The Success Of The American Dream

When times are hard many resort to dreaming about their perfect image of what life can be. Their dream will be unattainable because life is never perfect. The American Dream is an idea many thought about during the Great Depression because times were harder for the average working American. The Great Depression occurred during the 1930s when the economy collapsed and eventually one out of four people became unemployed. The Dust Bowl added to the stress of the Great Depression because there was an extreme drought with many dust storms. Lennie Smalls and George Milton are traveling from Weed, California to a ranch in hopes of finding work. Lennie and George have an American Dream to own their

With the current state of affairs in America, many wonder whether the American dream has become just that: a dream. Gone are the days of mass immigration, when millions left their home countries in search of a better life in the United States. Today, many Americans struggle just to stay afloat while those at the top continue to prosper. This is particularly true for women, who despite having more freedom than ever before, are still subject to discrimination and inequality. Racial minorities are also at a disadvantage, with systematic discrimination making it more difficult for them to obtain jobs and climb the economic ladder. In addition to this, the wealth gap prevents many, regardless of gender or race, from achieving a middle-class life, or anything more than that. Americans cannot still achieve the American Dream because of gender and race inequality, as well as economic inequality.

We have all heard of this intense rollercoaster ride that we are on called the American Dream. The term was coined by James Truslow Adams in 1931 defining it as “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.” Since it’s arrival, the Dream has evolved from a pursuit towards “freedom, mutual respect, and equal opportunity” (Shiller) to later one of greed described by Shiller as being “excessively lustful about homeownership and wealth” beginning in the 1960s. Traditionally, the American Dream included features of a nuclear family, that is one with a breadwinning father, a housewife, and two kids, owning a white picket fence home, thriving without financial worries, and a happy family. There has been a shift in focus for the Dream caused by the Millennial generation and in turn they have included features that place an emphasis on equality in all aspects of their lives from family life to the workplace placing their own twist on the Dream. The American Dream has evolved over time to include equal opportunities, college education, and happy family.

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.

The diminishing of the American Dream has only been a recent event. Back in the 1950’s, the dream was alive and well for all Americans, rich or poor. A job was easy to find, with up to 80% of the population employed, according to the U.S Bureau of Economic Analysis. With this total amount of people working, not only was there a substantial decrease in the poor Americans, but any family living beneath the poverty line had a greater chance of finding a job and moving up the economic ladder. This

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.

From the early stages of American literature the dream of success has always been around, even at the very beginning. It has gone on the journey of merely surviving in small amounts of the literature from the native people to thriving in a growing society and being in everything. The dream to myself is becoming wealthy and being successful in everything I do. Today I believe that the dream has become different for everyone, every person has a different dream, a different way they want their life to go.

The American dream has been a beacon of hope and motivation for the millions of people who have immigrated and grown up in the United States; especially for those of the lower class. Through hard work and determination one could completely change their life for the better while provide better circumstances for future generations. The American dream is defined as, “a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful” (The American Dream). Today, youth of the lower class are finding this dream to be nearly impossible to achieve, even by working hard. For many it has become nothing more than a pipe dream. The American dream is still alive, but it is on it’s final breath; especially for the poor youth of America.

A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry in the period following the Second World War. It is divided into three acts and explores the circumstances of the Younger family, a colored family living in the ghettos of southern Chicago. In particular, the play deals with the efforts of Walter Lee, the scion of the family to bring his family out of poverty and into riches by entering into a business venture. The play highlights the psychological and societal barriers to Walter's goal of becoming rich like the white people he sees around him. In effect, Walter's ambitions typify the American dream and the play discusses how the American dream is only a myth against the reality of financial inequality, racial prejudice and constricted social mobility.

\There is a substantial amount of Americans today who have attained the American Dream, such as Oprah Winfrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Steve Jobs, but does any American still have a chance at the American Dream? The authentic American Dream is known as owning land and having riches, opportunity and promise Today, Americans do not have a chance at the American Dream due to the lack of effort in the majority of America’s people, where an Americans' home is affecting that person’s chance for opportunity, and the large gap between a prosperous community and a distressed community in America.

The American Dream has been a talked about topic ever since America was created. But how achievable is it for an average American citizen? The Old Man and The sea, The Jungle, Of Mice and Men, and A Raisin in the Sun all show that the American Dream is possible if one has the right mindset and takes advantage of opportunities.

The american dream is very achievable. If there people that can come to america and have jobs, raise a family, and make money. Then I can see that it is very achievable. Immigration always has a huge impact in American. People can come to america and have a greater chance of succeeding than any other country. That why you need to have faith, be trustworthy and have freedom. There is alot to describe on how to be an american. In america there are so many freedoms you can have. You have the us constitution and the amendments to defend you with all the laws. To be an american it means to be faithful, trustworthy, and have freedom.

Throughout life everybody has heard the line “Follow your dreams!” This simple sentence has inspired many. This idea of creating a dream and chasing it has inspired the American Dream. The American Dream is different for everybody. It could be getting married, creating a business, or being a hero. It turns out the American Dream is not for everybody. There is always something standing in the way of the American Dream. Race, social status, and the individual are standing in the way between the person and the American Dream.

From the time as children, we were taught the idea that everyone in the United States has the equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiate. But this concept is merely a dream. Inequality in Corporate America shows how the “American Dream” is a sheer reality. This country prides itself on being the land of opportunity, but a child’s prospects are more dependent on the income and education of his or her parents, many believe the idea has changed over time ; however, the fact is if you aren’t a white man living in the United States, the dream of success in America shouldn’t be a dream of yours.

America, land of dreams, is home to the world’s largest immigrant population. Why do so many want to come to America? It may be because of the employment opportunities, or reunification with family members, or the many rights and freedoms that Americans have. But a large part of immigration to America is due to the American Dream, the belief that every US citizen has an equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work and determination. The concept of the American Dream was recognized as early as the 18th and 19th centuries, and the phrase was popularized in the 20th century by James Truslow Adams in his book Epic of America, in which he states, “there has been also the American dream, that dream of a land in which life should be