Without Good Parents Cannot Achieve The American Dream

Many American children grow up in horrible social and cultural living environments. These living conditions not only affect the child's upbringing, but also affects the choices they make once they reach adulthood. Yet so many people disbelieve that your social environment affects your life decisions and choices you make. This stems from the thought that you can be or do anything as long as you work hard enough. This concept is known as “the American Dream”. Though many Americans have started off at the lower rungs of society and have worked their way to the top, there are still many who make every effort for a better life, but are marginalized because of their position in society. They are not granted access to the resources

Nowadays, many Americans wonder if the American Dream is still alive. At one point in our country, people felt that they could achieve success by working hard. However, after the economic hardships and recession of the 21st century, a number of Americans not only lost income, but some also lost their jobs. Although there has been slow progression to improve the economy, there are those who question whether or not the dream of Americans can ever be achieved again. With unemployment levels still high and salaries failing to increase, there certainly is doubt in most of Americans. In his essay, Brandon King formulates ways to redefine and change the way to look at the American dream. After analyzing King’s essay, one can see his view as believing that the dream is still very much intact. As he points out, the American economy is a very complex system that has had downfalls, but there is always a way to get back up from it. Regardless of your economic status (poor or middle class), if one has a working job, it is possible to succeed based on how much someone is willing to work to achieve their goals. As King would agree, the American dream is not only still alive and well, but anyone can reach success.

The American dream can be defined as the promise of living in America with opportunities for all, regardless of social class, and according to their ability and effort (Schnell, 2010). Proponents of the American dream believe that there is equal opportunity for all in the American society to achieve success. Success is not pegged on social status, race, or creed, but rather on an individual’s own efforts. The definition of the American dream has unique interpretations to different people. The most common meaning is that of a life of abundance and prosperity, characterized by economic rewards that enable one to live a middle class life of comfort. Here, success is measured by material possessions such as beautiful homes, cars, a high

The American Dream is most commonly defined by the traditional social ideals of the US, which usually include money, status, material wealth, and democracy; the American Dream also includes the idea of the self-made man and how that hard work will pay off in the end. However, the definition of the American Dream is subjective to the individual defining it. In Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Christopher McCandless’ life depicts the usual definition of the American Dream through his family life and adolescence, while also showing that the typical definition does not satisfy every single person’s idea of happiness and success.

The American Dream has held a special place in the hearts of patriots since the very founding of America in 1776. It has been a subject of many authors who grapple with its attainability, and is a beacon of hope gazed upon by victims of circumstance. The Dream has been interpreted by great minds in various ways, and has been deemed both an evil deception and a great promise of a better life. However, the American Dream has morphed from this promise of opportunities and second chances--in fact, it has become viewed as a cause for societal competition and the reason for decreasing happiness among the American people. As Americans attempt to “achieve their goals,” and “keep up with the Joneses,” they subject themselves to the materialistic cycle of greed. Success, and the goal of the American Dream, has been redefined. To be put simply, the American Dream is now to be richer than one’s neighbor, despite the fact that happiness--and thus, the Dream--cannot be achieved solely through wealth and material goods.

The American Dream is the idea that financial success, upward social mobility, and overall prosperity can be achieved with perseverance and hard work. It’s the idea that anyone, even the very poor, can make a better life for themselves if they are willing to work for it. It’s an idea that has become integral to American society, encouraging us to put in an effort to see our dreams come to fruition. However, when it comes down to individual experiences, it turns out that accomplishing the traditionally agreed-upon American Dream gets a lot messier than it’s made out to be. Using the books Nickel and Dimed and The Color of Water, as well as the movie Enron- The Smartest Guys in the Room, both similarities and differences can be found when it comes to what achieving the American Dream really means.

While the motivation of the American Dream may be materialistic or moralistic, it is based on the sole property of opportunity. As shared by Martin C. Jischke in “The American Dream,” “the American dream is the ‘dream of a land…with opportunity for each according to the ability or achievement’” (75). Because the qualities of an individual are unique, the measurement of success varies. Improvement in any sense must be sparked by a window of hope at a richer life. The American Dream is easily attainable when paired with opportunity and a strong work ethic. Without the necessary investment of time and labor, the skill sets and knowledge of those working towards the American Dream are laid to waste.

The forty-first president of the United States, George W. H. Bush, once said, “The American Dream means giving it your all, trying your hardest, accomplishing something…” As the years fly by, so does the American Dream. With busy lives, many Americans tend to forget the purpose of the American Dream. Failing to make ends meet, not being able to afford the new iPhone and the lack of success that is not America’s fault. People create their successes and failures based on what they desire. Through a person creating their own definition, not quitting once things go wrong, and creating opportunities the American Dream still floods the streets of America today.

However, we must remember an important fact: our generation of American faces the same wall of hopelessness that stood before those who lived through the Great Depression – and they overcame it. What we can take from them, is that we can succeed if we accept the simple fact that we must do what must be done, even if it isn’t desirable. If we graduate with a degree in fashion marketing and fail to secure employment, we work at a retail store in order to pay rent and get the bills paid. Running around for hours to work in a store takes grit; being underemployed takes gut; learning from experience and applying it to one’s life creates character. And one day, we grow. That in my belief is “the Dream.” For too many versions of “the Dream” equate prosperity to happiness, happiness I feel is not so simple. This makes it seem that the American Dream may always remain tantalizingly out of reach for some Americans, making the dream more like a cruel joke rather than a genuine dream. Perhaps, what our generation needs is to

The American Dream is possible, but it’s constantly becoming less available to many Americans. As inferred by David Wallechinsky in his essay, “Is the American Dream Still Possible,” the American Dream has progressively gotten more difficult to achieve for many. In this essay, Wallechinsky describes what he views as the American Dream and provides evidence of why it’s not achievable. As stated in the text, “Almost two-thirds say they live from paycheck to paycheck, and 47% say that no matter how hard they work, they cannot get ahead. More than a third worry about job loss” (65). Wallechinsky not only provides a widespread belief that the American Dream isn’t possible, he supports it with evidence by providing data from the Mark Clements Research Inc. Survey that states the poverty many americans

The American Dream is “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” (Adams, 1931). It is the guarantee that with hard work and passion anyone can achieve upward mobility regardless of their origin. Many Americans believe in this promise, hoping that one day their first circumstance will not dictate the outcome of the rest of their lives. However the American Dream can be elusive without any real he American Dream eludes The novel Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the

“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

Americans hold the concept of individuality very near and dear to their hearts, but despite backgrounds and disparities that accompany them, all Americans share one commonality. They possess the ability to achieve the American dream through perseverance. The American dream represents an opportunity to live up to one’s full potential through hard work and persistence, regardless of their background. Citizens that devote a willingness to take advantage of opportunity that presents itself, will reap the rewards of the American dream, even though it might not develop effortlessly. For those presenting ambition to strive for it, the American dream stands welcoming and attainable for all.

The American Dream has almost always been an ideal which has changed from generation to generation. In this paper, we will examine the changes that the American Dream has gone through since 1849. Along with the changes we will examine the purpose of the American Dream, who it is meant for, and why we believe in it. We will also define what the American Dream is in today’s time. Doing this in turn will give a deeper insight to the American Dream, as well as the mindset of America. It is essential that we pinpoint the driving force that motivates many Americans to get to the next day.

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.