“The Italian American Dream” Throughout my life I’ve always heard talking about the American Dream: lots of people mention it, also in foreign countries like mine, and talk about it. But what is exactly the American Dream? I’m going to tell you the real definition. You will probably think that is really weird that a foreign exchange student from Italy, far far away, can give you “the real definition” of a purely american concept, but I’ll make you change your mind. The American Dream is the pursuit of “eudaimonia” (this is an ancient greek term discussed by many philosophers, especially Socrates), a happiness of your mind that never ends, that lasts overall without leaving you.The best thing of the American Dream though, is that everybody should …show more content…
be able to achieve it at the expense of their social and economic condition. The Dream is different within everybody, since everyone likes different things and has different dreams for his or her life.
You can look at Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein: they both had a poor economic condition, but they managed to become very important people for their centuries, despite they took two different roads: the first went in the informatic world, and the second went in the scientific world. They both had to make big efforts to achieve their dreams, for example Jobs passed through many hard times, like when Apple fired him or when at college he dropped his classes, but they both made it. This also proves that, to achieve the Dream, there’s need of sacrifices and big efforts. Lots of people now will be thinking that the Dream is basically related to money, that money plays a key role in it, or even that money itself is the Dream. To answer to these doubts, I’ll use the book “The Great Gatsby”, of F. Scott …show more content…
Fitzgerald, an important piece of literature of America’s 20th century. In the book, the author describes how money entered in people’s life and how wealth became an obsession, almost an addiction, and changed society by making it really superficial and careless. Looking at the main character Jay Gatsby, you can see that he’s made lots of money, starting from a condition of poverty, to get Daisy’s love back (his old girlfriend that has a high society background and has always lived in wealth, whose relationship interrupted at wartime when Gatsby had to take part to it), and being happy with her again for the rest of his life. Despite the story start to get on a good rail, with the two that meet again and find their lost love, he book’s got a bad final, with Gatsby’s death, and shows the immorality of the society of the modern world which keeps on living its life in its fake wealth given only by money like if anything happened (Daisy especially doesn’t even show up at Gatsby’s funeral). In the book is shown that money won’t take happiness, and a crazy pursuit of it won’t approach you to the American Dream, like happened to Gatsby (as a matter of facts his money didn’t bring his happiness (Daisy) back); this proves that money is not so important in the Dream, and of course can’t be the Dream itself, despite it would be dumm to deny that it actually is a part of it, since without it a person would live in a condition of extreme poverty, and such a condition would never bring you the happiness that you’re looking for. So, how do you reach the Dream, you probably ask? Well, if you look at what Socrates said at his time, “eudaimonia” can be achieved by practicing our rational side, and doing what we best like to do, that, almost always, is what we do best; for example a person who is good in math will achieve his or her Dream by basing his life on math (having a job related to math, for example). Generalizing, to reach the Dream, you should do what you like to do the most, and put your mind in its best condition by surround yourself with people you like, in an environment that’s congenial to you (for example living in a town or city that you love with a wife, a pet, children etc). Of course, as I specified before, all these things will change depending on the person. When I gave my definition of the Dream, I also said that everybody should be able to achieve the Dream. Of course this is questionable, because you could say that actually there’s a lot of people that try in any way to reach a certain goal, but then they fail. I’ll answer telling you what I got from Lincoln’s definition of the American Dream, in his speech over slavery, in which he said “We proposed to give all a chance [..]”, and Martin Luther King’s quote in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, in which he said “We hold these truth to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” From these quotes I can see that there’s actually a basic idea that everybody should be considered at the same level, but in our world, that always more is corrupted by money, that is becoming the “main character” and makes the society become close, people with less money have always less chances to succeed in life. That doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to achieve the Dream, since there’s many people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates etc, who could prove the opposite, but it’s really hard to do. However, with lots of will strength and a really big effort, you should be able at least to get part of your Dream. Then the Dream doesn’t have to consist of becoming really rich and get at the top of the society like these famous people did, but still it’s not as easy as it looks to raise your condition, especially in today’s world. I conclude by saying that, despite the Dream is a hard thing to achieve, never stop believing in what you want, because even though it’s hard, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
Some people say that the Dream is dead, and so no one is able to achieve it anymore; I’ll tell you that the Dream is not dead, until someone will still believe in it. The Dream dies as soon as a person stops believing in it, and this happens because people don’t have enough will strength and just give up. What would have happened if Jobs or Gates had gave up on their dreams? Would they still be at their actual condition? (Of course Steve Jobs is dead, so his situation wouldn’t have changed that much, but still he wouldn’t have had all the success he achieved throughout his life). So never stop believing in your Dream, and you’ll finally reach
“eudaimonia”.
A society naturally breaks up into various social groups over time. Members of lower statuses constantly suppose that their problems will be resolved if they gain enough wealth to reach the upper class. Many interpret the American Dream as being this passage to high social status and, once reaching that point, not having to concern about money at all. Though, the American Dream involves more than the social and economic standings of an individual. The dream involves attaining a balance between the spiritual strength and the physical strength of an individual. Jay Gatsby, of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, fails to reach his ultimate dream of love for Daisy in that he chooses to pursue it by engaging in a lifestyle of high class.
The term “American Dream” is defined as an idea which believes that all people have the possibility of prosperity and success. The idea first came from James Adams, a noted American writer and historian. He claimed, “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement.” Therefore, the core concepts of the American Dream were closely linked to hard work and opportunity.
What is the American Dream? Can one truly define it definitely? The American Dream is different for everybody; therefore, it can never be restricted to one description. For one person, his American Dream could be to become the president of the United States. For another person, his American Dream could be to be the first person in his family to go to college. It all depends on which person you ask this age-old question. In my opinion, the American Dream is the idea that everybody has the freedom to achieve anything if he is willing to work as hard as necessary to accomplish his goal. The perfect display of this is the 1980 American Olympic Hockey Team’s defeat over the Soviet’s Olympic Hockey Team, also known as the “Miracle on Ice.” (Malafronte)
Whatever the dream, the most interesting thing that can be read or written about it is the drive of people to attain it.This is best shown in The Great Gatsby.
The American dream can be defined as the promise of living in America with opportunities for all, regardless of social class, and according to their ability and effort (Schnell, 2010). Proponents of the American dream believe that there is equal opportunity for all in the American society to achieve success. Success is not pegged on social status, race, or creed, but rather on an individual’s own efforts. The definition of the American dream has unique interpretations to different people. The most common meaning is that of a life of abundance and prosperity, characterized by economic rewards that enable one to live a middle class life of comfort. Here, success is measured by material possessions such as beautiful homes, cars, a high income, and the ability to spend on luxury items. America is considered a land of plenty, and as such, many who come to the United States in search of the American dream have this form of success in mind.
What is the American Dream? Is it fame or fortune? Franklin Roosevelt explained the American Dream as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. The American Dream is the idea of becoming successful through work, although, this is not always achievable because people in America are not always treated equally, and not everybody has an equal opportunity to reach the American Dream.
However, it is more than just hope, more than just having success, it is the perceived equality of opportunity that keeps the dream alive. Equality in reality not necessary for the dream to exist. What is important is that despite not being perfect, is that we aspire to perfection. The dream is the possibility for each and every one of us to discover our own personal success. All people, both citizens and noncitizens from around the world, believe that in America it is possible to live the life of your dreams. It matters not if you actually do, it is having the chance that is the American Dream.
Dreams are a part of each person’s life that allows them to set goals for their future. One dream may be simple, but others allow them to achieve the impossible. There is that one goal that anyone and everyone wants to
What is the American Dream? There are a myriad of aspects to it, but one general idea: the ideal life. It is making a lot of money, being respected, and triumphing difficult situations. The American Dream has been pursued by many, but only few make it all the way.
First, what is the American dream? According to David Wallechinsky, “the traditional American Dream is based on the belief that hardworking citizens can improve their lives, pay their monthly bills without worry, give their children a start to an even better life, and still save enough to live comfortably after they retire” (1). “The American Dream” states, “It has always represented the possibility for individuals to succeed and live a life of wealth and comfort, made possible by both the political and economic attitudes in the USA and the individual’s own hard work” (1). Daniella Nicole adds that “in years past, chasing the American Dream meant the sky was the limit. . .” (1).
What is The American Dream? “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth and position.” (Adams) This quote is from James Truslow Adams, a historian, who coined the term “The American Dream”, in his book “The epic of America”, published in 1933.
Up until now, the term American Dream is still a popular concept on how Americans or people who come to America should live their lives and in a way it becomes a kind of life goal. However, the definitions of the term itself is somehow absurd and everyone has their own definition of it. The historian James Tuslow defines American Dream as written in his book titled “The Epic of America” in 1931 as “...dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” The root of the term American Dream is actually can be traced from the Declaration of Independence in 1776 which stated “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
The American Dream is exactly what it seems to be: the chance for people to have hope of achieving something great. However, it demands pleasure of every victory one has earned, and the desire is always demanding one to work slightly harder and gain slightly more than someone else. Some may say The American Dream is no longer attainable because in many ways it is getting harder to find good paying jobs and harder to get noticed for skills one possesses. But to the majority of people, the American Dream is still attainable, it just isn’t the American dream one is taught to pursue at an early age.
"The American Dream" is that dream of a nation in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with options for each according to capacity or accomplishments. It is a dream of social stability in which each man and each woman shall be able to achieve to the fullest distinction of which they are essentially competent, and be distinguish by others for what they are, despite of the incidental conditions of birth or stance. The American Dream is often something that humanity wonders about. What is the American dream? Many people discover success in a range of things. There are many different definitions of the American Dream. However, the American Dream embraces prosperity, personal safety, and personal liberty. The American dream is a continually fluctuating set of ideals, reflecting the ideas of an era.
The term, “American Dream,” came from American historian James Truslow Adams who first used the term in his published book, “The Epic of America.” According to Adam himself, he believes that the American Dream is the “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (Amadeo). The term has been used differently in today’s society and recalls it as maturing, getting married with the love of your life, having a beautiful home, and positioning in a good paying job to provide for your kids. Others say that the dream is to have a better life and do what you love. Either way, it all boggles down to just being happy. The “American Dream” became widely popular in the United States as Adam published his book during the 1930s and has been used in speeches, memoirs, and literature (Fallon). This term became important to the people in the U.S. because it sets a goal for all of the citizens to work hard for their dreams and happiness. Without this vision, most people wouldn’t know what to live for in life.