American Dream

The American Dream is something that prevails within us despite the inevitable rises and falls of the economy, it is a triumphant hope for progress and prosperity. Brandon King asserts in his essay “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” that the American Dream is “more alive and important than ever” (573) but that its survival is dependent on the imperative support of large businesses and financial institutions to attain economic stability (575-579). I certainly agree with King that the Dream is very much alive, but our ideas about its continuity are in opposition. The resilience of the American Dream is not determined by the headway of big business. The Dream is, above all, reliant on the equality and unity of us, the American people. A statement of King’s that I can really get behind is that the American Dream is based “on perception, on the way someone imagines how to be successful” (575). We all have differing definition of what constitutes success and happiness and prosperity. I feel, as I believe King does also, that our ideas about success shift over time, thus allowing the American Dream to evolve to match our ever changing world. The American Dream is a vision of a country that works for its diverse population.
When it comes to politicians and economists, the state of the American Dream seems to constantly be mired in talk of money. The American Dream is not about making more money than your parents. Financial assets may certainly help to paint the overall picture of freedom, but it does not define the American Dream. Our faith in government or economy may decline, while at the same time our faith in our country and ourselves continues to thrive. The American Dream is not about corporations and what is happening currently in the stock market or housing market or the economy in general, it is so much broader and deeper. It is about being unified and having the everlasting hope that we can make it. Through the inevitable ups and downs and