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The American Dream

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The American Dream
“The Pursuit of Happiness” Throughout history, people have emigrated from their home countries to another in search of a better life for themselves and their families. In today’s world, it is common to see people immigrate to the United States of America in search of the popular term “The American Dream”, which purely consists of equality, freedom, and opportunities that were not available in their homeland. Today, The American Dream is still a reality and is still possible to achieve through pure dedication and perseverance. Some more than others, have the drive to lead themselves into successful lives and achieve their personal dreams. The American Dream is very achievable even with today’s standards of upper class living even though some may say otherwise, perhaps mainly due to economic reasons. The phrase “The American Dream” has many definitions, but the most construed may be “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. Thomas Wolfe says, “…to every man, regardless of his birth, his shining golden opportunity…the right to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him” (Wolfe 18). Wolfe explains that every man no matter what ethnicity or where they are from, has the right to fulfill his dreams and shouldn’t let anything stand in his or her way. If you immigrate to America destitute, you still have the chance to turn your life around through perseverance. As the quote says, everyone has the opportunity to achieve The American Dream but dedication is a key factor. A prime example of fulfilling The American Dream would be the story of Philip Maung. Maung and his family emigrated from their home country of Burma to the United States with nothing but $13 in his pocket and the dream to provide for his family and start a new life. With a simplistic and very achievable goal in his sight, Maung started his own sushi company named Hissho Sushi. With hard work, Maung fulfilled his dream


Cited: Warshauer, Matthew. "The American Dream Still Exists." Is the American Dream a Myth? Ed. Kate Burns. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. At Issue. Rpt. from "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Changing Conceptions of the American Dream."American Studies Today Online. 2003. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 12 May 2013. "The American Dream." Students. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 12 May 2013. “ Living the American Dream: Hissho Sushi CEO named Entrepreneur of the Year” dBusiness News July 7, 2009 http://charlotte.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php? newsid=186327& type_news=latest. Web. 12 May 2013 Andrew Moravcsik "Dream On America," Newsweek International, 2006. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6857387/site/newsweek. William Rivers Pitt "The Other American Dream," Truthout, September 1, 2002. www.truthout.org/docs_02/09.01A.wrp.am.drm.htm.

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