...Throughout the years the American dream has changed. America has changed undeniably and the American dream has changed along with it. The American Dream used to be simple and transparent something everyone could afford it was simply living well. Through the years the American Dream has changed even though it’s similar it isn't the same because it's something only 1% of the American can achieve now. The American Dream is more materialistic. Now what caused the American Dream to change? In the past things were different, the American dream was much simpler; to own a house and be with your family. During World War II when men went to war they dreamt about coming home to the American dream when they got back the dream would be, homes filled with...
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...Fariha Haque Block 5 LA LIT 3 Ms. Gladstone The American Reality The American Dream, a repetitious theme found in literary works dating as far back as the 1600s, was a common misconception. People have held on to these ideals that manipulate and deceive rather than open limitless possibilities. The American Dream prompted people to believe that America was a country that expressed liberty and freedom. The American Dream originated from the Declaration of Independence in which it claimed that “all mean are created equal.”(Academia) and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." (Academia) While embedded into America’s charter, the American Dream makes the country seem more attractive to foreign lands. However, there were many perspectives on how people perceived the “optimal style of living.” Some believed everyone strived to be rich and were able to live in coexistence. These perspectives were further broken in down in “The Death of a Salesman.” Immigrants entered through the gates of Ellis Island throwing away their home country’s established social hierarchies and caste systems. With high hopes, they created schemas of the elite population versus the poor population. Though, through passing generations, they are only met with disappointment. They cling onto the possibility that life will become normal again and remain in a constant cycle of false hope. These multiple realities have...
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...A dream is an idea or vision that is created in your imagination and that is not real. If a dream is just a figment of the imagination then there is no way that an American’s dream for ones’s life can be surreal, right? Nowadays, being a stay at home parent is a phantom of the mind, money is peoples’ happiness, and unemployment is becoming more and more prevalent. Dreaming about the way one wants their life to be one day is simply just a dream. At sometime in a person’s life everyone dreams of being a stay at home parent: taking care of the kids, having the house cleaned, and dinner cooked on the table when their significant other gets home from a long day at work. Being a stay at home parent is not as common as it use to be. If an American...
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...Sydney Bourdon Prof. Savage ENGL-250-021 12 April 2024 The American Dream In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, is a true crime novel that tells the true story of the brutal murder of the Clutter family in Kansas and the subsequent investigation and even the capture of the killers. Not only does the book connect to a variety of themes, but it also tells a story of the way things occurred at that time. The harrowing account of the Clutter family murders in 1959 in Kansas serves as a stark reflection of the dark underbelly of the American Dream during the 1950s. As the nation basked in post-war prosperity and suburban idealism, the brutal slaying of the seemingly idyllic Clutter family shattered the illusion of safety and security in small-town America....
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...American Dream Changing to Wealthiness Ever since I was a little girl I imagined that I would be someone big in the world because I was taught that I can be anyone I want if I work hard enough, I didn’t know then but I was thinking about the American Dream. While I was growing up that dream just kept disappearing because I was learning of all the different social classes, and how hard I would have to work. The American Dream is an idea that if people work hard enough they will be successful and everyone has an equal opportunity to do what they want. In the beginning, when the American Dream was first introduced by James Truslow Adams in the 1930’s it was about values and opportunity. From the 1930’s until now, it has changed from the values...
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...Savard English 101 1 April 2015 The American Dream In 1931, James Truslow Adams published a book titled "The Epic of America". He states that the American dream is a "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." Throughout the years since publication, the American dream was something many families were able to achieve, that is until, perhaps, starting around 2008 when the "Great Recession" hit. Many Americans lost their jobs due to the country's fourth-largest investment bank going bankrupt. There was a job shortage, many Americans were laid-off, income was falling, and poverty was rising. Seven years have passed and slowly America has been recovering, but has it recovered enough for the American dream to be alive? For the average American the dream is perhaps a owning a house, car, children, a stay at home parent, medical insurance, vacations, and savings for retirement along with savings for college tuition. In today's society, the American dream is unobtainable because a stay at home parent is rare, bills are a struggle to pay for, vacations are rarely taken, most are not able to save for retirement because of debt, and many college students have to work while in school to pay off their college tuition. The American dream is in fact alive, but out of reach for the average American. In the article "7 facts that show the American Dream is Dead", Eskow states, "There was a...
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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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...Because it does not terminate, the dream often undergoes alterations, changing from its original depiction to the depiction the people of a certain time period interpreting it want it to be. Dreams are unlimitedly malleable, and can be bent, twisted, and shaped in any which way the interpreter so chooses it to be; the American Dream is no exception to this, which is why when examining the dream, it is crucial to also examine a time period to coincide with the research due to the dynamic nature of...
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...a period of time after the second world war, she addressed many topics and problems that the Americans and especially African American people were facing in their lives. One of the major concept that she brought to her play is the concept of home and what it meant and symbolized to African Americans back in those times. The play gave the readers an idea of how the concept of home was essential to African Americans. When the movie came out, it complement the idea by providing visual images to the audience which helped them better understand. To them, home wasn’t just a place that they can live in, it represented equality that they achieved by overcome racial...
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...Critique: “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” Although the idea of the “American Dream” may be outdated to some,Brandon King’s The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold effectively represents and explains the truth behind the american dream, and why people feel that way. Many liberals believe that the dream is dead because the income gap known as “income inequality” but despite the fact that liberals have that belief, income inequality actually helps people acquire the “American Dream”. Income inequality acts as a motivation for the less fortunate, or even a wake up call. So this gap is what help humans gain this area of success in life known as “The American Dream”. The “American Dream” is more than just making money or having a job, it...
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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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...standing and wealth, are said synonymously with the phrase "The American Dream". It seems that it takes money to be happy and economic stature to be accepted; however, many people who fall into this trap out of ignorance will never achieve "The American Dream" they strive towards. The cliché, "In America, you can be whatever you want," always brings a smirk to my face. I am not a cynical person, but this just isn't true. If I decided I wanted to be the star of the next Academy Award winning hit, no matter how much I "want" it, it is not guaranteed to happen. In defense, many people will argue that one shouldn't take the remark so literally, that it just means that the avenue's and highways to success exist, it is the person's choice weather they take them or not; unfortunately, that is not the case. In the Great Gatsby Nick Carroway explains his love as, “…it was full of money-that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbal’s song of it…”(127) Hundred's of people start off with the Idea of becoming someone, and as their life progresses, they must completely adapt to a change of pace and ideas. How many people have gone out, and achieved the correct degrees, met the right people, been hired at the perfect job-only to be let go for a reason they could not have controlled. This is the Idea that I discussed on the first day of class. The idea of the Mesa being like the American dream, “You climb and climb, only to reach a plateau, that you...
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...Dreams have value and purpose, but are both changing and changeless. The play, “A Raisin in the Sun”, is about attaining the American dream. Each member of the Younger family has his or her separate individual dream. The American dream for each of the characters has become a way out of their despair and poverty. Each character struggles to attain their dream. Walter, the central character, is both the antagonist and the protagonist. He is a victim of circumstance and is his own worse enemy. He wants money to be able to buy things for his family. Yet his get rich quick schemes only cause him heartache and lower his self-esteem. Mama, Lena, is head of the household, although she allows Walter in the end to control the money. She dreams of a family home - a house of her own. The potted plant that Mama nurtures symbolizes her care and love for her family. The plant also symbolizes her dream of having a garden. Mama quietly goes about attaining her dream by taking the money and making a down payment on a house. Beneatha, Walter’s sister, wants to become a doctor. She embraces her African heritage and learns that her goals to become a doctor might follow a non-traditional path. Ruth, Walter’s wife, just wants a better life for her family. To get out of the slums and have a “real” home is her ultimate goal. She has become mechanical in her approach to life. She has no spark in her day. The Youngers struggle throughout the play to attain their dreams. Their day-to-day life is directly...
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...The American Dream The phenomenon of the American Dream is the substance of almost all American icons, and actually achieving the American Dream is the ideal aspiration of not only Americans but immigrants as well. Some people would argue that the American Dream actually really consists only of being able to buy and own a home, but to me it is so much more! The American Dream named, because it seemingly exists only here in America, for very ambitious people to be a distinguished success through their own hard work and determination. People constantly try to achieve their own dreams. Some people, already here in America, chase their dream by wanting to be a bigger success than their parents. The others who have immigrated to this country chase their very own dream, by giving up all they had just to come and have the opportunity to succeed. The American Dream is something that is mainly achieved with hard work and determination. First of all, you cannot have a dream without working hard at it; this definitely applies to the American Dream. Whether you are just looking for a job or working a job hard work is something that you need, without it achieving your dream becomes a lot more difficult. Hard work will also lead to more promotions and more successes a lot quicker; these tend to be apart of the average American Dream. The other big reason hard work is needed is if you do not exude a hard working attitude a lot of opportunities will pass you by. With missed opportunities...
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...“Pink Houses” and the American Dream What is the American Dream? Is the American Dream to go from having nothing to building an empire? Could the American Dream be to live a simple life? To some people the American Dream could be to simply live in a country where they have freedoms unlike those in many other countries. John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” is his interpretation of the American Dream. The vast majority of people have different interpretations of the American Dream. Mellencamp’s song “Pink Houses,” includes lyrics such as “Cause they told me when I was younger said boy, you’re gonna be president.” ("JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP LYRICS") This verse represents an American parent expressing a high expectation for their son to achieve in life. Some people think that to achieve the American Dream, one must reach for the stars; such as, striking it rich or owning a multi-billion dollar corporation. Other people however, think in a more modest way such as in the verse “There’s a black man with a black cat livin’ in a black neighborhood, he’s got an interstate runnin’ through his front yard you know he thinks he’s got it so good.” ("JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP LYRICS") This lyric references the mindset that as long as people are living free and happy, it does not matter how much they have but rather what they have. History shows that the American Dream originally held different meanings than it does today. Yesterday the American Dream meant that by living in America, a man could...
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