The American Dream

“The American Dream” is advertised as being the act of a person having an idea, goal, or as the saying suggests, a dream, and then them spending time, energy, and money to make it come true. However, if you haven’t realized it yet, there’s a reason they call it a dream because it hardly becomes a reality. More and more people are realizing this so called “dream” is nothing but a hoax, and that the promises America assures and guarantees such as equal opportunity and equal success are nothing but pure manipulation. Furthermore, the American dream no longer stands by the virtue of discrimination and prejudice, overwhelming debt, and failed establishments.

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 topic of The American Dream has been brought up on many occasions. The arising issue that still ascends is whether or not The American Dream is alive or dead in the United States. The American Dream has come to the generalization of the personal perspective of any individual. The

Although modern society may be heavily motivated by avarice now, it hasn’t always been this way. The term “American Dream” came into existence in the 1920s when ideas were similar to the ones we have now. As shown several times in the novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American Dream was the want for materialistic things. The greed during this time period led to the stock market crash and

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

The american dream is an illogical ideal that sets people for disappointment. The american dream sets up a false image that everyone is able to be successful, causes people to hate on others success, and makes people lose faith in themselves.

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 The American Dream is a dream to live in a place where someone’s rights and freedoms can not be taken away from them and where they can achieve their goals without anyone stopping them no matter what their background is. People achieved the American dream through motivation and hard work. Although as time passed, they became too lazy to actually work for it. Somewhere along the way, people began to interpret the American dream as a dream to live in wealth. Because of this, it has made them think that happiness is defined by how much money they have. They also started to find ways to get rich quick without working for it. Many people question whether or not the American dream is attainable or too far fetched. The American

People buy items every day, as the action has become effortless; one just swipes the card or uses their phone, or they don’t even have to get off their couch because online shopping is available. However, in order to have money to buy what you need, working is a requirement- and for almost all people, a day in, day out, cycle. The cycle is tedious and difficult, but despite how exhausting it is, the cycle is, there is a widespread belief that if one works hard, they can succeed. This is the American dream. The American dream is the idea that every person has an equal opportunity to achieve the success they desire, whether it be a multimillion-dollar condominium in Las Vegas or a cozy house in the suburbs. The catch is though, this dream can

Americans today believe that the American Dream will come forward on it’s own. The people of America do not realize the personal commitment it takes to become prosperous. In the Article “The Evolution of the American Dream” written by Richard O’Mara, states that “We have become, say the critics, a people who have grown fat, lazy, and sedentary, who spend much of our time wishing for success but are willing to ‘pay our dues’ with the kind of personal commitment required to make something out of our lives.” (qtd, O’Mara). Because of the way the people of America have become, they expect everything given to them, rather than to work for what they want. Due to lack of effort and lack of personal commitment, there is no chance in the American Dream.

Throughout the novella “Of Mice and Men,” by John Steinbeck, a number of themes are developed such as the American dream, friendship, and loneliness. The American dream is developed especially well all through the novella. Right from the start, the reader gets a feeling that the American dream will play a large role in the plot of this story when George and Lennie are being chased, “‘I remember the rabbits, George.’” (4), then developed a little as George tells Lennie about the rabbits “‘With us it ain’t like that. We got a future.’” (14). The theme of the american dream is forgotten towards the middle of the book as other themes are developed, but is picked up later after Lennie kills his mutt on accident and tells Curley’s wife; “‘Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes…’” (89). The American dream finally ends for George and Lennie in the end, “‘And i get to tendd the rabbits.’ … And George raised the gun and steadies it … He pulled the trigger.” (105-106).

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

Higher taxes, mortgages/rent, and inflation of prices effect peoples will to purchase the American dream. There is a saying that if you are educated, you can buy anything, however let’s live in reality and ask the people around us if that is the case. However, the American dream seems to be out of reach of many and as referring back to Shames highlight, society will continue to expand to the “frontier” while consumers lack the empathy and luxury of life. This idea shown and read in history classes in high school may seem easy, but in reality stepping into the corporate world, one realizes it’s not easy to purchase a home, car, and have good money to support a family. Of course that would be no problem if your dad owns a tech company. In reality, the American dream is seen as a point of view, yet at the end is losing its

Unkept promises diminish day by day. What once may have given people ambition and zeal has transformed into a superficial and consumerist ideal. In the nation’s youth, the American Dream was a promise to the people which has failed to impart its values to future generations. This promise traces back to the foundation that “all men are created equal” and Dictionary.com’s first definition defines the American Dream as “the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American.” This is closest to the originally intended meaning of the American Dream which perhaps only a minority of the population still recognizes. Politics and economy have contributed to the significant change in meaning and

Outsourcing causes economic failure in the U.S. “[The American Dream is] that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (Adams) This ideal has defined the United States until now. Private corporations have begun to harm the middle class through the process of offshore outsourcing. Because of our country's free market system, the rich have been able to take advantage of the cheap labor in foreign countries by outsourcing causing the decline of wages and jobs in the middle class, and the economic downfall of cities like Detroit, Michigan.