United by a Word America is one of the most powerful and revered countries in the world, with over 300 million people residing within its borders. These people are called Americans, despite actual ethnicity, race, or culture. They are all connected because they are Americans, though in reality they are so different that America might be called a melting pot of different people, opinions, and lifestyles. An American is defined as a person who is privileged to the rights and freedoms specified in the Constitution, who has responsibilities to one’s country in return for the freedoms it gives, and ultimately is entitled to one’s very own piece of the American Dream. One of the most obvious defining traits of an American is having the rights and …show more content…
This right is exclusive to Americans, and is composed of the hopes, wishes and ambitions of residents in the United States, particularly immigrants. The American Dream is a conceived future that the person wants, and often, comes to America for. Anzia Yezierska, an immigrant coming to America from Russia in the twentieth century, describes her American Dream in “America and I”, a short story about her experiences in America: “In the golden land of flowing opportunity I was to find my work that was denied me in the sterile village of my forefathers. Here I was to be free from the dead drudgery for bread that held me down in Russia.” The reader can sense the hopefulness that an immigrating Yezierska had in America, the sureness that in America, her dream would become possible. The American Dream is an essential cultural, social, and psychological aspect of this country, and is given to everybody. It is because of the individuality, hopefulness, and optimistic essence of the American Dream that immigrants continue coming to the United States, and one more reason that the citizens of the United States are bound together into one people regardless of
Time and time again, the society has put in force political and social ideals of America greatly affecting the American Dream for many. Every American resident has his or her own definition of “achieving the American Dream”. However, all American Dreams are common, in part, that all believers are drawn to the desire to go above their current social class and improve their way of life. Although many people try to achieve their own American Dream, the society possess ideals that negatively affect the American Dream for both Americans and immigrants.
In the United States there is an idea many pursue called the American dream, which differs from person to person. The American dream according to americanradioworks.publicradio.org is “a revolutionary notion: each person has the right to pursue happiness, and the freedom to strive for a better life through hard work and fair ambition”. Yet it has been said there is no real definition of American dream, instead it merely proves that it has an unconscious influence in American mentality (Ştiuliuc 1). The American dream is different for each person because everyone yearns for things that will they hope will in return make them happy. Whatever that may be, each person goes through different struggles to obtain what they want. According to Frederic Carpenter, the American dream “has never been defined exactly, and probably never can be. It is both too various and too vague” (3). The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse depicts the different interpretations on what the American dream actually is through the opinions and actions of Hector Esperanza, Efren Mendoza and Mrs. Calhoun.
Americans are defined by the respect they have for their country and its government, in taking advantage of their freedoms and rights that they gain by showing respect through allegiance, pride, and loyalty.
An American is someone who is free to do whatever whenever he wants. He is someone who doesn't care about who judges him or what people think. All he cares about is his version of the American dream. His version may be different from everyone else's but an American has the freedom to be different in whatever way he wants to. This is what an American is.
The United States as a country has always been an entity unique amongst the world’s myriad of nations: a conglomeration of cultures, ethnic groups and religious backgrounds from around the planet, all fused together to yield something entirely new. Since its very inception, those who dwell within its borders have attempted to ascertain the makeup of the American identity, in order to pin down how exactly one can come to be considered as an American themselves. This is inherently quite a subjective issue, but the conversation primarily boils down to three core factors that make the American people who they are: a dedication to preserving the natural rights of every human being, a belief in the importance of the individual in deciding their own
The American Dream was derived from the United States Declaration of Independence which states that, “All mean are created equal” and that they are “endowed by their creator with certain inalienable Rights” including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (US 1776). This means that every person has equal opportunity
... shining, his golden opportunity…the right to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him…”(qtd.in The American Dream). A person who “manages” to achieve his or her version of the American Dream is often said to be “living the dream”. However this concept has been subjected to great criticism because some people that the social structure of the U.S. prevents such an idealistic goal for everyone. May critics often allude to various examples of inequality rooted in class, race, ethnicity, and religion, which suggests that the American Dream is not attainable to everyone. The principles of the American Dream are too idealistic. Everyone has dreams and goals, but the American Dream is one that is infinite and endless. It is very difficult to live the dream when so much of it is obscured by the government.
Today everyone has the right to own land, a home, and start a family of their own otherwise known as the American Dream. Unfortunately this was not always the case as blacks, Hispanics, and other minorities were discriminated upon in the early 60’s to the late 80’s and even still today.
the “American Dream” a dream that is unreal. The American dream was intended for people of
"All Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among there are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". It is in this sentence from the Declaration of Independence, that the idea of the American dream has its roots. The phrase, “the American dream” can mean many different things, but among the most basic interpretation is that America is a land of opportunity and freedom for all who come to it. The idea of the American dream has influenced people to come to America in search of economic opportunities, political choice, and religious freedom.
The definition of an American, is someone who is a citizen of the United States. Many African Americans, and immigrants struggled to become actual Americans in their lifetimes, because others didn 't see them as actual people; and based it on the color of someone. In today 's world people who live in America consider themselves as Americans, but to me there is certain qualities that make a person an American. To me being a true American is not based off of what Country they were born in, or what race their parents are, or even if they were immigrated to the United States. People from all over the world would say that maybe people could base this off of someone 's family heritage, or where they were before they came to America. If you were asked what makes an American an American what would you base it off of? To me there are four specific characteristics that make a person a true American; those three things would be, freedom, individuality, belief in the country, and happiness.
What do foreigners find particularly alluring about the United States of America? Could it be the diversity of the population? Could it be the productivity of the economy? Could it even be the religious freedoms Americans possess? As a matter of fact, all of these benefits are what attract immigrants to the land of the free. They all come together and constitute what is known as the American Dream. Within his definition of the American Dream in 1931, James Truslow Adams, author of The Epic of America stated, “...life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each… regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” Though many can attest to that, there are and there have been some rather brazen
The American Dream The American dream has always been a talk amongst the American culture. When people speak of it, they often think back to the 19th century. The American Dream can be thought about when learning information on the Declaration of Independence which states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. This was written by Thomas Jefferson.
The American Dream can obliterate any prospect of satisfaction and does not show its own unfeasibility. The American dream is combine and intensely implanted in every structure of American life. During the previous years, a very significant number of immigrants had crossed the frontier of the United States of America to hunt the most useful thing in life, the dream, which every American human being thinks about the American dream. Many of those immigrants sacrificed their employments, their associations and connections, their educational levels, and their languages at their homelands to start their new life in America and prosper in reaching their dream.
The age old question that many ask today is “what is an American?” America is continued to be called the “melting pot” of the world. This statement refers to the combination of different cultures and ethnicities throughout the United States. The diversity of America should not take away from the history and foundation it was found upon. ...