The American Dream in What’s So Great About America and Stupid White Men

“The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” by Brandon King argues the existence and relevancy of the “American Dream” today. This article is full of rhetorical questions, forcing the reader to form their own opinion. King also includes a good amount of statistics, backing up his logic. These facts are used to strengthen his argument and effectively enhance his writing. Brandon King alludes to James Truslow Adams, the founder of the term the American Dream, and later redefines the American Dream himself as “the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future.” He makes his argument very persuasive by addressing many different sides of our current economic situation. King does an outstanding job with the “they

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

The dreams of the hard working American people are still alive, and are obtainable for those who want to have a better life through hard work. In Brandon King?s essay, ?The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold,? he argues that the dream is still alive, despite the negative atmosphere set by today?s liberal economists and activists. King states in his essay to the reader that he ?would define the American Dream today as the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future? (1041). King?s point of view and emotional appeal to the reader attempts to convince others that the American Dream is still alive in the midst of overwhelming liberal bias and influence upon

“The American Dream”, a national phrase in which is mainly praised by those who pursue the goal of living a better life. All of this is merely an illusion, there is no such thing as “The American Dream”. It is just a big hypocrisy in America and will not change the fact that everyone will still be labeled in a social class and used as a lure for those migrating to the US for a better life. Not only will those in America label your class, but the people you speak to and go out with will also depend on your income. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “The Big Short” directed by Adam McKay are a great example of the dilemma occurring during this saying. Both the novel and the film portrayed “The American Dream” as a horrible portrait, having everyone seem inconsiderate and will do whatever it takes in order to fulfill their desires, no matter the outcomes.

The American dream is an example of a national spirit that represents different ideologies. The set of ideas may be of democracy, equality matters, liberty, rights, and opportunities. The American dream believes in freedom for prosperity and success for its citizens. The idea suggests that upward social mobility for individuals can be achieved only through hard work. In a story done by George Saunders, the American dream is exemplified in several instances. The author, George, tells the story of contemporary America through a diary. The main character in the story is a father to three daughters. The family’s struggles are examples of how individuals will go extra miles just to provide for their families and also

The American Dream is something many Americans desire. The desire to the mind – set or belief that anyone can be successful if they worked hard for what they’ve been yearning. It is considered to be a ‘perfect life’; it can be full of money, contentedness or even love. There are many divergent opinions given by people. Walter Younger from Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ and Willy Loman from Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of the Salesman’ both have their own views on the American Dream and how it can be achieved. Walter Lee Younger, a

Comedian George Carlin once stated, “That’s why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.” Financial security, freedom to live how one chooses, retiring at 65 and living comfortably in old age, owning a home, knowing that working hard pays off: these are all fundamental beliefs tied to the American Dream. As newer generations are increasingly finding the dream to be unrealistic, people are beginning to abandon the concept; however it is still a very present ideology. While many believe the American Dream is a lively goal that everyone strives to achieve, it is actually a dying illusion that is unattainable for all but the wealthiest and used to propagate a classist society, causing a cycle of ignorance

The “American Dream,” according to Truslow Adams, is “being able to grow to the fullest development as man and woman.” This ideal is not based on fame or wealth, but on enough to sustain a family and live comfortably, with a steadily rising income and a decent home. It is to be believed that hard work along with the “great equalizer”, education, allows individuals the freedom to determine their own life path, regardless of their background. The idea of the American dream ensures upward social mobility for those dedicated enough to achieve this lifestyle. In spite of that, recent arguments have said that this dream is either dying, or already dead. In his book “Dream Hoarders,” Richard Reeves counters that the American Dream is in fact alive and well, but simply being hoarded by the upper middles class.

The so-called American Dream is one of the most time-honored and cliché phrases used to describe the conception of the United States. It is commonly used to refer to the notion that anyone can come to this country and, through hard work and sheer will, change his or her fortune and lot in life in a way that other countries simply do not allow people to do. However, it is interesting to see that this popular idea of the American Dream does not necessarily correlate to the perceptions of two authors who wrote about this subject both directly and indirectly, Martin Luther King Jr. in his "I Have A Dream Speech" and J.B. Priestley in "Wrong Isms". In fact, both of these authors view the American Dream through respective lenses in which they do not believe that the promise of the American Dream is coming to fruition. Still, they both utilize similar rhetorical devices to attempt to change their view of what the American Dream has become, which they believe is negative, to what they hope the American Dream will come to be, which is positive, by using an abundance of metaphors, anaphora, and

Today the “Dream” is more of a struggle for success. For some it’s a fantasy while for others, it is a long term goal. The media defines society today, thus it’s only natural that it defines the American Dream, one which is no longer focused on freedoms or liberty, but rather money and success. The American Dream not only calls for financial success but also emotional success.

The American Dream has always been a driving force in the lives of Americans. It has become a foundation of ideals and hopes for any American or immigrant. Specifically, one of the ideals that always exist is the dream of America free of class distinction. Every American hopes for a society where every person has the opportunity to be whomever he or she desire. Another ideal in the American dream is the drive to improve the quality of life. As one’s idea of the American Dream gets closer and closer, often times political and social ideals of America cause their American Dream to take a turn for the worst.

“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.

Today, The American dream is not fully represented in the same way as the ideas were initially raised. The ideas were primarily fabricated in the very beginning of our country. The propagandist role of any medium has changed just as much as the times have since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In contemporary America, film is the leading component of the propagation and detraction of the American dream. The film The Pursuit of Happyness (2005) supports the idea of the American dream our founding fathers set out. Wall Street (1987) on the other hand, supports and acts as a detractor of the true American dream and leads people to believe, what a lot of people already believe, that it is a dream to become monetarily

The American Dream is supposed to be a society where every American ­ regardless of

There exist kinds of interpretations and instructions along the very term ‘American Dream’ ranging from its definition, the different concepts of people about it and its ultimate aim to the doubts upon its realization. Alfonzo Reyas, a Mexican humanist, says that “America is a utopia… it is the figure of human hope” (qtd. In Parrington Jr. Preface). James Truslow Adams, who was firstly coined the phrase in his 1931 book The Epic of America, however, defined it as a “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…A dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” (34). whatsoever it may be, there derived a constant factor that could be read in the interpretation of almost all experts about the American Dream: the constant hunt for material riches.