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“For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.” ― (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow). We can not change the weather, but we can change how we look at it. I believe the American Dream is very alive in today's society. It is all about your perspective on life. It may mean having all the money in the world to one person, or it may mean being surrounded by loved ones to another. The two have similar properties but are different at the same time. First, Money supposedly can not buy anyone happiness. A miraculous amount of people will defend their ideology to their last breath to prove this fact wrong. Most of these people have been as low as living in the slums to to as high as living in the rich part of the
city. Not necessarily in that order, but they have seen it all. Those who came from nothing realize pretty quickly that money can help to reduce stress, buy time, and protect you. When people have money they do not stress as much, because they are not living paycheck to paycheck. Feeding one's kids is not a challenge every week. But is all of this happiness (Why Money)? Although money is nice it does not always satisfy the heart. Money comes and goes, but happiness stays. Every memory you make is stuck into your brain. Money cannot buy memories just nonessentials that will eventually fade away as well. Even when you have money, you always want more. You Are always going to be jealous of someone who has more than you(Can't Buy You Morrison 2 Happines). So, with all of this taken into consideration, which is better, money or happiness? Both bring joy to people, just not in the same ways. Money brings joy through the things it buys, and happiness brings it through being surrounded by your love ones. It all depends on how you see the American Dream. In conclusion, the American Dream is not a dream at all, but the end result of the reality we choose to apply it to. We all have different perspectives on life. We reach our American dream when we no longer want more from life, but we start giving. Whether giving back means tipping a waiter one hundred dollars or spreading joy at Christmas time by helping a poor family, the American Dream is unique to each individual. The choice is theirs in terms of what is necessary to achieve their American Dream. In my opinion,having just enough is my American Dream.
In the article "Is The American Dream Still Possible?" By David Wallechinsky explains personal stories and statistics in regards if the American Dream is still possible to achieve. As for Oden from Georgia "has since started his own business, a 'leadership and personal development' consulting firm. His wife, Josett, works as a representative in the health-care field "I do believe I will recover But the traditional American Dream? For most Americans, it is still a dream—a pipedream”(56). Principally, there's different interpretations of what the American Dream consists of.
“Living the American Dream” If you look up the meaning of the American Dream, you will keep finding definitions similar to this one: “the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” The real meaning of the American Dream, however, varies from whom you ask. Many people argue that the American Dream is alive and well, whereas others might argue that the dream is pretty much dead. If you ask me what I think, I personally believe that the American Dream was once a farfetched goal of the people of America, where people dreamed of going from rags to riches. Though the dream might still be alive, it is no longer what it used to be.
Is the American Dream dead or alive? To many the American Dream is the ability to work hard enough to fulfill their dream and unlock opportunities for success. In the article “Is the American Dream Still Possible”, David Wallechinsky demonstrates the many problems in Americans way. He provides family and individuals stories that explain the reason they don’t believe in the American Dream like prices going up and citizens not getting paid enough. He makes his claim convincing to make individuals believe that his perspective is correct.
The American Dream has been a fantasy for many people around the world. It has
The American Dream is so important to our country and especially for our generation to take seriously. The American Dream is the opportunity to reach the goals one sets for themselves. It is about having your dream job and life you have always fantasized about. The dream is also about having freedom and equality. The American Dream was much easier to attain a few decades ago compared to today. However, it is still possible. The economy was better fifty years ago than it is today. People are in greater debt now and the United States is in higher debt than it was fifty years ago. The American Dream is still possible despite the lack of improvement within social mobility in American society over the past years. The American dream is achievable by being able to live a middle-class lifestyle and that lifestyle is obtainable through hard work and perseverance, even in light of obstacles such as racism. “The American Dream is still achievable, however, the good news is that people at the bottom are just as likely to move up the income ladder today as they were 50 years ago” (O’Brien 1). The ability to attain the American Dream is hindered by race, the middle class, and giving up facing adversity.
The American dream is something very tricky, but when you become truly happy, that is when you know you have achieved your American Dream. All of these examples listed above provide a reason to believe that the American Dream is still going strong today. Every person has a dream or goal they want to achieve and I believe that is what keeps America strong and going. The dreamers keep us alive because they keep new ideas and concepts flowing throughout the country. The dreamers spark new dreams and it is never ending, which keeps the American Dream and the concept of having a dream or end goal alive. “Dreams don’t always have to exist while the sun is down and your eyes are shut” (Alex Gaskarth).
The American Dream is the most basic tenant of American life. It is the belief that through hard work and American exceptionalism that anyone can move themselves up to a better economic standing, which leads to a better life. An ideal that almost seemed to be a reality for quite some time in America however, the last few decades have shown a decline of the American Dream. Which leads to the question, what the hell happen to the American Dream?
The idea of the American Dream still has truth in today's time, even if it is wealth, love, or
The American Dream, recognized as being the earning of a college degree, the owning of one 's own home, taking vacations and experiencing upward social mobility, is a very important belief that helped create the success that America is today. Many people believe that anyone who works hard and has determination can achieve this American Dream. In this day and age, experiencing the American Dream is believed to no longer be as available to Americans as it once was. The economy and corporate America have had a strong impact on the availability to reach this state of success. Everyone wants to live the American Dream, whether they know it or not. I have never met a person who did not want to become successful. Even I had a strong belief that the
The American Dream was created at the beginning of The Great Depression in the early 1930’s. It was used to influence people to work harder to try and make more money. The Dream was used as a sign of hope. The Dream is what every American wanted. The American Dream back then was having a big house (pic of the house) with a white picket fence, and a family of four (the perfect family), the family had two children, a boy and a girl and a stay at home wife/mother who cooked and cleaned all day while the father worked all day. That was the Dream then, but now in 2015 it has altered completely. The dream now is not about having a flawless family, but about having
The American dream is the very foundation this country was built on. The belief that an individual can take their dreams and make them into reality . By actually taking the cards you've been dealt and changing your life with enough perseverance, self sacrifice and dedication and not relying on luck or chance. Initially, the dream is based on the concept of being able to achieve upward mobility in society regardless of your race, gender, economical and social background. It relies solely on the belief that everyone is considered equal. Unfortunately, it was an extremely long time before this country was able to succeed in providing those rights to all individuals. "Inequality, then, is less an inevitability than a choice… we can alter the course of inequality" (Leonhardt 543). What makes one person achieve and obtain the American dream over someone else or is it just one huge hoax?
"I think the American Dream says that anything can happen if you work hard enough at it and are persistent, and have some ability. The sky is the limit to what you can build, and what can happen to you and your family" expressed Sanford I. Weill. The American Dream is still alive and obtainable. Many people have a definition of what the American Dream that is obtainable in their minds. People all have unique individual lives.
Everything changed in August 1963. America was mesmerized with the famous speech “I Have a Dream” delivered by Martin Luther King. People from all over the nation gathered for one single motive, social justice, and with that citizens of the United States yearned hope for a better tomorrow; a tomorrow in which they could see a breaking dawn to a day full up roaring opportunities for everyone disregarding their ethnic background, gender, sexual preference, or economic standing. This soon led to what is now known as “The American Dream.” America’s reputation for being the land of endless possibilities has captured both foreign attention as well as native patriotism. Success here in America is defined as having a good social position and a plethora of
A writer, George Monbiot, once said, “If wealth was the inevitable result of hard work and enterprise, every woman in Africa would be a millionaire”. John Steinbeck’s views on the American Dream in his novella Of Mice and Men agrees with Monbiot because Steinbeck expresses the American Dream as obtainable, but not for everyone. In his novella, the characters George Milton and Lennie Small acquire a job at a ranch in the Salinas Valley during the Great Depression. These men have their own American Dream that they work towards, yet don’t achieve. Through these characters, Curley’s wife, and Crooks, Steinbeck illustrates that even through hard work and the drive to succeed, people may not always achieve their own American Dream.
What is the American Dream, and who are the people most likely to pursue its often elusive fulfillment? Indeed, the American Dream has come to represent the attainment of myriad of goals that are specific to each individual. While one person might consider a purchased home with a white picket fence her version of the American Dream, another might regard it as the financial ability to operate his own business. Clearly, there is no cut and dried definition of the American Dream as long as any two people hold a different meaning. What it does universally represent, however, it the opportunity for people to seek out their individual and collective desires under a political umbrella of democracy.