American Dream Paper
Chloe Tracy
College Composition I
Professor Chezik
4 December 2013
If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”- This phrase is well known from the United States’ Declaration of Independence that roots within the American Dream. The American Dream has powered the hopes and aspirations of Americans for generations. It began as a plain but revolutionary notion: each individual has the right to pursue happiness and the freedom to strive for a better life through hard work and dedication. Yet, as time passes and the world revolves, the perception of this dream for Americans has changed. So what exactly is the American Dream? How do we define it? These questions are still active at the dinner table, and amongst friends, and entrepreneurs who wonder and hope for their own life’s successes. Well for me, my definition of the American Dream is for people to live happily within their passions, make enough money to support themselves and family, have or possess complete education, and live peacefully in their own home. The American Dream that I perceive in my eyes is attainable with hard work and our social mobility. With optimism, it can change people’s perceptions of achieving their goals. With that being said, the American Dream is still alive. The mindset instilled in many Americans’ brains says, “If you work hard, you cannot fail.” In this case, it is true that if you put in the effort you will be successful. There are still people in this world that believe that the American Dream is still intact. In a 2009 New York Times survey that author Brandon King states is that 72 % of Americans still believed it was possible to start poor, work hard, and become rich in America (King 573). And even in today’s world, there are plenty of people that started with nothing but resulted with true greatness, like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, and other thriving Americans. Success stories like these can inspire others
College Composition I
Professor Chezik
4 December 2013
If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”- This phrase is well known from the United States’ Declaration of Independence that roots within the American Dream. The American Dream has powered the hopes and aspirations of Americans for generations. It began as a plain but revolutionary notion: each individual has the right to pursue happiness and the freedom to strive for a better life through hard work and dedication. Yet, as time passes and the world revolves, the perception of this dream for Americans has changed. So what exactly is the American Dream? How do we define it? These questions are still active at the dinner table, and amongst friends, and entrepreneurs who wonder and hope for their own life’s successes. Well for me, my definition of the American Dream is for people to live happily within their passions, make enough money to support themselves and family, have or possess complete education, and live peacefully in their own home. The American Dream that I perceive in my eyes is attainable with hard work and our social mobility. With optimism, it can change people’s perceptions of achieving their goals. With that being said, the American Dream is still alive. The mindset instilled in many Americans’ brains says, “If you work hard, you cannot fail.” In this case, it is true that if you put in the effort you will be successful. There are still people in this world that believe that the American Dream is still intact. In a 2009 New York Times survey that author Brandon King states is that 72 % of Americans still believed it was possible to start poor, work hard, and become rich in America (King 573). And even in today’s world, there are plenty of people that started with nothing but resulted with true greatness, like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, and other thriving Americans. Success stories like these can inspire others