Dr. Catherine Milton
ENG 101, Composition 23rd April
The Changing American Dreams When people think of the Amercian dream , they think of one having a stress free and happy life, an excellent education and a successful career. Many people migrate from their native country to America in search of the American dream. Dreams of freedom, equality, and the opportunity to achieve their personal goals in life; for instance, better education, job opportunity, buying a house and living the quality of life which they couldn’t achieve back in their home country. The American dream is something that changes a person’s dream into reality, depending on their perseverance and luck. However, compared to the last few decades the American dream has been drastically changed. It is no longer what it used to be. For many, the American dreams that many people held when they were young has disappeared. People who used to believe that they could achieve anything they wanted if they put hard effort into their work, are now feeling that those things are not much true anymore. The country's economy, standards of living and employment rates have dropped tremendously. The new economy is changing the society. It seems harder for middle class people to live their American dream; a dream of pursuit of happiness and opportunity that drives them to push their own limits and perseverance. Today the United States of America, the place where we live and the place where millions of people hope to achieve their dreams has suffered from the recession. Before the current recession, the employment rate was consistent but after the current recession the unemployment rate has increased drastically. Thousands of people were laid off from their jobs, which made their life living a hell. According to Bob Herbert in his essay “Hiding from Reality” he states, “In June 2009, foreign born workers in the United States gained 656,000 jobs while native born workers lost 1.2