The Space in Between Myth and Reality
Imagine being a starving young girl huddled next to a weakening fire gazing up at the shining stars, and dreaming of a world that she could live in happiness. This girl’s hope is her American Dream; it can be defined as, “the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement,” according to James Truslow Adams who first coined the phrase in 1931. However, in my personal opinion, I define the American dream as the belief that anyone can somehow achieve their greatest goal in life, if they put their mind to it. This vision is still a reality today; it can be achieved through perseverance and the fact that there
…show more content…
In “They Live the Dream”, an essay by Dan Rather, several different America Dream stories are discussed, and some deal with overcoming difficulty,” . . . he accepted a football scholarship to a nearly all white college. Once there, however racism threatened to throw him off course. Instead he turned to activism and founded the school’s black student union,” (42). Wayne Ford, the topic of the activism story, could have easily given up, ended his education, and goal of turning a new leaf. However, instead he decided to overcome the unwelcoming and ominous atmosphere and continue on. If one is serious about a goal, they must persevere when faced with situations that could crush their …show more content…
Langston Hughes, an author who is known for numerous poems, uses his poems to convey the message that hindrance is ripping apart all chances some have in attaining their dream, “. . . I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars, I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—And finding only the same stupid plan Of dog eat dog and mighty crush the weak,” (38). Hughes is presenting the struggle that takes everyday among the minorities who are obstructed and unable to attain what they wish due to the chances being ripped from under them and disappearing into thin air. Langston Hughes also feels struggle of people who believed in the American Dream; they wanted the vision to be true with all of their heart, however, these people were looked down upon and granted nothing. One may have all the passion it requires to wholeheartedly pursue a dream, but if they are forced onto the ground every single time they attempt to stand, is it truly possible for this dream to
The American Dream is a concept elegantly simple and yet peculiarly hard to define. At the root of it is the sense that America was created entirely separate from the Old World; the settlers had escaped from the feudal, fractious and somewhat ossified nations of Europe and been presented with a chance to start anew - "a fresh green breast of the new world." From this blank slate, those first idealistic settlers had created a society where "all men are created equal" and everyone had the chance to do the best for themselves as they could. Let us examine the passage from the Declaration of Independence from which that quote is taken:
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.
The American Dream was just that for that for some of the Blacks who were struggling or living in New York during the Harlem Renaissance. Living the “American Dream” was something most thought they would never see or have the pleasure to enjoy. Working a good job, being treating fairly and being able to own a nice house and buy nice things was all a dream that they believed would never become a reality. One could say those were the thoughts of the Blacks who didn't have faith or hope or the drive to make the “American Dream” their reality. And this is because Black was thought so little of. They were thought to be ugly and worthless and inferior to the “Americans”. With this constant negative reminder, it was easy for Blacks to self-hate or to hate someone of the same race but a darker shade or of a different social class. However all Blacks did not feel that way. For instance, writers like Langston Hughes, Zora Neal Hurston and Elise Johnson McDougald knew that better days were coming and they too would be able to do the things the Whites thought they were not worthy of. They loved the skin that there were in and was not going to allow anyone to tell them otherwise. These three writers along with others believed that change was coming and their prayers and cries would soon be answered. Their struggling and fighting would soon all be worth it and the Blacks who came before them and fought to get them where they currently were would have not died in vain. Langston Hughes expresses this in his poem Let America Be America Again.
During the time of depression in the land, everyone dreamt for better, richer, and fuller life that made the U.S. writer James Truslow Adams to coin the term “the American Dream” in his book “The Epic of America.” It is not the dream that comes in the night and vanishes in the morning, but a dream to achieve the fullest stature with greater opportunity for everyone based on his/her ability or accomplishment. This is to get the social order where each woman and man have to be recognized for innate capabilities regardless of his/her birth and must be recognized for what they are.
The American Dream still lives today in society in which people strive to the top and accomplish their goals in life. James Truslow Adams coined the term in 1931 in his book called “American Dream”. He stated in the book "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement". The importance of this quote in Adams’ novel is that the American Dream can be achieved by anyone (Warshauer 3). There are no limits and bounds to these emotions and people from any social class can seek their dreams and desires in life. Over the years the definition of the American Dream has changed, but the underlying fundamental meaning had stayed the same. The American mentality is basically participation in the economy and society in order to gain a better social standard and be prosperous. The United States Declaration of Independence also had some influence in the definition of the American Dream. In the Declaration of Independence it states all men are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" includi...
“The American Dream, that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” --James Truslow Adams. The phrase “The American Dream” has been expanded upon or refined in various forms, but is essentially based on Truslow Adams’ idea. This concept has been subject to criticism because some people believe that the structure of society prevents such an idealistic goal for everyone. The economy, for instance, can cause poverty-stricken men and women to attain a major disadvantage. Other attributes goes towards inequalities that jeopardizes fairness, as well as apathy through lack of success to obtain the American Dream.
Before 1931, the phrase “American Dream” did not exist (Churchwell 344) the way it does now. But in that year, James Truslow Adams wrote a book called The Epic of America, which declared that “the American dream of a better, richer, happier life for all of our citizens of every rank, which is the greatest contribution we have made to the thought and welfare of the world...Ever since we became an independent nation, each generation has seen an uprising of ordinary Americans to s...
The American Dream, is about becoming something, to the best way to achieve fulfillment of ones life. The dream is and always has been a reality. The more that Americans and immigrants insist on the dream as a right, and pursue it with determination, the more likely it will be to remain a live option accessible to all. The dream does not originate from America; it derives from us, the people. If we exert all our efforts, we at any moment in American history are more likely to be what the country had intended to become. With that predicament already visible, every advance we make may very well lead to another, and every realization of the American Dream will evolve.
There are various individuals throughout the world who believe that the American Dream cannot be achieved by all people. Those who agree with this view believe that our culture contains too many roadblocks and obstacles. Some of these obstacles include prejudice, poverty, and social inequality. Another view on this matter is that others believe that America is the “Land of Opportunity”. They also believe that if you can believe it, you can achieve it. Back in the early 20th century, The American Dream meant something to people; nowadays it is a term that various people loosely throw around. The American Dream is not realistic because it is not attainable to everyone like Cal Thomas presumes and although education, budget cuts and lack of employment may seem of some concern to only a small group of people, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about the status of the economy.
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 the idea held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity.
"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 American Dream was and always will be something that makes America great. It allows those with aspirations to make them come true. In America alone needs is a dream and the motivation to carry out that dream. Ambition is the driving force behind the American Dream. It allows any one that has an aspiration, a desire, a yearning, to carry out the individual dream. It knows no bounds of race, creed, gender or religion. It stands for something great, something that every one can strive towards. A dream can be a desire for something great. In America, the American Dream allows dreams to become realities. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, the American Dream is defined as "An American social ideal that' stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity". To live this dream is to succeed. It allows anyone, rich or poor to have the opportunity to succeed. It is the ability to come from nothing and become so me thing. To succeed at any thing you do, you must have patience and persistence. It requires hard work, persistence and a desire for something better. To have these qualities and the desire and ambition to carry the moutis part of the American Dream.
When the term ‘American Dream’ was first mentioned in 1931 by James Truslow Adams, he described it as “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.” (Clark). When Adams mentioned the term, it had much more of an idealistic meaning, rather than the materialistic meaning it has in modern society. At the time of it’s mention, the dream meant that prosperity was available to everyone. In the beginning, the American Dream simply promised a country in which people had the chance to work their way up through their own labor and hard work (Kiger). Throughout history, the basis of the dream has always been the same for each individual person. It
Americans have the opportunity to pursue what they love and achieve their goals in life (Rank np). Many people in America have different ideas and pictures in their heads of what the American Dream means. From the idea that it's about making a lot of money and owning a big house, to creating a good life for your children in a good environment there is a wide range of meanings of the dream. Others believe that America is this great melting pot full of people with all sorts of different ethnic backgrounds (Michels np). The American Dream was first introduced during America’s great depression by a man named James Truslow Adams. He first came up with the phrase “The American Dream” in his book, The Epic of America. In his book he taught Americans what they had to do in order to live the dream (Wills np). Explaining the Dream, Adams told America, that “the American Dream is the belief of the American society that each individual can, through hard working and strength of mind, achieve anything.” (Michels np) People still use the ideas from his book and use them in everyday