Shia Labouf's American Dream

In his essay, “The American Dream: Dead, Alive or on Hold?”, Brandon King explores current perceptions of the American Dream. King conveys his reasons as to why the American dream still lives despite the recessions the country has faced. However, the lower class questions the legitimacy of his claim. Although many believe the dream is dead, King argues it still lives going beyond a mere Rags-to Riches idea.

On July 1, 1973, Congress chose to end the draft in favor of an All Volunteer Army. According to "The Professional Bulletin of Army History, No. 27," the last man was drafted in December 1972 and reported for training in June 1973. Now, not only might the renewed military draft come back but also the age of compulsory service in the meat grinder might be extended from its former limit of 26 years up to 42 years of age.

Is the American dream still alive or is inequality between social classes causing the American dream to fade? Brandon King’s “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” and Paul Krugman “Confronting Inequality” are both great articles explaining and confronting the American paradigm. King and Krugman both believe that inequality is present and affects today's society. Krugman would say the american dream is gone because of inequality and King would say the american dream is alive but is decreasing because of inequality. Some would say that the american dream was lost a long time ago because there has always been inequality. I believe that inequality is playing a huge roll in our economy and I don't believe the american dream is gone but on hold because of the separation between social classes.

Behind the ideology of every person “proud to be an American” lies the major tenets of the quintessential American dream. The America seen today is not the same as it was 50 years prior, so how can one expect the central “dream” to be the same? In fact, each person has developed an opinion on what the American dream may mean for him/her. For one, the dream may still be the white picket fence still life from so many years ago, but for another, it may be the accumulation of riches and fame. In Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, he shows us that Chris McCandless cared not for the quotidian rat-race that he had grown so accustomed to, but more about the intricacies that the natural world had to offer. I believe that although Chris McCandless may

The themes of “The American Dream” and “Quest for Identity” are

D’Souza, on the other hand, is an avid supporter of his image of the American Dream and its presence in America. Dinesh explains the popularity of the American Dream worldwide is because people wish for, “the American way of life.” (D’Souza, 73) As if it was coming from a foreigner, he continues to exemplify the American Dream as an outsider looking in and seeing all of the splendor and appeal of Americans’ lives. It is this enchantment that causes people from all ends of the Earth to migrate to the United States and even leave their families and traditions. The most emphasized element and essentially the core of the American Dream is the ability to, “write the script of your own life.” (D’Souza, 83) The writer gives his own real-life example of the American Dream, through his emergence as a writer and later a White House Staff member simply because he pursued his own dream. Through the constant comparisons with the inequalities present in countries throughout the World, D’Souza is fascinated with the diversity of America and the, “tolerant society”, that this diversity has spawned. (D’Souza, 94)

Today the “Dream” is more of a struggle for success. For some it’s a fantasy while for others, it is a long term goal. The media defines society today, thus it’s only natural that it defines the American Dream, one which is no longer focused on freedoms or liberty, but rather money and success. The American Dream not only calls for financial success but also emotional success.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been prescribed by physicians for many years now. One reason SSRIs are so popular is because of the many mental disorders they can be used for such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias, and many more (Weitzel & Jiwanlal, 2001). The four major types of SSRIs that are most commonly used by people with mental disorders are fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), and citalopram hydrobromide (Celexa); SSRIs work on the brain by acting on the reuptake pathway of serotonin (Stone, 2010). There are some advantages for taking SSRIs. One advantage is that SSRIs have fewer side effects than most of the other antidepressant medications such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and tricyclics (Weitzel & Jiwanlal, 2001). Another advantage is that SSRIs have less of a risk of toxicity in overdose (Lane, Baldwin, & Preskorn, 1995). SSRIs are better tolerated than tricyclic antidepressant medication because they cause less sedation and problematic anticholinergic effects. There are also reports indicating that SSRIs have fewer negative effects on the cardiovascular system than tricyclic antidepressants (Edwards, 1992).

The alarm goes off. The red numbers brighten the room as they read 3:00 AM. His muscles ache and he can feel the pressure of the migraine behind his temples, pulsing to the beat of his heart. He had a long day yesterday, working a summation of ten hours. He spent the rest of the day finalizing the documents that would allow his family to cross the Atlantic to join him in the country where dreams come true. He has wanted what every American has always wanted, the American Dream. But as we look at this ideal in today’s time, is the American Dream achievable, or merely a fantasy?

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

the “American Dream” a dream that is unreal. The American dream was intended for people of

Possessing a sense of self-independence is an important aspect of the reality of the American Dream. In the letter, “What is an American?,” written by J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur, he describes the experience of European immigrants on the verge of becoming an American citizen. According to the author, “The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions” (Crèvecoeur 29). America will mold you into a different person. It is our destiny to

Everyone who talks about being an American or America itself often mentions the ‘American Dream’, with the red-brick house, white picket fence, and a nice family to share it with. Additionally, the United States has been home to ‘dreamers’ ever since England began to colonize it, and so the concept of the ‘American Dream’ has not just evolved into a goal, but an identity. In the book Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ifemelu is very excited, yet apprehensive, to make the long journey to American. When she was first

The American Dream is indefinable. There is no one set of words or characteristics that the entire population assigns directly to its definition. With the American population consisting of people of various races, ethnicities, ages, classes, and genders, it seems trivial to even attempt to attribute a single definition to the concept of the American Dream. It is this inability however, to be confined within one single meaning, that allows for the American Dream to govern the desires and goals of the large and diverse American population. And, regardless of all of the heterogeneity within society, the American Dream is generally a goal of all American peoples. In examining this idea, I began to think about the specific meanings attributed to the American Dream for different types of individuals. I broadly outlined the American Dream for myself, to represent the belief in hard work as a pathway to success and raising oneself in society. Consequently, this higher position in society allows for the possession of increased amounts of power. My definition however, neglects to take into account the certain other societal constructs that could possibly have a decisive role in how to both define and achieve the American Dream for the wide variety of people who pursue it.

Are people naturally inclined to look for a leader? The answer is yes. People automatically look for a leader for the following reasons; people wouldn’t know what to do without a person to guide them or to command them, people want to be a part be a part of something they want to feel and be important, and people want someone to look up too, they need a role model. With that being said people naturally look for a leader. People look for a leader so they can be told what to do otherwise they won’t know what to do.