Personal Narrative : The Dream Story

What is the American Dream? Is it different today than it was for our forefathers? Is the Dream based on collecting as many possessions as we can, or how we want to live? Is it setting goals that we want to achieve in our lifetime and simply being content in whatever we do? My answer is yes. It is making an effort to meet or exceed our goals, whether we want to “shoot for the moon” and strive for wealth, or be content with the basic needs. Most of us want the simplest necessities - shelter, companionship, and a few luxuries to make us comfortable. The American Dream, enduring through time and eras, encourages us to put in place the framework of motivation for the status and achievements we want to attain for ourselves throughout our lives

The American dream is something that everyone should believe in, I know I do. Throughout my whole entire life I have wanted to be successful. I believe in myself and know that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. The American dream says that everyone should be treated equal. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Everyone is judged for their height, weight, race, age, likes, dislikes, etc. In the world today you must conform to the social norm to be considered “cool.” Part of me wants to feel that way and the other part of me just wants to be original and do whatever I want. When I was a little girl I used to perform in musical theater. I loved it so much it made me the happiest I have probably ever been in my entire life. Did everybody

"I have run up credit card bills that I didn't know how I would pay off. I recognize when I am engaged in a spending spree, but I often have felt powerless to stop myself. The compulsion to finish the list and to avoid adding other things to the list - by buying them right then - has often been much stronger than the recognition that I didn't have the money to pay for what I was buying" (Spenders Anonymous, n.d.). This excerpt is from the story of a man named Kirk, who is a compulsive buyer. Kirk is not alone; many Americans are controlled by a cycle of working and spending what meager amount they have left to buy luxury items. Sometimes these citizens do not even have the money to pay for what they are buying. Truly, these people are miserable, but the idea that consumerism equals happiness and that they are living free lives is driven into American people since childhood. Consumerism and freedom are key parts of the American dream. The American dream emphasizes hard work and sacrifice, but in return, it promises the possibility of success to everyone, regardless of his or her socioeconomic circumstances. Despite the good intentions behind the ancestral ideal, the American dream has turned into a nightmare.

The American dream can be viewed in a lot of ways to different people. I view it as a variety of things. When I imagine the American dream I think of having so much money I do not have to imagine twice about buying anything, I could have all the cars I ever wanted. Another thing I imagine is having all the Siberian Huskies I want so I can have a big sled dog team. Then I can save the gas in my cars so I can make less stops at the gas station. The last thing I think about is being able to skydive anytime I want to. However, there are also people who just want to have a proficient education and be able to have a family. The American dream is having an amazing education, having a lot of money and having a exceptional family.

There was a point in my life when i thought i knew what i wanted, or who i wanted to be. Then reality set in. The truth is, i was falling into that old saying "the American dream". Little did i know all i was doing was conforming to the ways of the world. I started a business, had my own family but i was living a double life. I was a husband, a father and an avid drug user. Which in the long run, led me down a path of self destruction. I lied to everyone around me, and the consequences of my actions cost me my freedom. In April 2009 i was baptized in front of the entire congregation on a Sunday morning, And knew who Jesus Christ was, and what he did for me. So there was no excuse why Three years later i was sitting in an 8x10 cell, On my way

Los angles is one of the cities where people try to achieve the “American dream”. Even though the “American Dream” is different from people to people. To me, Los Angeles means a new beginning…my new beginning. I have moved to Los angles in search of success in education and life, to prove to myself that I can be independent.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

I have a horizontal file cabinet in my office that can tell you a good story or two. Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t stop to have a seat on this file cabinet and share a story or two with me. I enjoy every minute of it. I love hearing other people’s stories and how they connect us, but most importantly as Robert Coles states in his book, The Call of Stories: Teaching and the Moral Imagination, (1989) that we learn lasting moral lessons through stories.

When I close my eyes and envision the United States, I see barbeques and baseball games. Children running around in big, green playgrounds and coming home to white picket fences and well kept flowerbeds. As sunny and aesthetically pleasing as this image of our country is, I find it oddly discomforting. Here I am, standing on the precipice on adulthood, about to inherit the very future of this country, and I still see this picture of stereotypical 1950's idealism. And while the greatest generation may retain their title, the world is moving at a faster pace than the sleepy hometowns that were once the American Dream. My vision involves us stepping up to the plate and reaffirming our position as the land of opportunity.

“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I will allow you to go to over Mackenzie’s sleepover as long as you promise to watch PG-13 or younger”, my mom yell up the base of the stairs from the kitchen.

The American Dream is something U.S. citizens and immigrants look for in America. This ideal is supposed to be the big picture/meaning of America, where anything can be achieved through hard work and perseverance. This motto is something we Americans live by and follow. I feel like the American Dream is it’s own destination; a destination where everyone, regardless of race, color, creed, or sexual orientation, can live peacefully and achieve even the craziest of dreams through hard work. Unfortunately, I feel that the society we live in today is not the American Dream, it’s something a little more divided. People today see a person of different color, race, etc, and judge them based off acts that are committed by past criminals with violent

What is the American Dream? For many the Dream is the hope for religious freedom, racial equality, or prosperity, but I believe the Dream is all of the above. The American Dream is anything that someone wants it to be. For the Founding Fathers, the Dream was a new nation with religious freedom and equality for all people. For immigrants during the 19th and early 20th century, the dream was a new future in a nation where anything was possible. For the American citizens during the Great Depression, it is the the hope for America to get back on it’s feet and become what is was only a few years earlier. Finally, my dream is that with hard work I can accomplish my wildest dreams. Even before America was founded, people dreamed that their wanting

I neck almost snaps based on how quickly I turn my head, “What the hell did you just say to me?!”

''Wasn't that amazing or what?'' excitedly shouted Cisco as he entered the hall, closely followed by a very emotionally tired, but happy, Sara who was glad that they were able to get the job done.