The American Dream : The Statue Of Liberty

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.

The United States of America is known for its diversity in ethnicity and culture. It was created by the surge of immigration which began at the point when the new world was first discovered, to its peak when the United States was a new country. This surge was driven by the promise of a new beginning, and for the hope that things could become better. The Statue of Liberty became known as the mother of exiles as it became a symbolic representation of the promise of America. The statue gave new arrivals the hope that things would get better, the promise for a fresh start and a better life. The hope, the new beginning, and the ideas the Statue of Liberty represented is the definition of the promise of America.

Throughout the world, the United States is infamous for its guaranteed freedom to its citizens. People travel from all around many different parts of the world to get a taste of the lifestyle and opportunity the United States citizen’s are offered everyday. This nation thrives on preserving our personal freedoms, property, and liberty; moreover, it is the nation’s promise to its citizens. These rights are binded in our coveted Bill of Rights and the Constitution, a document for the people by the people. Many people can find their own personal definition of what they believe to be the American Promise; however, growing up I have always believed and had been taught that the American Promise was the opportunity to live

In history, there are many recurring themes, one of the biggest is the “American Dream”. Many people resonate the words dream, freedom, equality, and the opportunity to achieve their utmost desired and achievable dreams. This definition of a perfect land that helps you achieve your dream has been termed the “American Dream.” The “American Dream”, which is supposedly available for all Americans, has unfortunately become untrue for those who are minorities or immigrants. The “American Dream” is dictated by the American society that is controlled by a racial hierarchy that does not give access to the American dream for those who are not part of the preferred race and who don’t fit into its structured box of singularity. Overall, The American

The American Dream is indefinable. There is no one set of words or characteristics that the entire population assigns directly to its definition. With the American population consisting of people of various races, ethnicities, ages, classes, and genders, it seems trivial to even attempt to attribute a single definition to the concept of the American Dream. It is this inability however, to be confined within one single meaning, that allows for the American Dream to govern the desires and goals of the large and diverse American population. And, regardless of all of the heterogeneity within society, the American Dream is generally a goal of all American peoples. In examining this idea, I began to think about the specific meanings attributed to the American Dream for different types of individuals. I broadly outlined the American Dream for myself, to represent the belief in hard work as a pathway to success and raising oneself in society. Consequently, this higher position in society allows for the possession of increased amounts of power. My definition however, neglects to take into account the certain other societal constructs that could possibly have a decisive role in how to both define and achieve the American Dream for the wide variety of people who pursue it.

American Dream: Noun, the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. That is the definition of the American dream according to Dictionary.com, but the American Dream is more than a definition, but a way of life for many. Millions of immigrants come to our country in search of this “American Dream” including my grandparents but more and more are disappointed. So does the American Dream exist? Has it ever existed or has it all been an illusion?

The Glass Castle is divided into sections for the main settings: the desert, Welch, West Virginia, and New York City. Part II: the Desert, shows the family’s more nomadic lifestyle. They constantly moved around in their car, occasionally sleeping outside on the ground in the desert, hence the name. For a time they settle down in the mining town of Battle Mountain, which kind of resembles a sort of older almost ghost town. Part III: Welch, is similar to Battle Mountain. The Walls family lives in a very rundown town with a sort of hillbilly vibe. Their house has no running water, insulation, or heating. Part IV: New York City has a totally different feeling from the rest of the story. Here, Jeannette and Lori have an apartment that is

The American dream is what makes people from all around the world to want to move to America. The American dream is what makes America wonderful. The American dream has been categorized as an equal opportunity to attain success through hard work. The end result of the American dream for the universal people is for that character and their loved ones to be living contentedly for the rest of their lives. However, this is not the same apparition that every individual has of the American dream. The American dream differs from many different social classes of people in America. Comparing the picture of the American dream between the upper-class, middle-class, and lower-class can result in different situations. All in all there are many different discernments of the American dream for discrepant social classes yet every American in their lifetime will want to achieve their version of the American dream.

The concept of the American Dream has borne change since its conception in 1776, with the Declaration of Independence referencing men’s unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Its definition to the American people and its attainability is conditional upon the period it is prevalent in. In general, the American Dream refers to the idea that every American has the equality, freedom, and opportunity to strive. Many classic pieces of American Literature highlight this concept in a way that is most pertinent to their corresponding time period. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich, specifically highlights a more modern time period, from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Within this

Steinbeck writes ?no one can define the American Way of Life or point to any person or group who lives in it, but it is real nevertheless.? The way an American lives their life differs from person to person. Two Americans from the same country, living on the same street, have different ways of practicing their religions, celebrating holidays, and pursuing their culture in general. Americans can act freely, just as the Statue of Liberty depicts freedom to Americans. The Statue of Liberty is a statue of freedom, giving Americans the right to live and practice their culture however they want. There is no such thing as a true American identity. According to the essay Identities, ?Identity has always been a difficult question nagging the collective American mind.? No two Americans are the same, no two live in the same manner. One person cannot tell another how to live ones life; one person cannot define him/herself as living the American way of life. This is because the Statue of Liberty symbolizes to people all over that America is the land of the free. Americans are free to make their decisions about what it is to be an American and how one lives. According to Identities ?Americans have argued and wondered about who they are.? The Statue of Liberty once was the first thing that immigrants saw

In the much-admired poem “The New Colossus” American writer Emma Lazarus writes, “Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” Carved inside the inside of an icon of freedom, the Statue of Liberty, this speech has come to describe the country of the United States of America. Even before its declaration of independence in 1776, the United States was a dock for those looking for a better life. Gathering to this country by the thousands, immigrants past and present have travelled to the land of the free in an effort to find a lifestyle based upon the United States’ idea of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” With more and more people entering the country, the United States quickly changed into the

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

Created by the French sculptor Fredric-Auguste Bartholdi, Lady Liberty was sent as a gift as a symbol of friendship and alliance established between America and France during the American Revolution (1775-1783). She attracted people from all around the nation to witness her magnificence and stunning beauty. Lady Liberty has represented American freedom and embraced diversity by being the warm welcomer of immigrants from all around the world. However, over time the country that she represents has changed and doesn’t necessarily reflect the values that she proudly stands tall for anymore. The same country who’s own politicians cannot come to terms in regard to the immigration policy. These are the same politicians who’s ethical values seem to be in question.

The United States of America’s history is extensive and full of social and political issues. One word dominates the character of the country: liberty. The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor symbolizes the first glimpse immigrants will get of America. Patrick Henry’s quote, “give me liberty or give me death!” is a constantly-cited piece from the eve of the American Revolution. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson and the other signers insist upon “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. Liberty is something everyone wants, and America is often said to be rooted in this concept. The word has a flexible definition; as times changed, the definition changed, and it had a special meaning to those living in the time of slavery

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (Independence Hall Association, 2011).” This exert from The Declaration of Independence provides a look on America and how life is meant to be lived; with all individuals having an equal right to exist. This existence includes life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This beacons to one vital idea, one main vision, which creates a fundamental dream. This dream is the American Dream, and is the ideology that life should be richer, fuller, and more sustainable for the common man. The idea influences viewpoints that anything can be