Society's Influence on the American Dream

We have all heard of this intense rollercoaster ride that we are on called the American Dream. The term was coined by James Truslow Adams in 1931 defining it as “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” Since it’s arrival, the Dream has evolved from a pursuit towards “freedom, mutual respect, and equal opportunity” (Shiller) to later one of greed described by Shiller as being “excessively lustful about homeownership and wealth” beginning in the 1960s. Traditionally, the American Dream included features of a nuclear family, that is one with a breadwinning father, a housewife, and two kids, owning a white picket fence home, thriving without financial worries, and a happy family. There has been a shift in focus for the Dream caused by the Millennial generation and in turn they have included features that place an emphasis on equality in all aspects of their lives from family life to the workplace placing their own twist on the Dream. The American Dream has evolved over time to include equal opportunities, college education, and happy family.

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.

It reveals that the pursuit of wealth and status alone cannot bring true happiness, and that the dream itself can be psychologically

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

Desire. Hope. Dream. All these words spark the vision for the future, yet unfortunately, they do not always lead to a bright destiny. Some people dedicate their whole life to reach their dream or to satisfy their desire.

The American Dream is the chance for a person of any gender, race, sexual orientation, or or anyone of diversity to have an equal opportunity to change their and become happy and successful in their own eyes. Three books that explain the American Dream are The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou. Each book includes the main character trying to change his or her life by finding what makes them happy. They all leave their hometowns and have a chance to start over.

, both men cause themselves delusions, self-doubt, and disillusions on their course of seeking the dream. The dream itself operates on false ideals. It is completely real and attainable, but the ability to do what is needed isn’t there. Walter Lee Younger models his dream

A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry in the period following the Second World War. It is divided into three acts and explores the circumstances of the Younger family, a colored family living in the ghettos of southern Chicago. In particular, the play deals with the efforts of Walter Lee, the scion of the family to bring his family out of poverty and into riches by entering into a business venture. The play highlights the psychological and societal barriers to Walter's goal of becoming rich like the white people he sees around him. In effect, Walter's ambitions typify the American dream and the play discusses how the American dream is only a myth against the reality of financial inequality, racial prejudice and constricted social mobility.

For criminals, participating in crime is often caused by the absence of legal means to provide and support for themself and his or her family. For sociologists, one yearns to know what is the final reason, the final straw, to the criminal’s decision to participate in said crime? If this answer is possible to determined, sociologists can work to prevent this occurrence from happen in the first place. However, I believe, for individuals to turn to illegal means, it is not one, single event but instead it is the idea that one’s history, surroundings, and personality must all align together. More specifically, it is one’s background factors, situational dynamics, and foreground factors that causes an individual to succumb or to not succumb to

We all have this dream: to find our Prince Charming or our Cinderella and live the fairy tale happy ending. In scenario A, the perfect happy ending is found. John and Mary have met, they have fallen in love, they have gotten married and have, “…worthwhile and remunerative jobs…a charming house…live-in help…two children…stimulating and challenging sex life and worthwhile friends...they retire. They both have hobbies which they find stimulating and challenging. Eventually the die. This is the end of their story”(Page 1). What they have, everyone wants. That is what we strive for, because that is what has been programmed into our heads, our childhoods we were spent hearing stories, about

The American Dream in Death of a Salesman, The Great Gatsby, and Maggie: A Girl of the Streets Millions of immigrants come to America each year to seek their American Dream. Many people believe that rising social mobility and success is possible in America for everyone due to the American social, economic, and political system. From Abraham Lincoln to Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, countless Americans have risen from rags to riches and success. However, is the Dream

The American Dream is something that every one of us strive for and try to get closer to everyday. What we consider “The Dream” today is completely different from ten years ago. Will society ever go back to the original dream? Most likely not since society is constantly changing and evolving. The old concept of the American Dream is dying but a new one is being made to the changes in generations, time and culture.

People have misconceptions about what the American dream really is. To them the American dream stands for the closest to a perfect life that we can get with a perfect family, perfect job, perfect family, and a perfect life. The American dream is not about getting all of the fancy material things that people drool over. Instead, the American dream is not something that can be defined to a tee or exactly explained by a definition because the American dream is your dream. For example, if someone wanted to begin a family, discover something great, or even just live a life that they are proud with then that’s the American dream. There are no long definitions or complicated algorithms when explaining the American dream, it is simply the dream you

To achieve their dream, everyone has to share. The ones on top have to dedicate themselves for the “Great Society“ and the lower ones have to aim to advance, economically and culturally.

The American Dream. The inspiration for the middle class, the inspiration for the working class, and the inspiration for immigrants is slipping away. Thomas Jefferson’s conceived idea of the American people’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness has almost entirely disappeared from the modern day. Income inequality is holding people hostage within their class, social support for failed dreams is being stripped, and the cost of higher education is at an all-time high. The accessibility of higher education has been diminished by a failing public school system in many cities and states which sets students behind other prospects from the day they were born. The failures of the elites in America have become a social problem supported by