...Drastically transforming our lives over time, the winds of change have slowly but surely been affecting our nation, especially in regards to the America Dream. The core values of the American Dream may remain the same, but individual beliefs in the Dream have changed from generation to generation. While the American Dream shares some of the same values in each generation, it begins to change when it comes to specifics. A prime example of the evolution of the American dream is shown in the differences between the dreams of my grandfather, my father, and my own. My grandfather was born into poverty and worked his way through college. During my father’s life he worked his way up from the bottom to owning his own accounting firm. My grandfather’s...
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...The American Dream is a concept that is constantly changing and it’s meaning varies depending on who is asked. As well as everyone having their own definition of the American Dream, there is a also a global understanding of what the American Dream is. There are multiple factors that go into figuring out what the American Dream actually is, so how can one come up with a single universal definition? Although it may be impossible to create one definition that satisfies everyone’s idea of the American Dream, one can look at the different parts that go into defining it to come up with a general understanding of what the American Dream actually is. As stated, this all depends on who you are. One’s race, class, economic status, and personality can...
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...The American Dream is that you are able to live as equals and become successful with hard work. Everyone has different dreams and goals to accomplish because there is a future. Back then, people who immigrated into the United States dreamt for a better life, opportunities, education, etc. The American Dream is lost when you give up hope for the future. There is an American Dream because there is a future and a goal you strive and set for yourself. An American is to be free and proud that you live in the United States of America. What we have in common is that we do not wish for our families to suffer, however in order to change that we must work and ensure that the children surpass our generation. Langston Hughes wrote in Mother to Son to don’t...
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...Critical Response 1. The article "Keeping the Dream Alive" by Jon Meacham main subject is based on the American Dream. In this article, the author is talking about the American Dream. He says back in the post war era (WWII) life was much different than it is today. Back then people were better, richer, and happier. People made more money, the unemployment rate was a lot lower and overall life was a lot better. 2. The purposes the writer has for presenting this argument are pretty simple. He is trying to make a point that the American Dream began centuries ago. Immigrants who migrated to this great country had a dream in order to make their dreams a reality migrating to America would be their goal. It was more easily seen to succeed in America than in their country. 3. The position the writer takes would have to be looking back in history and creating an idea of how it must have been how people struggled to come to this great country. He also must had quite a good amount of research done to make his article approved. 4. The writer mostly supports ideas mainly with facts every piece of information was taken from pieces of history. Every fact he states was very well put together research was his main focus for this article. He had to look back and try to make a comparison of todays history relevant to way back. Seeing the some changes were made but people still kept the goal of the American Dream. 5. The evidence the writer presents to support the position he states would...
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...What is the American Dream? When describing the American dream, there are endless possibilities. The beautiful thing about the American Dream is that it is different for every single person. One person’s dream may be to be an NFL superstar, making ten million dollars a year. Conversely, someone else’s dream can be making minimum wage just to ensure their family can eat. This alone is what makes America the greatest country in the world. Everyone can have a different dream, but they have every possibility to achieve it. Although, it is not a guarantee the person will achieve their dream, it is a guarantee they will have no unfair regulations stopping them. A neighbor of mine at home has a very sad story that led to his pursuit of the American dream. He was one of the highest regarded Medical Doctors in Egypt. He was making great money, and his family was very happy. Then his life was turned upside down when a family member of his was killed because of his religion. He was Christian, and some radical Egyptians hate Christians, so he had to move to America to keep his family safe. His story relates to a quote on page four, “The idea of the American dream has been attached to everything from religious freedom to a home in the suburbs” (Hochschild). Unfortunately his story does not end like the Hollywood motion pictures, but he is completely happy with his current life. He now lives in a two room apartment with his wife, and two daughters and he is working as a cab driver, and...
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...“America! From the other end of the earth where I came, America was a land of living hope, woven of dreams, aflame with longing and desire” (Yezierska 16). This quote centers on America’s promise to provide everyone with access to the American Dream. The American Dream is the thoughts, aspirations, visions and hopes associated with one’s future in America, specifically one’s goals, ambitions, and intents. In recent times, the dynamics of the American Dream has changed, and this shift has raised questions as to whether America is keeping its promise pertaining to the American Dream. While many Americans assert that because they have been able to achieve their goals America still provides access to the American Dream, others insist they have no way to achieve their American Dream because the...
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...American Dream The term “American Dream” is used in a number of ways, but essentially the American Dream is an idea which suggests that all people can succeed through hard work, and that all people have the potential to live happy, successful lives. Many people have expanded upon or refined the definition of the American Dream, and this concept has also been subject to a fair amount of criticism. Many people believe that the structure of American society belies the idealistic goal of the American Dream, pointing to examples of inequality rooted in class, race, and ethnic origin which suggest that the American Dream is not attainable for all. The idea of an American Dream is older than the United States, dating back to the 1600s, when people began to come up with all sorts of hopes and aspirations for the new and largely unexplored continent. Many of these dreams focused on owning land and establishing prosperous businesses which would theoretically generate happiness, and some people also incorporated ideals of religious freedom into their American Dreams. During the Great Depression, several people wrote about an American Dream, codifying the concept and entrenching it in American society. For people who believe in the American dream, anything is attainable through hard work. The concept plays on the idea that American is a classless society, although it is obviously not, as any honest examination of the United States will reveal. The idealistic vision of the American Dream...
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... Surrounded by shadows we deny all that’s true until there is justice we will never have peace.(Line 12) Living under Dictatorships I search for you and I cannot find you. Your body tortured is nowhere to be found. (Line 16) If one’s dream is everybody’s dream to break the chains and begin our journey Let’s be confident Let’s go ahead, my race, Let’s preserve time for those to come.(Line 24) You’ve been abducted, America Your mouth has been gagged and today it’s our turn to bring you freedom. I’m calling you America our future awaits us and before it dies on us we will find you.(Line 33) I’m searching for you America. I’m calling you America Oh, Oh Fighting for our race and our freedom And we will find you among the darkness, You’ve been vanished by those who’re afraid of your truth. While we search for the truth Searching for our America Mama and papa’s dream And it’s our turn today to set you free. (Line 43)“Looking for America” 2013. Ruben Blades website. June 19, 2013, 05:05 http://www.rubenblades.com/lyrics/?currentPage=5. When listening to the lyrics of this song it reminds me of people like my mother and father who to me relate more to the familiar version of “The American Dream”. I grew up in Puerto Rico and have seen the struggles of my family to give us enrichment in life, within our home and education. For my family it has been easier to convert to the norms and values of the United States, but for others I have seen...
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...Welcome, Mrs. Foreman and fellow students. Thanks you for coming here today. One of the biggest problems in our community today is the fact that nobody can live up to the American dream. James Adams said, “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. The American Dream was ruined for many when the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929. The stock market crash was a great decline in the U.S stock market. All the men and women that invested their money into the stock system lost it all. After the crash many people were in dire need of money. The stock market crash was a major contributor to the great depression. The great depression was the biggest economic drop the u.s has ever seen. Another time the American dream was ruined was the “housing bubble” of the 2000’s. This was a run up of housing prices. In the current day the economy is better than is was, but still has some major flaws....
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...The American Dream is the idea that each and every single individual has an equal opportunity to achieve success through determination and hard work. America has long been seen as a place where anyone, despite his or her circumstances, can thrive in society as long as he or she puts in enough hard work. However, some now argue that equality is diminishing and being replaced by inequality. In “American Dream? Or Mirage?”, by Michael Kraus, Shai Davidai, and A. David Nussbaum, and “It’s Now the Canadian Dream”, by Nicholas Kristof, the authors discuss the concept of the American dream in very different ways. The authors of “American Dream? Or mirage?” explain and analyze why most Americans are unconcerned with the economic inequality in the...
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...The American dream started as three main ideas; admiration, optimism, and independence. After the great war the American dream changed into something more. While these trades maybe the American dream they aren’t every American dream. In the 1920s the American dream started to take shape. The first thing people were looking for admiration for America as a new Eden. Citizens wanted respect for America, her people, and her land. The next part of what they wanted was optimism, because of our ever-expanding and abundance many people excel at this.Lastly independence, people wanted the choice to make their own choices. 1929 the great depression so we came to attacked can dream after the crash of the stock market. People of the rights as Americans...
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...Does the American dream still exist? Well the phrase” American dream” was invented during the great depression. It comes from a popular 1931 book by the historian James Trus Low Adam, who defined it as “That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone. (Leonhard .1) They have constructed a date set that shows the percentage of American Children who earn more money- and less money- than their parents earned at the same age. About 92 percent of 1940 babies had higher pretax inflation- adjusted house hold earnings at age 30 than their parents had at the same age. The few 1940 children who earned less than their parents were also, for the most part, doing just fine living. Inspired by a new book, “Chasing the American Dream”, the American dream approximately costs 130,000 annually, meaning the dream is only within the reach for about 1 in 8 American families. The American dream still exists, yet not everyone can achieve it. immigrants and first generations might be couple of steps behind....
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...moment in your life that you cannot handle things anymore? Feeling powerless and you want to give up everything you have done so far? In the films The Pursuit of Happyness and Hustle & Flow it is noticeable a very important ideology that a lot of people have at some point in their lives, this is The American Dream. It is also significant to talk about the Mise en scene, the costumes and the angle of the camera in both films. In the film The Pursuit of Happyness shows how hard it is to be a single father with minimum resources to survive and all the struggles that he passes through to create a better life for him and for his son. Christopher is a black man and he does not have a lot of money, looking for ways to get money with different ideas but things did not get any better when he was kicked out of his apartment where Christopher and his son were living because he could not pay it anymore. Things kind of looked better when Christopher got an internship in an important brokerage firm but sadly that position does not pay him until he gets hired for a full-time position in the company and earn much more money than he thought he would have. The ideology in this film of The American Dream is very clear, it began with the fact that Christopher might be considered a failure dad to a lot of people at the beginning of the film because he does not have any properties, luxury things or anything for his own use, no job and problems with his partner. Christopher is a very good example of...
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...The American Dream will never truly have a solid definition; it is ever evolving, molding into a new meaning as society develops and changes. It is like a fire; ever turning in one way or another; impossible to grasp, but yet never changing its basic identity. Throughout its history, the United States has endured many trials and obstacles. These trials have changed the way American citizens view the Dream’s preliminary ideals. Regardless of its history and the people involved in its development, America’s dream will always be—at the very least— loosely based on the principles upon which it was founded—those of life, liberty, and the endless pursuit of happiness. When the United States was initially founded in the late 1700’s, it was viewed as a pioneering wilderness; an escape where a person was free to believe what he or she wanted without opposition. Indeed, a home where people could start a new life, free from the pressures of religion and the government they bore in the lands they came from. Over time, others began to hear of this great new land and they too sought after this dream of freedom. These people saw America as a beacon which gave them hope of a new life. The interpretation of the American Dream has evolved over time. Conflicts have arisen, injustice has spread, and many have been martyrs as a result of the Dream that they believed in. For instance, in the 1800s, it was the white Southern man’s Dream to own slaves and property. The black man, however, had a very...
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...When one hears about America he automatically thinks of the American dream. The glorious American dream is described as, “The ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work…” (1) This is the lifestyle where one can lay at night and think, wow, I have a productive and successful life. This person can rest assured that tomorrow will be a good day because he is living in such a successful and goal oriented country. A nation whose focus is to constantly develop and create a better country. Americans work hard in order to ultimately live the American Dream, therefore we value progress, technological developments, and academic excellence. In the past, these values made us rise over the rest and we believe...
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