American Dream Success Essay

To Be Successful America was formed largely on the idea that each individual has the opportunity to succeed however he or she sees fit, because every individual has right to work to the best of his or her ability. While the American Dream, as defined by James Adam, is an ideology that dictates that everyone is provided the opportunity to live better, fuller, and richer lives, the fact of the matter is that one’s American Dream is subjective to who the individual is. Today’s general American Dream is largely defined by someone’s financial success. This success is usually interpreted by how much money and status a person can obtain, because monetary value or reputation appears to determine a person’s social standings in the United States

People of the New World aspired to obtain land, establish their names and gain economic success. Over the next 200 years, that individualistic ideology developed into the competitive, capitalistic American Dream we know today, one that requires cunning, self-preserving behavior. This concept led Americans to want the best of everything; houses, cars, education—in essence, material goods. The concept of the “United” States seems to be washed away in the midst of this materialistic mindset, with modern-day American Dreams revolving around money and status, rather than the progression of society as a whole. Companies are more concerned about the maximum profits they can make than about the good they are doing by the world. Even the justice system has gradually evolved from a justice-seeking network to a “where can we make a profit” system. Prosecutors are paid on commission, based on how many convictions they obtain, bringing the conceptualized idea of “justice” down to a dollar amount. The American Dream has become no longer a collaborative dream that hopes to better America as a whole, but an individual dream that many share: to be the rich and powerful. There is nothing wrong with yearning for wealth and power, but I think a person can accomplish so much more beyond these