The term, “American dream,” was first used by historian James Truslow Adams. James stated that the American dream was, “That 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.” Although the quote states a perfect definition of the American dream, this term can be interpreted in several ways. The American dream is reaching an objective believed to be unlikely to obtain, making a decision that could improve the lifestyle of future descendants, and setting goals that you want to accomplish.
One of the various definitions of the American dream is achieving a dream that before was seen as impossible or unlikely. People feel that some careers or dreams are impossible or unlikely to be completed. They
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For example, someones American dream could be to own a store, but since they don't know the language spoken, they quit, which might discourage them from continuing. It sometimes feels like everyone has an assigned role to play, and working against it is arduous. People that want to achieve their dream aren't taken seriously as a result of how they dress and where they live. Others might judge and mock for chasing an “unrealistic,” goal since they don't have money to afford their materials. Without access to support, their talent is often overlooked. Achieving the dream is still possible, but it will take more hard work. The American dream for those people is to achieve what others thought they couldn't reach and prove them wrong. For example, in “They live the dream” by Dan Rather, it says
The American dream is a term used in a lot of ways. Although research has shown that American dream can’t be attainable by most people, closer examination shows that it can be attainable by the following reasons. As Daniel J. Mitchell stated in New York Times im January 1st, 2015 “The United States is not a perfect country, but the American Dream is still a reality.” By that he meant that even with America’s Grow rate, poverty, unemployment rate in the past years and still going Americans can still chase their American dreams If we look at the history and the definition it shows that infact it is possible to attain it.
“Things usually work out in the end.” “What if they don’t?” “That just means you haven’t come to the end yet.” (Walls 259) By definition, The American Dream is both the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American as well as a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.
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.
Although we have the freedom to access the American Dream most people have challenges of achieving it. In the novels, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, we see each protagonist struggling ,but at the same time a strong aspiration in obtaining their American Dream. For example, Jay Gatsby, he was the definition of the American Dream,he builds his social status from becoming a farm boy to one of the world's top millionaire but his dream wasn't complete without the love of Daisy. Unfortunately Janie Crawford in Their Eyes Were Watching God
The American dream is having equality, a voice to be heard and stability in one’s life. However, the American Dream is just that, a dream. It cannot be attained because of the power of our government, the ignorant minds of others and the constant want for more. What should be trivial factors in life, such as: race, gender, social class, wealth, etc., all have a significant effect on the impractical American dream. the “TED Talks” video proves this.
In fact, many believe that it is quite improbable that anyone could experience their own American Dream due to government restrictions that may seem to prohibit their growth. In a survey conducted by ORC International, around 6 in every 10 Americans believe that the American Dream is no longer available to them (Lubhy). Restrictions that make those surveyed feel as though the American Dream is impossible include the worsening economy and the rising costs of college tuitions (Lubhy). To be more specific on the economic concern, many believe that most of the American government’s money goes
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 symbol to the American ideology.
The American dream is an illusion that is deeply implanted in the minds of the people, it sets a bar for life achievement and offers hope to work hard to achieve their dreams. As for Americans, they are raised in a society to where they are expected to make lots money and to have a healthy family. After all in our society success is largely based off positions of power and financial stability. For example, in The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there were multiple interpretations of the ideal American dream in the 1920s. In the 1920s, due to the growth of materialism, people advertised and fancied the power of money to fulfilling their dreams.
There is language barriers, cultural barriers, and money barriers. There is also a lot of obstacles even for people who live in our country trying to achieve the American Dream. Many people across the US live in poverty, all those people have completely different definitions of the dream. The dreams could be so simple like just getting a job one day, or feeding their family. People who live in the US have lots of obstacles for getting the american dream, they’re just different than
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
My definition of the American Dream is someone who starts from nothing and makes their way through life in a happy and healthy way. Not everyone is capable of reaching the American dream. In Of Mice and Men the American dream was not reached by Lennie and George. In A Raisin in the Sun, they too did not reach the American dream. The American dream is a difficult thing to accomplish even though many live their lives trying got achieve this dream.
The American dream is always an opportunity for anyone in this world, but the way they you achieve the dream is what really matters. Anyone seeking the American dream has a lot of work on their hands. Some people want this dream because in their own country they do not have safety or freedom. Some people also wants this dream because in their lives they do not have happiness, so they look towards this "dream" to help them financially.
Impossible Dreams The meaning of the American Dream can be seen as ”A uniquely American vision of the country consisting of three central ideas. The American dream consists of a belief in America as the new Eden- a land of beauty, bounty, and unlimited promise; a feeling of optimism, created by ever expanding opportunity; and a confidence in the triumph of the individual.” Using this definition of the so called “American dream”, it seems to be a great representation of it at first, until you realize it includes everyone as the individual. From the beginning of the Civil war to the end of the War to End All Wars, the American Dream wasn’t possible due to the treatment of the Native Americans, the inequality between women and men, and the false promises given to the immigrants coming to our country in their time of need.
What is portrayed by the media and what they believe to be the American dream I do not believe that that is attainable and or realistic at any point. If you work hard to achieve your goals and what you put your mind to you will achieve the success that you want and your own American dream will be what you wanted it to be and to succeed in the efforts that you chose. If your an immigrant from a third world country then practically anything would be an upgrade, especially the vision of free medical care, child birth and privileges, the dream is still strong. If you are everyone else, middle and lower class, the dream is dead, downward movement more plausible. So, everyone has a different outlook on the American Dream and what it means to them so is it attainable is the main question.
but the definition of The American Dream really isn’t just as simple as “the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative”. Its complicated, diverse and every person you ask will tell you something different. Sometimes the answers will be vague, but some will also be specific. So, let’s see what people really think. Some immigrants say that “The American