In this time period, the American dream has been highly debatable. People see it as an old-fashioned way of achieving goals or being normal. Now it may be seen as financial stability, when in fact it is so much more than money. Is it possible? The American Dream, being complete comfort and stability in one's life, is still achievable through hard work towards one’s goals and determination towards a comfortable life style. Throughout history and in modern life, hard work has been used to achieve one’s goals over time and lead to a comfortable and patriotic lifestyle depicted by the American Dream. Martin Espada, writer and former law school attendant, writes of his experiences before getting to school and pursuing his dream job, “Ten years …show more content…
David Ignatow’s poetry expresses determination not from himself, but from someone close to him. He speaks of his father coming here and working, ready to push forward and get what he wants. His father was full of anxiety, poor, and in undesirable conditions, and he still kept going. (66). Ignatow’s father was determined. He lived through a time when things were not as easy as they were now, but he finally got to a comfortable place for both him and his son. Furthermore, Robert Acuna’s determination in finding a union is a great example for this path to the American dream, too. He never gave up. He speaks of what his determination brought him, saying, “Working in the fields is not in itself a degrading job. It’s hard, but if you’re given regular hours, better pay, decent housing, unemployment, and medical compensation, pension plans-we have a very relaxed way of living” (76 Terkel). Acuna reached all this through determination. Pushing forward in his protests, demands, and questions, he received the comforts described in his interview. If one really wants something, hard work will not teleport them there. It has to be this determination, this perseverance that keeps going to this
Throughout one’s lifetime, it is not common that a journey one has pursued becomes a nationwide phenomenon; although, for two men, that was exactly the case. Chris McCandless and Adam Shepard both embarked new, difficult, although different journeys. McCandless embarked on a journey in search of self reliance whilst Shepard left everything to prove that the American Dream is in fact alive and well. These adventurers set out on divergent journeys, but both had a strong impact on society and those they encountered along the way. Although both of these men were hardworking and successful in what they did, it is evident that Shepard’s selfless journey to motivate people to pursue the American Dream had a greater purpose.
In the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness” by Gabriele Muccino, the main character had a hardship in life to get a job. However, he worked harder than others to achieve the position in the work place. He was successful in the movie due to his hard work. He had a great work ethic that helped him succeed and achieve the American dream. Just like the main character in the movie, there are many people in American society who works extremely hard to achieve the American dream and to make the society better.
People from all over the world flock by the hundreds of thousands to reach American soil. All are in pursuit of the American Dream. Starting with nothing, one can make a name for themselves, and create an empire for their families by simply setting goals and focusing on completing them. In John Steinbeck’s “Paradox and Dream” he states that we as Americans are our own obstacle-living in America; we have the freedom to choose how we live and how we pursue our own version of the American dream. One valuable thing about the American way of life is that people are in control of their destinies.
The American dream is achievable because as long as you work hard and get an education, opportunities will be available to succeed. The availability and opportunity to succeed is primarily determined by each individual’s dedication to obtain that success. I have read accounts of people who went from “rags to riches”. These accounts will be shared with the reader in order to further support James Truslow Adams’ definition of the American Dream. Do Won Chang the founder of Forever 21 didn 't always have it so easy.
The American dream is not as easy as people say it is. The American Dream is being able to afford the necessities you need, without having to struggle and suffer just to put food on a table for their families. People think it’s easy to live the American Dream, but little do they know that there are people out there struggling to support their family. The American Dream is difficult to achieve but very possible if people could find the opportunity and available to them.
Author Robert McKinnon in his work, “Moving Up: The Truth about Getting Ahead in America” has discussed factors that affect our chances of achieving the American Dream. In the article, "Moving Up: The Truth about Getting Ahead in America" Robert McKinnon argues that “it is easier to stay at the top then it is to rise from the bottom.” Throughout the article McKinnon illustrates the three most important factors when it comes to moving up in the social class to achieve the American Dream this includes: mobility, hard work, and the fate of our birth. Although McKinnon proved all these factors to be vital when it comes to living the American Dream, I believe that hard work is the most important when it comes to achieving the American Dream.
Americans who try to achieve the American Dream have lost sight of what it truly stands for. They are told to work towards it since childhood by parents and grandparents who sought after it yet never succeeded. They never thought to formulate a definition of their own. Does having a certain amount of money truly define the American Dream? In today’s world,
The American dream at one point was what drew people to American; the right to life, liberty, and the happiness. The American dream is the hope to acquire currency, large homes, raise a middle-class family, and pursue what brings people joy in life. But in the year 2016, the American dream becomes hard to believe in. The American dream may still exist, but it is not equally accessible to all Americans. This is true because the American dream is not affordable for everyone, it is not available to everyone from different degrees of education, and race and ethnicity creates large social barriers.
Since the creation of the U.S. two hundred and forty one years ago, one of the founding ideals of the nation is that any citizen should have the right to pursue their own dreams. For some the “American Dream” can be defined as the opportunity to gain success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie personify this concept completely, and although these men were hailed as “captains of industry,” they always hungered for more. John D. Rockefeller is recognized as one of the most successful industrialists in U.S. history, he “was a disciplined, serious, and ambitious man” but he did not begin life as a wealthy philanthropist. Rockefeller was born July eighth, 1839 in Richford, New
The American Dream is Attainable Dreaming of success, a bright future, or even hope? An idea placed in the Declaration of Independence, The American Dream has been a beacon of hope to many; however, does The American Dream really exist? Some can and will argue that it’s dead, and that it isn’t achievable. I believe it’s alive, but it has to be realistic. By being realistic, anything could be possible, but only with the amount of effort put forth.
No matter who you are or where you have come from, you have undoubtedly heard of the American Dream. The idea that no matter who you are or where you have come from, you can do whatever it is you desire in America. What was once one the main driving forces for immigrants to flock to the new world, has slowly changed over the years, but still holds its value in the eyes of those who are looking for a promising new place to live. The American dream might not hold the same awe inspiring sound that it once did, but for many generations before ours it was a beacon of hope that helped build the foundation that the United States was built on. And, still, today the American dream might not be as achievable as it once was, but it is still an important
The American Dream has been a talked about topic ever since America was created. But how achievable is it for an average American citizen? That’s one question that can be answered many ways, but in Old Man and The sea, The Jungle, Of Mice and Men, and A Raisin in the Sun, it is proven that the American Dream is possible if one has the right mindset and takes advantage of opportunities. In The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, the idea of the American Dream being achievable with the right mindset is present.
Tara Westover talks about her first semester's experience of poverty and hard work, as well as the effect these experiences had on her understanding of the American dream. She remembers waking up at 3:40am to work as a cleaner, she then
These two stories about chasing the American Dream shows how chasing it in this society is hard work. There is no more they can do than what they have already. They
When one thinks about the American dream, there are common themes that pop up in everyone’s dream of making it big in the USA. These dreams can span from living lavishly or just to make enough money to support oneself. In the play, Death of A Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, the character Charley believes that character and quality equate to success. Along with this, in an interview conducted with Atul Chodhry, my father who moved to America to try and complete his American dream, believes that like Charley, one mustn’t give up, and keep diligence in order to reach the American dream of owning a well operated business. Both my father and Charley believed that to achieve one’s American Dream, one cannot be afraid of the hardships that comes with trying to reach one’s goals, nor be afraid to give it time, and in the end, the dedication will pay off, and with great values, anything is reachable when one wants to go for his/her dream.