The American Dream By Kimberly Amadeo

Many today believe that the American Dream is dead. Due to issues of the economy and people not caring for eachother. Though they forget what the American Dream is. That dream is a promise of a new life and a better future. Not just for you but for your generations beyond you.

What is the American dream? The traditional American dream is one in which someone can start from nothing and build themselves up into a great success, with all the material trappings that go with that success. So, if the American dream is self-built success, then what defines success? In the American dream, success is largely defined by the possession of certain material goods and money. You are considered a success in America if you have enough money to be comfortable financially (i.e., paying all of your bills and having plenty left over for entertainment and material goods), and if you have possession of a nice house in the suburbs, a nice car or two, a pretty and well-dressed family, and the respect and even awe of your community. That is the American dream and the success that defines it.

"I think the American Dream says that anything can happen if you work hard enough at it and are persistent, and have some ability. The sky is the limit to what you can build, and what can happen to you and your family" expressed Sanford I. Weill. The American Dream is still alive and obtainable. Many people have a definition of what the American Dream that is obtainable in their minds. People all have unique individual lives.

The United States was founded on a dream. A dream where we would could find our own land and be free from the tyranny of the British government. This dream was freedom. The freedom to become a Fortune 500 CEO that was born in the Southside of Chicago. The freedom to escape. The freedom to be who you wanted to be without anyone holding you back. Even the freedom to escape society and never turn back. The American Dream is basically just freedom. The ability to do whatever or achieve whatever you desire. This American Dream is not the same for everyone. It is unique to each person just as it was for Chris McCandless. In the book, Into the Wild, Chris McCandless goes on a journey to escape society and survive alone

When the phrase “American Dream” is uttered, it is typically associated with having money or striving to have money. The dream of much of the public is to have money and to be able to purchase anything they desire whenever they want. For some, this dream is not about money, but it is about having the opportunity to better his or herself and his or her loved ones. In either case, there are certain circumstances and obstacles that make this dream increasingly difficult to attain. Some would even be willing to argue, the American dream is unattainable. “American Dream” is defined as the concept of every citizen of the United States having an equal opportunity to achieve success and happiness through hard work, sacrifices, and risk-taking (Fontinelle);

The American Dream is one of those terms that people refer to when talking about immigration, financial status, and so much more. But what does the term really refer to? People used to think of the American Dream as financial prosperity, religious and financial freedom, and all around success. Now, the term may mean something similar, but people are much less focused on it. If anything, the American Dream today is focused on gaining material goods and proving your bank account is larger than your neighbors. With today’s economy, laws and regulations, immigration customs, and overall attitude towards work, people are seldom focused on achieving the American Dream.

The American Dream is steadily changing as time goes on and some say this is a bad thing. As different generations come about the dream changes with the people. As stated by Dan Kadlec in the article “Millennials Put Their Surprising Stamp on the American Dream” the American dream is now seen as having control over your daily life. Today 's generation has seen some of the main aspects of the original American Dream fail greatly so they have made up a new dream. With the things Millennials have seen change and go wrong they only believe that they can achieve a day to day lifestyle, but should this really be the case? In another article named “The Hourglass Society” it’s stated by Stewart Lansley that the middle class is going backwards. The idea of the ‘hourglass’ is that there are large amounts of people on the top and the bottom, but not many at all in the middle representing the middle class. This article also states that the American Dream is now only a myth and this generation only has a “fear of failing”. Many say the American Dream is dead but is the dream really dead or are people too afraid of failure? Millennials of today have seen so many bad things happen to their parents that they just settle and this shouldn’t be the case. The American Dream is only going to die if we let it happen.

The idea of the American Dream has been around since America was founded, but until 1933, it was not put into words. In the article American Faces 1933’s Realities, by James Truslow Adams, he defines the American Dream as “ ...a vision of a better, deeper, richer life for every individual, regardless of the position in society which he or she may occupy by the accident of birth” (1). The American Dream does not have to be described as having copious amounts of wealth. To some, it is only a vision of a better life for themselves and their families.

The story written by Lauren Smith follows the life of an undocumented farmer named Odilia Chaves, from his struggles as a child to having some success as a grown up, in his own words. Although it isn't much, he's happy and is living the American dream he claims. Although being an illegal immigrant, 40-year old Odilia Chavez has no problem finding work, as long as it’s in the fields. All he’s ever known is picking in the fields and being illegal, it’s not easy to build an education for yourself. With that being said Odilia says this is his life till he can no longer work. Towards the end of the story he even gives detail of how some people he’s worked for have harassed him, but when this occurs he can always relocate. There’s so many farming

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

Many years ago today, the United States of America was the prime example of prosperity and opportunity. It established America with the idea that its citizens would be guaranteed life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Today, it is true that people have liberties and are free to pursue happiness. However, in recent years, in the worst recession since the Great Depression. Unemployment, growing economy inequality, and medical care have skyrocketed. Despite the odds, the American Dream is still a goal that many people strive for and hope to reach. In fact, an essay written by Brandon King, The American Dream: Dead, Alive or on Hold? He says, “the American dream is a dream in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with the opportunity for each according to his/her ability and achievement…” (King 610-611). Therefore, the problem with the American Dream lies not within the dream itself, but within the means people pursue to attain this dream.

David M. Kennedy’s book holds a lot of truth to it and allows the reader to view that era of American history through a much unrecognized point of view. This book interests me greatly by allowing me to witness his interpretation of how the American Dream – in my view: “died, resurrected, and then finally healed.” In many sections of the book, I was surprised by the facts that Kennedy presented because they all gave different angles on the given events that he discussed. He did this by using many statistics, first-hand accounts, and detailed descriptions of events as his. I think it was particularly brilliant of him to do this, because it painted a full “three-dimensional” picture for the reader to interpret, instead of just providing “black

Since Columbus made land, people have been searching for the “American Dream”. Many people have their own idea and ideas that have changed over a period of time, but what exactly is the “American Dream” defined as .Origins of the dream have been rooted in the pioneering mentality of the eighteenth and nineteenth century immigrants, most who came to America because of a promise for a new and better life. The American Dream was sought through hard work and determination. After the time of the World Wars, society changed and so did the view of the “American Dream”, it changed from a potential reality into being a dream. People were striving to reach their definition of the American Dream. Beliefs and values took a turn. The American Dream

What is the American dream? The American dream is the ideal of freedom for the people who didn’t have freedom from where ever they came from. From another place, America sounds like a great place to live and be successful and have whatever they want. The American dream still exist so some people but maybe just to the people that came to American to live. I don’t think people in America now a day’s care about America or the American dream. But the American dream is different today. Throughout history the American dream changed because of the people. The old American dream consist of better education, new homes, the works, and free to do any religion. Because other places are not like America because they don’t have what we have or got to make their place a better place. I think

My grandmother's name is Maria Fazio. She’s very thin and short. You can tell she had worked hard her whole life. She grew up being one of five siblings and lived with her two parents. Today she is 72 and lives in berkeley but 63 years ago she was just a little girl living on a ranch in Mexico. She used to be a little girl who restocked the shelves in her parents store. Today she is strong and powerful. She puts everything into what she is doing and never gives up. I have never known her to quit, to give up, or to do things the easy way. I remember one time when I was really little she worked three jobs just to help me and my mom out. On top of her three jobs she used to take care of me while my mom was at work. She used to make my mother and I lunch and dinner every day. It was like she never ran out of energy or never wanted to give up.