American Dream Vs Reality Research Paper

11.4 - Making Connections

Is the American Dream a reality for people in the US today? Why or why not? Use examples from your research and class discussion as evidence. In all honesty, I believe that the “American Dream” is just an illusion, especially in today’s society. When our ancestors immigrated to the United States, most of the thoughts in their heads were religious freedom, safety, and the American Dream. Now, I do believe that the American Dream was alive and well back then. However, in the 21st Century, the American Dream is nothing more than a glorified, metaphorical symbol of American nationalism. The dare to dream is what fuels this country, yet with all of the negativity that is gaining more and more power in the country,
Reality debate circles around the supposed American Dream. In all honesty, I believe that the “American Dream” is just an illusion, especially in today’s society. When our ancestors immigrated to the United States, most of the thoughts in their heads were religious freedom, safety, and the American Dream. Now, I do believe that the American Dream was alive and well back then. However, in the 21st Century, the American Dream is nothing more than a glorified, metaphorical symbol of American nationalism. The dare to dream is what fuels this country, yet with all of the negativity that is gaining more and more power in the country, the idealism and optimism for the future that used to fuel the nation previously is lost in the shuffle. There is a gap between the ideals of American and the realities of America, however, this gap is still wide enough that it can support a bridge between the two, often causing an unrealistic expectation in the comparison and parallels between the two, resulting in the stigmatisation and alienation of those trying to find a happy medium to balance themselves in an ever changing society. As common Americans, we believe that our leaders should work to make these ideals a reality for America, however, we often set our expectations too high and are continually let down. This feeling of being let down by our government is shared between almost every American and within this, can derive a paradox that causes many Americans to believe that our American ideals are the realities of American, such as the American Dream, and also that our American realities are the ideals, or even hoaxes, of America that creates a bubble of a false sense of security that ultimately deteriorates society and the trust and hope that American’s begin to lack within their governmental system that continually fails