...Dream Big America White picket fences and a comfortable savings account are a couple things that people often associate with the American dream. Most people believe that this idea is becoming less achievable as time goes on. It also goes back to how a person defines the American dream, is it the rags to riches story that most people only hear about, or does it go deeper than that. Now I believe the American dream is about securing a life that is content and debt free. Having a life where one doesn’t have to be burdened by bills and living paycheck to paycheck. In the essay, “ Is the American Dream Over?” by Cal Thomas, he blatantly puts blame on the government for diminishing views of the American dream. Thomas says, “ The creation of government that is out of control, and thus out of touch robs every citizen, preventing fulfillment of the original American dream(569).” He thinks that society has put too much faith in the government. Even though it seems as if the American dream no longer exists working hard towards your goals make it very attainable. Thomas then refers to Bob Herbert’s composition, “ Hiding from Reality,” disagreeing with him that the American dream is alive and one should not put too much dependence in the government. A person needs to take initiative of his or her own lives and put in the necessary work to make it happen. I agree with Thomas, the American dream is very much a reality the necessary steps to achieve this dream is a good education, respectable...
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...The Modern American Dream The American Dream is a belief that if you worked really hard, you will achieve your goals. It worked that way because back then there wasn’t a lot of advanced technology that made everything easier for people. The American Dream still exist today, but everything needs money now. You have to be wealthy to achieve the American Dream. If you want to go to college, you need to take the SAT and do other curriculum, which needs money to take the test and the class. It’s a lot harder now because there’s a lot of corporate companies now. You can’t start your own company without being sued or bought by another company. Those corporation have a lot of money to do almost anything they want. The reason why they exist because they came up of the idea first. Back then, it was a very different time and nobody thought that everybody will have a computer in their homes and it was easy to access to one now. The real American Dream would have worked back then, but it is different now. The American Dream is not dead, it’s doesn’t apply to everyone nowadays. If you have an idea, you need money to start it. You can ask your friends and family to fund your project, but it won’t be enough. Today, you...
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...Dream Jobs Past or Present Executive Producer TAGLINE: Have you ever dreamed of doing something different? If you could work anywhere you wanted where would it be? Dream Jobs is a competition type Reality TV show that can provide anyone with a chance to live out their dream job for two weeks. PITCH: What would happen if you had the chance to trade your job with someone else for two weeks? Whether it is your dream job that never happened or you just want to try out something new. ABOUT THE SHOW: Perhaps there is something you always wanted to do but never got the chance to do it. Maybe your life took you in a different direction, you studied something different in college or maybe you didn’t get to go to college at all. Anyone of these things could have kept you from pursuing your dream job. Perhaps you already have a career but you want to explore something new or maybe you are just entering college and are unsure of what you want to study. Dream Jobs could be just the thing you need to push you in the right direction. How lucky would you be to be able to “try out” for a job before deciding that is really what you want to do? Dream Jobs will...
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...to a dream deferred? In the poem written by Langston Hughes detects what could happen to dreams that are not pursued or maybe even dreams that don’t come true. In the play A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry which also discuss dreams and how they can change throughout time. Both Langston Hughes and Lorraine Hansberry write about the effect of dreams and pursuing happiness. Neither of the two directly spells out racism but by reading the two together they are talking about the dreams of African Americans and how their dreams are harder to achieve and sometimes they just shrivel up like a raisin in the sun or maybe it just sags like a heavy load Hughes writes. The realities of dreams during this era in time for African Americans were slim. In Hansberry’s play we know that blacks are not equal to the whites. The main theme in both pieces of work is about the dreams and ambitions that everyone possesses and to be able to overcome society’s views and live a life that you want for yourself, regardless of what anyone else says or does. Broken dreams can be extremely hard for anyone but more so if you are already expected to fail. A Raisin in the Sun becomes about dreams as the main characters try to overcome obstacles in their own lives to achieve their dreams. The title of the play is perfect because of all the dreams and failures that are mixed throughout the play will the Youngers dreams shrivel up “like a raisin in the sun.” The American dream is thought...
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...and his intentions. In one of the occasions in which Nick learns a little more about Gatsby’s past, it is explained: “His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people — his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all. The truth was that Jay Gatsby... sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God...and he must be about His Father's business...So he invented...Jay Gatsby...to this conception he was faithful to the end” (98). Ever since Gatsby was young, he had big plans for his future. Through hard fervent desire and dedication to become the mogul he believed he deserved to be, he was eventually able to distance himself from his parents, the “unsuccessful farm people.” To achieve this dream, he had to become a successful magnate. The religious references intend to illustrate Gatsby’s similar ambitions to that of Jesus Christ who knew he had great things in store for him. Human beings tend to have goals that, in life, fluctuate based on the situation. However, some people have dreams that they hold onto for most of their lives and are “faithful to the end.” Gatsby created a concept for what he wanted to be at a young age and would not let go of his dream. Although it seems as though Gatsby is trying to remain...
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...linoleum corridor. Turns out that this guy's been taking drugs illegally, so the medics who come to treat him write him up and send him into voluntary therapy. A guy called Mannie takes the blame for George's (that's the guy) drug use, and keeps him out of even worse trouble. Then he talks about people suffering from diseases because they aren't getting enough food. Chapter 2 Now we're in Dr. William Haber's office. Haber's staring at a giant photograph of Mt. Hood. Haber is distracted from the painting when George Orr walks into his office. George is thin, has fair hair and eyes, and seems like the most ordinary guy you could ever meet. Haber is a sleep doctor, and he guesses that George has been trying to stop his dreams. Well, it turns out that's a pretty dangerous thing. Something that could even be deadly. It takes a while, but George finally tells Dr. Haber why he's been avoiding dreaming: his dreams change things. The dreams don't just come true, and they're not just prophetic—they actually change reality. George tells the story of the first time he was sure he changed reality. He was 17, and he had an aunt who kept trying to have sex with him. One night, he had a dream in which she was killed in a car crash, and when he woke up, his aunt was gone. It's not that she left: the past was actually totally different. She was killed in a car crash, so she was...
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...would help families financially. In reality raising the minimum wage would be more of a struggle rather than a gift. The minimum wage has always been a struggle for people. Many people think that raising the minimum wage will solve all of our problems, when in reality it will not. It would only reduce the human motivation. Raising the minimum wage would also eliminate jobs making the economy struggle more. There would not be enough money circulating through the economy. Raising the minimum wage would reduce human motivation, eliminate jobs, raise taxes, and make the economy go into a hyperinflation. Raising minimum wage will reduce human motivation. In a perfect world where everyone comes from a good home, and lives in society, where people are raised to strive for better. In today’s society we do not have the perfect world. We have children being raised up to where they have to find a job at a young age just to help support their family. Children being raised up in a home like this creates a loss of ambition. Imagine, only being a child getting a job at such a young age. The only thing on your mind is being able to support the family with the money that is coming in. Imagine fighting to get the education back that was lost. Imagine not being able to go to school because there is no more time or money to help out yourself. Then the day comes where everything is lost. The loss of ambition. The loss of education. The loss for hope. Now these children only know how to make...
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...stories. Arthur Miller, the most produced American playwright of all time, is no exception. Born in 1915, Miller grew up in Harlem as the son of working class Jewish Immigrants who, like many others, faced financial struggle in pursuit of the “American Dream”. At the age of fourteen, Arthur Miller’s family lost nearly everything due to the recent Wall Street Crash of 1924. Miller experienced some of the same struggles while growing up that the Loman family deals with in his hit play Death of a Salesman. Living on paycheck to paycheck and working odd jobs to save up for college had perhaps motivated much of the material in his plays....
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...Using, guilt, trigger, craving, ritual, repeat. The cycle of addiction lies in the skin of my brother, Aaron. It’s 11:03 pm, and across the hall, I hear the flip of a page of the highlighted, stained textbook in which he is immersed. I find comfort in knowing he persists in his journey to maintain his drive, but I also keep in mind that all machinery rusts after sitting untouched for too long. Watching him struggle and grow motivates me to focus turning my dreams into a reality, those ranging from becoming an entrepreneur to even a mom. Aaron’s road to recovery reminds me of what I want to accomplish in life and the hard work, persistence, and sometimes setbacks that will be a part of my journey. Growing up, Aaron lived with his mother in...
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...American Dream: It is a well-known fact that the term “American Dream” first mentioned by James Trusslow Adams in 1931 (Wright 197) explains the model of an individual’s ideal existence, which is applied exclusively to the US – the country full of freedoms, possibilities, and opportunities. Nowadays the fame about the American dream reached all continents, and more and more people take the concept for granted dreaming about moving to America and spending the rest of their lives in a more favourable environment compared to their own. As many US citizens, they usually ignore the fact that hard work has always served as a background in the given concept (Warschauer) and look forward to gain all amenities of existence at once. Now I would like to express my commitment to the idea of American dream and briefly describe my negative work experience. Some may think of this experience as of something providing a push toward the perspective future, some may not agree. In any case, this is our contemporary reality that forms our perceptions of what we pursue and what we would like to achieve. Some years ago, I spent my summer vacations working as a sales assistant in a large food store that offered a full range of products. I was responsible for the department mostly with fresh and frozen meat. My duties included cutting, chopping, wrapping, and placing labels on the products, each specifying the product type. My uniform was pretty awkward: a green T-shirt and a white overall that probably...
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...so guilty because I know deep down that that person isn’t me I look at how I’ve been living life lately and I haven’t accomplished any of the things that I’ve wanted, all i seem to do these days is work and sleep, the same exact thing every single week I try to be positive and keep it together, but man I am struggling It’s just feels so hard to be happy lately I mean I haven’t uploaded as many videos because I just don’t have the time, and when I do I feel so tired and exhausted cos I’ve been working crazy shifts every night and I worry that soon enough I’ll lose confidence and give up completely settle for something average and become the person I never wanted to be Even as I’m saying this all I keep thinking is god I sound so depressing and soon enough people will get bored and eventually you’ll leave and so I have to force every bit of my energy in to be super enthusiastic and happy when that is so far from the reality The other night I came home from work and I just completely broke down - Just crying by myself alone in my room at 6am but I woke up the next day and carried on living life as if everything was fine in the denial that if I keep repressing these thoughts, somehow it’ll get easier in time It won’t. It’s sad cos all people see is what I show them on the outside, they have no idea about all the hurt and pain I hide how I cried myself to sleep last night or the fact that I’ve been avoiding skyping my best friend, cos I don’t want to show...
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...to be the best year of my life. I had planned out my future to one day reach my dreams. Varsity cheerleading was working its way to the top. I was so excited about all the things I had accomplished. But on August 22, 2013 my life changed forever. As I was diagnosed I realized I would be changing my lifestyle, adapting to all new things. I saw that my future was not going to be easy, at all. But with my family and friends I knew anything was possible. Beginning of senior year I was ready to conquer the world it seemed like. I was ready to go out and fight for all my dreams. I wanted to make them reality. As a varsity cheerleader I was planning on continuing what I love in college. I was planning on continuing on into college to eventually become a veterinarian. But on that day, the day I was diagnosed I realized everything would be put into a different view now. Everything I had planned now came with the question, “but what if…” Cheerleading is my one love and being diagnosed really impacted it for me. My first practice back was the hardest. I lost most of tumbling because my body grew weak. As the practices continue on though, I will work my hardest at all I do. It is my senior year and a dream of mine used to be to go on to cheer in college. As I look at it now though, it seems as if my dreams were taken from me. High school cheerleading is one thing, college is another. As a senior, working my hardest and being a role model is a priority of mine. I will show...
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...that immigrate to different countries. Let’s start with the immigration that I’m most familiar with which is Mexican immigration. I myself find the process very interesting. I was lucky enough be born in the United States, as well as my siblings; my parents however, weren’t as lucky. All, my life I thought that they were born in Mexico and someday my grandfather thought to bring his family to the states and that was it. When I grew older, I started to notice that both my parents had to show the customs agents their green card. I didn’t understand why. I asked my mother why she did that and she said “that’s how I can cross back to the states and we can all go home.” And here I thought all I had to say was “American Citizen”. Years passed and both my parents became naturalized citizens. I started working at my recent job about a year ago and a co-worker was getting married. She told me that she set the date for April but she was going to get married through the court house in November because she wanted to get the immigration paperwork started as soon as possible. She then started to tell me the process, and honestly, it’s exhausting. There are different types of process that you can take while immigrating someone. Some examples are: You can marry a Mexican citizen and put in the paperwork to get the process started and it can take up to a year. You can start the immigration process for a member of your family and that can take up to 15 years, or you can pay...
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...that immigrate to different countries. Let’s start with the immigration that I’m most familiar with which is Mexican immigration. I myself find the process very interesting. I was lucky enough be born in the United States, as well as my siblings; my parents however, weren’t as lucky. All, my life I thought that they were born in Mexico and someday my grandfather thought to bring his family to the states and that was it. When I grew older, I started to notice that both my parents had to show the customs agents their green card. I didn’t understand why. I asked my mother why she did that and she said “that’s how I can cross back to the states and we can all go home.” And here I thought all I had to say was “American Citizen”. Years passed and both my parents became naturalized citizens. I started working at my recent job about a year ago and a co-worker was getting married. She told me that she set the date for April but she was going to get married through the court house in November because she wanted to get the immigration paperwork started as soon as possible. She then started to tell me the process, and honestly, it’s exhausting. There are different types of process that you can take while immigrating someone. Some examples are: You can marry a Mexican citizen and put in the paperwork to get the process started and it can take up to a year. You can start the immigration process for a member of your family and that can take up to 15 years, or you can pay...
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...immigrant who comes to the United States to live the American dream. The author incorporates ethnic aspects with her use of Spanish words sprinkled in amongst the poem. With his “spit shine shoes” (Miranda-Maloney, n.d, line 10) and “brillantina-slick back hair” (Miranda-Maloney, n.d., line 11), a picture is painted of a young man’s pride in himself as he begins the journey of a lifetime. This is a young man ready for his new life in America. The tone quickly changes, however, as he probably soon realizes that the dream is not what he had in mind. In San Eli, where he “lived on thank yous and maybes” (Miranda-Maloney, n.d., line 23), the reader gets the sense that the man was taken advantage of and worked hard for little compensation. The most powerful lines in the poem are “kissed your white land, broke my back, sweat a few tears for a piece of the dream” (Miranda-Maloney, n.d., lines 27, 28, 29). The author has incorporated a racial aspect in the poem by showing referring to the white land. This is not his land, this is the “white land”. He is doing back breaking labor for “whites”, probably not what he expected as the young man full of hope chasing the American dream. The author also includes social class aspects in this poem. The poem ends with the man, now here in the United States for fifty years, still smelling the onions on his fingertips. (Miranda-Maloney, n.d.) This leads me to believe the man is still working in the onion fields fifty years after arriving in the United...
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