The American Dream Essay

The idea of the American dream revolves around attaining happiness, success and equality. For higher wealth classes obtaining these components aren't a concern; but for many, the American Dream has become a nightmare. For the poor being able to obtain simple necessities such as food, clothing and shelter is a daily struggle. The price of being poor is a lot costlier then those in the realm of the wealthy. Based on the current economic and social systems in America it does not provide everyone with a fair chance to achieve the “American Dream”. In todays society many Americans believe money is the only way to happiness. True or not true, money certainly isn't a hindrance to obtaining the necessary components for survival. But if the American Dream is no longer about happiness and freedom it becomes solely about wealth and possession. "Money cannot buy happiness." (Anonymous, Spring Board pg.81) represents the concept that money doesn't necessarily play apart in your emotional well-being. Today, materialism is more important than character. Money isn't everything; you don't need it to be happy and certainly not to achieve "The American Dream". In addition to that, although money can jump-start your future it can also drive you into the ground. Dana Gioia, the author of "Money", says "...Money holds heads above water..." Implying money plays a crucial part in keeping your dreams alive while America demands so much. Although finances are a building block to ones version of the

America still to this day holds on to the idea of the “American Dream”. This is rather surprising in today’s society and the ups and downs that the nation is facing. The dream in the past was more about freedom and equality. Moving through the decades, this dream has morphed into something quite different. Instead of what America means for all of its inhabitants, the nation has become more individualized. Society has moved to interpret the dream of what America can do for the one. Instead of the unified nation, America has been known for in the past, a shift has started creating an inconsistency in who can realize the dream. The myth of the “American Dream” has been hugely affected by increased materialism, the gap in economic status, and the fantasy of “rags to riches” idea.

All around the world the United States of America is viewed as a place of freedom and equal opportunity for all people who settle in the country. Immigrants, especially from second or third world countries, view America as a chance for them to start over and a live the lavish lifestyles they are accustomed to hearing. However, this belief that everyone in the United States lives how they want to and has equal opportunity is false. Immigrants from countries all over the world face many different issues as they settle in the United States. Although these problems may vary, the message is the same; the American dream is a lot more difficult to achieve than previously thought. Although every immigrant is different in the problems

The American Dream as it is defined cannot simply hold true without preservation of it’s ideals. An ideal is maintained by the people. Enjoying the benefits the American Dream promises requires each person to uphold its ideals among his fellows. If this were the case, the original definition might have been preserved. The problem is that other factors kicked in which prioritized wealth and status among people which interfered with the ability of others to pursue the dream. From there, the American Dream gradually changed from hard work to status.

During the 1920’s The American Dream was expressed through how much money you had, how big your house was, and love.

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.

In the early 1950s, the American dream was the nation's common heartbeat. Citizens longed for the ?ideal? family; most hid their shortcomings. The nuclear family included a mother, father, two children and a pet, all residing in suburbia, USA. Fathers were the breadwinners, and mothers stayed home, cooked, and cared for the kids. Each family included a boy and a girl, the former who always parted his hair to the side and the latter who always wore pigtails. The nation was convinced that if one worked hard enough, he or she could earn enough money to support the family and have plenty of professional satisfaction. Everyone sat down to dinner together nightly, and discussed his/her day, and innocence

When the first settlers came to America many years ago, they found freedom and opportunity.  With hard work and determination an average man or woman could be prosperous.  This concept was not only revolutionary in theory, but has proven to be true for many successful individuals. This idea has come to be known as the American Dream. Its foundation was based on good ethics; however, with the passing of time it has become distorted.  The American Dream no longer stands for equal opportunity and hard work; it involves wealth, false happiness, materialistic possessions and high social status.  Individuals who have achieved the materialistic American Dream give the appearance of perfection.  However, for many, their lives are not as ideal

The United States of America is the most powerful and wealthy country in the world. The varieties of class, individuality, religion, and race are a few of the enrichments within the "melting pot" of our society. The blend of these numerous diversities is the crucial ingredient to our modern nation. Even though America has been formed upon these diversities, its inhabitants- the "average American"- have a single thing in common; a single idea; a single goal; the American Dream. The Dream consists of a seemingly simple concept; success. Americans dream of a successful marriage, family, successful job, and own a Victorian-style home with a white picket fence and an oak tree with a swing tire in the front yard. The

The overly-materialistic part of the earlier definition had still remained, but the mentality of the people had changed. People coming home from war wanted better for their families, and the idea of the “home” was central to this definition. Television and shows emphasized on the home being the most important asset, and influenced material purchases. According to an article published by GALE, a cross-curricular website, “Television greatly helped define the American Dream.” My grandparents lived their adult lives in this era, and my parents were raised in it, influencing both of their ideals of the American dream to be about the home and about

In that time period, the American Dream was a strong belief that if people were given equal opportunities to prosper, and they were industrious, they could live an ideal world. In present-day, the requirements to achieve the "dream" have changed. Quite honestly, to obtain today 's wealth, one must have wealth.

The American Dream was a concept introduced in the 1950’s, Post World War 2. Moving forward from the depression Eisenhower developed a unique rubric for America to follow that created a whole new base of unrealistic, ’achievable’ expectations. America became one of the most economically thriving countries, but due to an almost instantaneous advancement in technology, it further fuelled corruption as a result of over-consumption. Notions such as the nuclear family were important to individuals. The fantasy of having a perfect, functional family was an aspiration for most families as it resembled success and superiority within their community. Luxurious living was considered a major necessity - in the same category as basic human requirements i.e Food, Shelter, Clothing. Sam Shepard rejects this notion as he shows that there is always challenges and disorder associated with relationships, especially between the

For many people the America dream means to come to the U.S. and accomplish something they never thought will come true, for example owning a home, and a nuclear family of 2.3 kids. The American Dream is still attainable but for many it has changed. Hispanics come to the U.S. to have a better life to achieve their American Dream. Some people have everything on their hands, meaning they have all that they wanet but why aren’t they happy. The American dream does not mean being rich but having a place to live in with you nuclear family and being healthy.

American Dream Many persons will give everything to come and reside in the United States. There are some persons that pay a high amount of money to travel with someone who is going to make them cross the border (Immigrants). These people who travel with this person have to go through many things to accomplish this dream. But they really live the American Dream that they expected? The law is getting stricter to Immigrants getting to a point where the Immigrants can’t live their lives.

The principle of the American Dream has been around for hundreds of years, even before America was a nation. Humans have always aimed for a better life than they already have because no matter what we have, we always seem to be missing something. Such as in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in New York in the 1920’s many people were finding success because, of their hard work, but even though they were getting rich they still felt empty because they didn’t have genuine relationships with people, and that is what really brings true happiness. People must put a higher value on moral beliefs and social interactions over material possessions in order to truly achieve the American Dream.