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The American Dream Dead Alive Analysis

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The American Dream is Still Alive In the article, “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” by Brandon King, he defines the American dream today as “the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life, and save for the future” (611). The origin of the term, “American Dream” dates back to the time of the Great Depression when James Adams created the phrase. His description of the American Dream depicts the scenario were “… life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone… regardless of social class or circumstance of birth” (610-611). King explains in his article how the American Dream differs from its original source and how it is the key to success in America today. He expands on this by discussing how behaviors of Americans have changed with sustainability in mind rather than …show more content…

Becker and Murphy depict a graph that shows the correlation between higher education and higher income. This chart shows that over the course of 30 years (1970 to 2005) the percentage of people who graduated college are making noticeably more than people who stopped their education after high school. “In recent years, a person with a college education earned roughly 70 percent more” (Becker and Murphy, 582-583). Becker and Murphy also stated that, “the labor market is placing a greater emphasis on education, dispensing rapidly rising rewards to those who stay in school the longest” (583). Knowing these “rewards” are to come from furthering ones education, the desire to go to college has encouraged people to study longer in an attempt to achieve “a stable, middle-class lifestyle… which they can focus on saving money for the future…” (King, 611). This evidence supports the idea that King is arguing; that the American dream is still

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