The American Dream

Does being American mean that you’re an American citizen, or does it mean that you have the same rights and decisions as someone who is a successful American citizen? These decisions include choices you make in order to better yourself in life, whether it has to do with your choice in career, or what you want to do in life. Making decisions, and having choices comes with freedom, as a person, and that reflects on being an American everywhere in the world, even though you’ve never been in America. To be an American means that you have the freedom, and rights to do what you want, be who you are, and be/ become who you want. This right of having the freedom to do what you want, can be elaborated by someone’s life chances.

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 large in the minds of the American public, and indeed, of people around the world. It has taken on somewhat of a life of its own, and its clear, powerful call has brought people from around the world to the shores of the United States for more than a century, each of them hoping to capture a little bit of the American dream for themselves. While some have (there are famous immigrants in history who have come to America with nothing and created ridiculously successful financial empires that even continue today), most have found that the proverbial American dream is far more myth than reality (Bambara

Throughout all the articles we have read and discussed in class, there is a common theme or the overall ideas all somewhat link to the national ethos of the American dream or American nightmare. The American dream is an ideal of achieving success and prosperity, but it is a subjective topic because of different individuals opportunities based upon who they are. This should be objective to all and there should only be one interpretation of this, but unfortunately because of the inequality and different factors that affect success based upon who you are, there is no one true definition for this that goes for all Americans. What most Americans now likely feel about the American dream is that it has turned into a nightmare. Success doesn’t seem

The first example of the negativity of the “American Dream” is in the unnamed narrator of Anzia Yezierska's story “America and I.” The narrator immigrates from Russia to America full of dreams and desires. She says, “America was a land of living hope, woven of dreams, aflame with longing and desire” (Yezierska 1970). For the narrator, America represents the ideal place to live, where everyone's dreams can come true. She believes that “in America everybody works for love. Nobody has to worry for a living” (Yezierska 1974). The narrator quickly finds out that life in America is not about working for love. Despite having hope that the former Russian immigrants that she is working for will treat her well, her very first job ends with her receiving no wages for her hard work. The narrator's second job is no better, with endless hours, little rest, and even less money. She is confused and cannot seem to discover herself and her place in an America that is so different than her dream. She laments, “Who am I? What am I? What do I want with my life? Where is America? Is there an America? What is this wilderness in which I'm lost?” (Yezierska 1972). She yearns for a way to express herself but has no way to communicate her needs. The narrator's conversation at the vocational center becomes a sad commentary on the negativity of the

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 an idea that has always been different throughouttime. It changes in diverse forms and in the end involves success. The "American Dream" was a phrase used by the American people and peoplewanting to become American. It was always the idea that you can become a success. This is true in a partial way, but the true "American Dream" is that with somework and determination anyone can build themselves up in the economic classsystem.

"The American Dream is that any man or woman, despite of his or her background, can change their circumstances and rise as high as they are willing to work” (Fabrizio Moreira). For many years, men and women struggled to achieve the idealistic life of living on independent terms. Many characters in Of Mice and Men work in order to pursue and achieve the American Dream that consisted of having their own house and income. Characters in the book may use that dream to help the overcome their life struggles and personal problems. Of Mice and Men tells the story of two friends, George and Lennie, who find themselves on a ranch in pursuit of their dreams. Unfortunately for them, circumstances beyond their control cost Lennie and George their dream and much more. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck portrays how dreams create a false sense of hope in order to cover up the realities of life through George, Curley’s wife, and Candy.

The American Dream is a fantasy that has not come true for the millions that are toiling in the system hoping to get a piece of the wealth which America so liberally shares with its rich upper class. Mansions, expensive cars, a happy family and of course lots of money. These images adorn the minds of the less privileged of this nation.

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.

In 1931 James Truslow Adams published a book named ‘Epic of America’ in which he popularized the concept of The American Dream. In this book he stated “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…” and once that phrase was written, The American Dream became what we truly know it as nowadays. It is the right of freedom, prosperity, equality and pursuit of happiness through hard work. However, The American Dream is an ironic concept seeing as it never seems fully attainable. Although it is supposed to represent independence, liberty and the ability to make something of one’s self, most people nowadays find

Americans are people who are citizens of the United States of America. As Americans, they have the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, the right to vote, the right to bear arms, the right to a fair trial and the freedom to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. America is a country made by immigrants and almost all of them come with what they call their own American Dream. Throughout the United States, people believed in the American Dream, which is the idea that every citizen has equal opportunity to be successful and prosper through hard work. In the 1800’s and the early 1900’s, not everyone had the opportunity to pursue their American Dream because minorities were subjected to racism and discrimination from white people for being inferior and insignificant. Women also did not have the same rights as men and were denied their American Dream. Sherman Alexie’s “Indian Education”, Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech and Langston Hughes’ poem, “I, Too” each show examples of discrimination and segregation and because of this, they each have their own views of the American Dream.

Acclaimed writer and professor of English literature, Azar Nafisi said “The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream”. The American Dream is the “ideology that states that if people work really hard and are determined to achieve their financial goals, they will attain financial success” (Tyson). The Marxist belief that the American Dream is a restrained belief system is widely evident in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The means by which some people pursue this dream ultimately results in the destruction of the dream itself. This is explored through the narcissist attitudes of the individuals who are living the American Dream, the alternatives the proletariat population uses to obtain the dream and the widespread evidence of the unachievability of the dream itself

The American Dream has been around for centuries. Whilst it may have been altered throughout time, it is still a part of the American life that many people have thought about. The American Dream may be viewed differently, but is generally the same for all; being high on the social “ladder,” with lots of money. “How people achieve this dream has changed, but the basic principles of it haven’t” (The American Dream: The Quest for a

The American Dream is the result of possibilities and success. The term “American Dream” was been invented by James Truslow Adams in 1931: “That 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.” Another reference to the American Dream appears in the Declaration of Independence (1776). The author wrote that people are “endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The question of the debate was: “Is the American Dream Still Alive and Well?”