions about others based on their external qualities whether we like it or not. It does not matter if the assumption made regardes their gender, race, age, social class or anything else, it is just a habit of the human brain. Although we try our best to keep an open mind and not act judgemental, when it comes down to it we easily assume things about other based on what they say and how they say it. Now these inferences aren’t necessarily negative, even though most of the time they are.
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
Throughout our lives we have to deal with the past events we have done. In many novels this appears to be a big factor in what they will eventually grow into. In the novel The Great Gatsby, the character with the biggest impact in this topic.
The great American dream is about seizing an opportunity when it passes by, in the form of education, or blood, sweat, and tears, otherwise known as hard work. America is an opportunistic society, not egalitarian. One has to forge one’s own way in the path of social mobility versus waiting for an equal and fair
Many years ago, my grandparents came to the United States in pursue of the American Dream. They came chasing opportunities and in hope of gaining a better life. As the years passed, they achieved their goal and continued their journey as dreamers. The American Dream as seen by many today is that any person, regardless of their background, can achieve great things in America as long as hard work and effort is put in. Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby, uses his 1925 novel as an allegory for his interpretation of the American Dream. The American Dream is a never ending dream; those who pursue it thrive for more, and those who achieve it are never satisfied.
Opportunity is defined in Webster's Dictionary as 'A good position, chance or prospect for achievement'; which is easily connected to the idea of The American Dream. After all, isn't America known as 'The land of opportunity';? Most people came to America, and still come for that matter, in search of a better life through hard work and dedication to their cause. In 'Chinaman's Chance: Reflections on the American Dream'; by Eric Liu, it is stated that '...it (the American Dream) does demand the opportunity to achieve progress-and values the opportunity as much as the achievement.'; This statement is imperative because it gives recognition to those who try to reach their goals, even if they cannot achieve them fully. Throughout history, we
The American Dream: Is is fact or fiction? In the United States’ Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers set forth the idea of an American Dream by providing us with the recognizable phrase “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. The green light at the end of Daisy Buchanan’s dock symbolizes Jay Gatsby’s “Pursuit of Happiness” in the novel, The Great Gatsby, set in the 1920s on Long Island, New York. The American Dream can be defined as “the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone. The American Dream is achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, not by chance” (Fontinelle, Amy). At the birth of our country in 1776, our founding fathers introduced the American Dream as a personal desire to pursue happiness; however, the pursuit of happiness was not intended to promote self-indulgence, rather to act as a catalyst to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit. As our country has changed, the idea of the American Dream, in some cases, has evolved into the pursuit of one’s own indulgences such as material gain regardless of the consequences.
As poverty grows throughout the United States, it continues to make it more difficult for our future leaders to become successful if they do not have the equal opportunity to pursue their personal American Dream. David H. Freedman discusses his thoughts on the American Dream and how poverty can get in the way of such success by asserting, “In the view of proponents, that money could also benefit people who aren’t poor but aren’t affluent either. They’d gain access to higher education, an escape route from oppressive jobs and relationships, greater opportunity to invest in their children’s well-being and education, and time to spend on artistic or other mostly nonpaying endeavors” (David H. Freedman). Devastated by the dreams of others freedom and success can still be achieved through the American Dream, even if poverty has affected someone as long as the self-determination to make decisions that will benefit in the future outcome of what they feel is the American Dream. Against the odds of barriers that lie in the way of success; such as, poverty, education, even sometimes religion and ethnicity, the American Dream is still achievable according to Steve Tobak, a well known writer, as he described “The American dream is not a guarantee, there has to be hard work to achieve a goal. There are many factors that play into having the feeling of the American Dream” (Steve
Another good example on how opportunity is part of the American dream is Oscar Carlos Acosta’s story. Acosta was a rather talented baseball player, the problem was that he had immersed himself so far into his baseball career, he didn’t pay attention to his school. He had paved his road to the American Dream or so he thought. Acosta made it to the minor leagues, where he soon tore his rotator cuff. Acosta lost everything he had, his family, his life dream. A second chance soon came his way, a chance to coach in Texas. He soon made a name for himself and rebuilt his life. Today he coaches the Chicago Cubs pitcher. Acosta is living his American Dream due to opportunity. (Rather 43)
Many people today are dependent on one another, and could not live alone in this world, due to how they would take it as a negative aspect of their lives. The new generation of humans is raised in a way that makes them believe that being lonely is the worst quality to have, and all prefer having a social life. However the people of the 20th century did not view independence the same way people do today. People of this time believed in something called Individualism, and took pride in independence rather than sociality. Individualism was widely believed during this time period and various authors wrote many novels, that displayed how independence can be advantageous and social values could cause many predicaments in a person's life.
My family is now a picture of the American Dream with four successful businesses built with the foundation of hard work, determination, and each other. I have learned from endless hours of work, intense conversations, and observation of those around me that nothing is guaranteed, everything must be earned, and success should be shared with those in need. Although, I did not fully understand these concepts while standing behind that old banquet table selling donuts, I now understand those lessons and use them to continually motivate and improve myself today.
The three texts, The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck all share the similar meaning of the word courage. The novel The Great Gatsby takes place in the 1920’s and is narrated by a man named Nick Carraway and follows the story of his neighbor, a rich man named Jay Gatsby and his love interest for the young women named Daisy Buchanan. The play The Crucible takes place in the year 1692 tells the story about the Salem Witch Trials and the spread of witchcraft and hysteria, The Crucible is a parallel to the red scare and the fear of the spread of communism. The novel The Grapes of Wrath takes place during the time of the dust bowl and tells the journey of the common people as they migrate to California looking for work, the story primarily follows the Joads family and their journey to California to find a better life. With evidence from The Great Gatsby, The Crucible, and The Grapes of Wrath, it can be proven that courage requires fear.