The American Dream

Many people have come to America for adventure, opportunity, freedom, and the chance to experience the particular qualities of the American landscape. The American Dream is the idea that every United States citizen, including immigrants and residents, should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. America somewhat provides access to the American dream, it is more so the citizen who provides access to the dream for themselves. Even though they encountered many trials and tribulations, with persistence, people such as Langston Hughes in “I Too Sing America and Anzia Yezierska in “America and I” they were able to achieve their individual American Dream.

The "American Dream" is marked as unattainable in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men. This is mostly shown in the case of George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, and Curley's wife. These characters all have admitted to thinking about the "American dream" concept, and the freedom to pursue happiness and their dreams.

Following the Reconstruction Era, from 1877 to 1920, the United States of America was undergoing industrial, political and social change. The United States industrialized, with sweeping technological developments bringing the country into the “modern era”. During this time, the country faced many challenges due to its “Open Door Policy” that led to the largest influx of immigration the country had ever seen. Also, African-Americans struggled to attain the freedoms brought about by the passage of new laws and amendments and Native Americans faced relocation to reservations. Ultimately during this Gilded Age, the poor grew poorer and faced a life of hardship and drudgery while the rich grew richer and seemingly lived an easier life. As a result, the “American Dream” was unattainable for most. At the heart of the American Dream is the idea that all citizens are born with equal rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and that all citizens can feel secure in knowing the government, of the people, will work together to protect these rights and secure justice. None of these values were upheld for the citizens of the United States from 1877-1920. African-American citizens were deprived of their human and democratic rights. Furthermore, justice for African Americans was non existent as southern states devised loopholes to keep them serving a life of servitude. Native Americans were deprived of their human rights and security because the government prioritized

The American dream is a subjective idea that can mean money and fame for some or just the idea of freedom to others. What we believe is our path to reach this dream determines whether or not we are blinded by corporations’ image of the “American Dream”. Corporation’s main goal is to subtly coerce consumers into believing in the corporate world’s idea of the “American Dream”. They accomplish this by placing consumer’s into general categories which depicts how they will consume and place them in a cycle of false-consciousness which ultimately leads to the circulation of money within the rich and the stunting of the poor’s “hope” and possibility to obtain a better life. The barrier that stops low class citizens from advancing creates a “new primitive” society in which everyone blindly participates in the “norm” and becomes stuck in time.

An idea that individuals in America have been provided with equal opportunities to grow and pursue their happiness regardless of their economic and social status is the crux of an American Dream, an aspect that has been applied for a long period to define the nation’s psyche. When referring to the American Dream, individuals tend to believe that it relates to having better opportunities to achieve material prosperity, living a comfortable lifestyle, enjoying the nature of the landscape, and living a life without much hustles. However, it is necessary to note that the dream goes beyond just the physical and emotional concepts, and includes the intellectual aspects that promote happiness within a person. As Rosenberg (2011) explains, the

John Steinbeck, the author of the novella Of Mice and Men, describes a world where the American Dream was about having a opportunity to be successful through all the hard work and dedication. Steinbeck paints a disturbing portrait of America in the 1930’s. Steinbeck reveals that times can be very unpleasant and anything can happen. During the Great Depression it was not very straightforward to obtain your American Dream. There were many obstacles you had to face and problems that came along. You never knew what was next. Social interactions were not always a guarantee neither was family. For instance, in the novella no character truly had a family or a home. When you think of the word lonely what do you think? Do you think of that pain

Do you ever wonder at what specific age or phase in an immigrants' life do they start to develop their American Dream compared to a natural born American? Do both dreamers have the same exact dream for themselves? Dreamers often must go through devastating and life-threatening situations to get through the small and big obstacles to achieve The Dream. Eventually, over some period, immigrants and U.S citizens are able to overcome these obstacles and achieve their American Dream. With so many immigrants emigrating to the United States it is safe to say that not everyone holds the same exact American Dream. When an immigrant starts to develop the American Dream, it is often way different than what a natural born citizen's dream may be,

We are all different with different strengths and weaknesses. We live in a country where competition is high but opportunities are distributed in different ways. Does race affect the success of the american dream? The American dream, a goal that makes up the energy of the country, it’s what keeps the people going. In America there is education, a vial source of where you are able to study anything you want and know that you will have a stable future. With different situations people are put it that keeps them from even believing the American dream is possible, is no longer on the table to grasp and create, but to worry about the obstacles they are faced with in the present. Thinking about the future is no longer an option.

is not a set number of goals but a concept that deviates from person to person. To Jobs, it was, in

I learned in my Biology and Chemistry class that there are no two people in our world that are exactly the same. There is always something that makes someone unique and one of a kind, whether it is in their physical appearance or personality. There are different types of people, we see and do things differently, and we aim for different prizes. What matters to me might not matter to you, what is important to you might be irrelevant to me. People have different point of views, just like people have different goals in life. Some people want to be successful financially, some wants to be successful mentally and emotionally, and some people just want to secure the future of their love ones. Whatever it might be, they are all objectives that

Every person in the United States is entitled to free and universal public education to create a collective democratic society of individuals, prepare them to participate as citizens of the democracy and provide students with the tools and knowledge to achieve the American Dream. The American Dream is an ideology that if you get an education, work hard and are a good citizen, you will succeed in life. However, with systemic inequity in our education system, specifically disparity in quality of education, the opportunity for education, achievement gaps between race and class, and segregation of schools, many children are not receiving the education they need to achieve so-called American Dream. Due to these systemic inequities in our

The American dream may for the most part mean seeking after a genial esse with a feasible activity, a family, getting riches or accomplishment in life. This vision encompasses the flexibility of having a chance to thrive in life, which is quite consequential. In this manner, individuals have the chance to accomplish their objectives by whatever methods definitely independent of the country one comes, or so they mentally conceived. This fantasy is made conceivable because of equipollent open door for all, contrary to popular credence. For instance, an authentically great many people have been fruitful in America because of their instructive accomplishment, business accomplishment. Nonetheless, accomplishing the American dream isn''\'t a

The American Dream is interpreted differently amongst Americans. Some people have the dream of owning a million dollar home or car and others have dreams of becoming famous. Although there is no definite definition of what the American Dream is, the concept of it has always been the same. That concept is that anything can be achievable for anyone, as long as they put their effort into it. The Declaration of Independence states that every American possesses the equal and natural rights that are given to them from birth, and that these rights ensure that they have “Liberty, Life, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, having these three rights are important to me and any

For the past few decades, the American Dream has been the acquisition of material objects, a perfect family, house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, and a secure job that brought financial security. This pursuit began after World War II, when the United States became the “land of opportunity” and for many people this “dream” became reality. However, as the United States economy grew tremendously, the American Dream transformed into greed and inequality. According to Nick Smith, the author of “Poverty, Money, and Happiness”, believes the American Dream is failing and the quest for individual wealth should not be a priority

When the concept of the American Dream emerged in the 1930s, it possessed a uniform definition among the people. They believed that one could accomplish to their fullest ability as long as they put forth the effort. In the time of the Great Depression, people wanted to be happy and maintain financial stability for their family. Happiness also included fitting in with the standards set by society. This meant having the stereotypical family with a father, mother, and two children and living in a nice home in a suburban neighborhood. As society has evolved, the meaning of the American Dream has distorted into something else, but the underlying goal to live a happy life has remained the same. This is caused by the change in values, as well as the societal norms and expectations that are set today. People now feel as if they are entitled or expected to live a grandiose lifestyle and assume that it should be acquired easily. This new concept of the American Dream is met with disappointment because it is nearly impossible to reach, resulting in them concluding and claiming that the American Dream is unattainable. The new Dream is an unrealistic standard set on society that is counterintuitive as it prevents people from their main goal of a happy life. Meanwhile, the original aspect of the Dream still exists among some people and is still realistic, but now it is not as easy to achieve as it was back then.