The American Dream Is Success Essay

“To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children… to leave the world a bit better, this is to have succeeded” (Stanley, 1904). This is the definition of success according to Bessie Anderson Stanley, the grandmother of the famous poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson. As stated by Stanley, success is present in those who have loved, laughed, and lived a life full of enthusiasm and optimism. Success exists in those who have participated in the creation of life, whether it is bearing children or simply growing a garden. Living a lifestyle that is satisfying to not only you, but those around you as well, is imperative to living a life filled with success, at least when it comes to Bessie Anderson Stanley.

The American dream, according to James Truslow Adams, is “the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone…” (Adams, 1931). But, both of these definitions were thought to be true many years ago. Society has changed, America has changed, and the American people have most definitely adapted to these new changes. Now that mostly everything Bessie Anderson Stanley had once known to be true has now become divergent, has the definition of the American dream been altered as well? Do Americans believe that living a successful life is directly related to living a life filled with feelings of self-worth and accomplishment, just as the American dream suggests? Or is it now in direct proportion with materialistic things, such as money and fame, which completely changes the definition of the American dream? The term “American dream” has traveled throughout the last century, collecting new interpretations along the way. As it turns out, the true definition of the American dream according to the society present today, is composed of a more materialistic interpretation when compared to the American dream that was once held in the