The American Dream Is Dead Analysis

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Brandon Murphy
Land
English III
April 30, 2014
The American Dream is Dead
The American dream is an idea, which sees freedom as the opportunity for success and prosperity. It is a rising thought, realized through working hard. It is a belief by Americans that if one works hard and puts his mind in what he wants to be, he will get there and succeed in life. People should be able to make personal choices without restrictions limiting people based on ethnicity, race, religion, caste, or class. While America is argued to be the land of opportunities, this is not always true, as there is less social mobility tied with immense differences among us. It has become harder for the poor to move up while the gap between the poor and the rich has gotten larger. A person can succeed just by being in the middle class, having a secure home and job, and work hard for what he wants. Nevertheless, lately, Americans feel that the American dream is dead because the middle class is slowly shrinking, people are feeling less secure because of increased struggles, and Americans are losing motivation to work hard.
One reason the American dream is dead is because the middle class is slowly shrinking. The middle class in America was considered the most strongest in the world. However, this distinction is being lost. In Canada for example, the middle class income earners are higher than those in the US. Also, the poor citizens in most parts of Europe are better off than the poor Americans. Research shows that a family in the 20th-percentile of income distribution in America earns less compared to a similar family in Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Canada. Considering the distribution of income rather than the averages, it is easy to see that Ame...

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...changed, and we need to look for ways to reach the “New” American Dream.

Works Cited
Azerrad, David and Rea S. Hederman, Jr. Defending the Dream: Why Income Inequality Doesn’t Threaten Opportunity, 2014. Web. .
Leonhardt, David and Kevin Quealy. The American Middle Class Is No Longer the World’s Richest, Apr 22, 2014. Web. .
Morello, Carol, Peyton M. Craighill and Scott Clement. More people express uncertainty in chance to achieve the American Dream, Sep 29, 2013. Web. .

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