The American Dream
America: The Land of Opportunity People from all around the world consider America to be the home of endless opportunity; vast amount of career openings, ability for anyone to receive higher education, and quality healthcare, and freedoms not many other countries share. People from across the nation have proven through their own experiences that the American Dream can be achieved. The American Dream is reaching what we dreamed of accomplishing our entire life and more. It is having an enormous dream house, having the newest car, having a huge, happy family, and having the career we have dreamed of since we were a kid. Barack Obama, for example, is America’s first African American president, and Sonia Maria Sotomayor, is America’s first
…show more content…
Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. Although it involves a long struggle for most people, it can be achieved because of the possibilities brought by today’s newly established racial and gender equality, along with a person’s ability to overcome poverty, determination, and free will. Since America’s beginnings, racial and gender equality had played a large part in America’s culture and lifestyle. People of races other than white were looked down upon during America’s first years as a country, as well as at a more recent time during the 1960s. Different races were segregated into different schools, different sections in restaurants, and even on different seats on buses. It seemed almost impossible for anyone to accomplish the things they wanted to when there was so many rules and regulations holding them back. However, times have changed since then, and the opportunity is more readily available for anyone than ever before. A perfect example of this is our nation’s own president, Barack Obama. He is half African-American and half white, yet he still made a huge impact on our society today by taking the most important position out country as President of the United States. In his Key Note Address from the 2004 Democratic National Convention, he states that he himself believes “we hold the truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” and that there is no such thing as “a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.” In other words, our country should not be separated by race or ethnicity; it is called the United States for a reason, that reason being that in order for our nation to move forward, we must be united. Seems a little far-fetched? Thinking that becoming President is way out of reach? How about a success story from a person no different from anyone else? Wayne Ward Ford knew what he wanted to accomplish ever since he was a child. Despite his trouble-maker ways—drugs, robbing, and breaking into apartments—Ford knew he wanted to be active in politics (Rather). Even though life did not seem to be taking a turn for the good, things changed when he accepted a football scholarship to a nearly all-white college in Minnesota. It seemed that things would be better, and he would finally be back on track. However, just as things were improving, “racism threatened to throw him off course.” Despite this, Ford did not let this obstacle bring him down and chose to turn his anger to activism and founded the school’s black student union (Rather). Where is Ford now? Today, he is living the American Dream. Being the only black member of the Iowa State Legislature and founder of his own community program for at-risk youth, he certainly has made a stand for not only African-Americans but for people of any race as well. He is one of the many that has proven to anyone who believes they cannot accomplish anything because of their race that there is a chance for them. So if he can, there is no reason why anyone else should not be able to. Furthermore, gender has little or no effect on a person’s chance to reach their American Dream. Women’s rights have greatly improved ever since women were first allowed to vote back in the 1930s. Although women were still not completely equal to men in the eyes of society when this occurred, as time went on, things kept moving forward for women, and more opportunities were becoming available for them. In a Times Magazine article written by Nancy Gibbs called “What Women Want Now,” Gibbs states that “more and more women are the primary breadwinner in their household (almost 40%)” or are providing a significant amount of the income for their families. This is clearly shows how women have become an important part of our society today, and they are capable of accomplishing the same goals men can, including reaching the American Dream. In other words, “it’s no longer a man’s world,” however, it isn’t “a women’s nation” either (Gibbs). It turns out that the same number of both men and women believe the same things, such as bring financially secure, having a fulfilling job, and being self-sufficient, matter in keeping a stable household. Both equally share the responsibilities needed to keep their homes in a good economic state and healthy living environment; this is what living the American Dream is all about. The American Dream is available to anyone, with gender having no importance on whether you achieve it or not. A common battle that many of us face, especially now while our country is in recession, is being able to pay for the elements necessary to acquire the American Dream; sadly, not all of us are millionaires. Despite this fact, plenty of people have managed to beat odds, I happen to know a pair of these certain individuals: my parents. Both of my parents were raised in opposite sides of Reynosa, Tamaulipas in Mexico, in two of the poorest areas in the city. It was not until they were in high school that their parents—my grandparents—decided to move them to the United States. At first, living in a completely different country, with a different culture and lifestyle, was difficult for my parents to adapt to. They were often put down by classmates because of where they came from and what they did not have money for at the time. However, my parents did not let this affect their dedication to education. They were at the top of their graduating class, and were able to attend college and receive the higher education required to access the career fields they desire. They married in 1989 and had the family they always wanted when my sisters and I came along. They now have careers they enjoy; my mom the president of her company, and my dad a manager for HEB. After a few years together, my parents were able to build the dream house they had always wanted, and have lived a secure and stable lifestyles ever since then. They are living proof that the American Dream is accessible to anyone to strive for it. There is also help for those who are not able to do it on their own. There are plenty of programs and funds that are formed to assist people struggling to pay for the fundamental items needed to gain access to the American Dream. Programs such as TAP (Total Action Against Poverty), set out to “help low-income people buy homes, build businesses and invest in education” (Polantz). There are also plenty of financial aid programs and scholarships to help students acquire the key funds to attend the college of their choice. As long as someone is willing to ask for help, there will always be someone ready to provide them with assistance, making the American Dream even more possible to access. As mentioned before, appearance and social class have absolutely no effect on whether the American Dream is accomplished or not.
What really counts is whether a person can be persistent and determined to accomplish their goals. Nothing worthwhile can be given to someone, it has to be earned. The American Dream is something that takes much determination and hard work to reach. Take Delores Kesler from Jacksonville, Florida, for example, her American Dream seemed to be way far off her current path in 1977. “Divorced and with a small child, she began her career at 22 with a series of dead-end jobs,” barely making enough to keep herself going. It was with a $10,000 loan that helped her fund a temporary staffing agency that helped her get back on her feet. When she retired, her company “had projected revenues of $2 billion” (Rather). She now uses her fortune to help others, and has created the Delores Pass Kesler Foundation, which helps students get a thorough education. All this happened because “she was determined to succeed,” and because she believed she could turn her life around with hard work. Reach the American Dream can be struggle for most, but that is only momentarily, and the end result can be most …show more content…
satisfying. As determination takes a large part of whether you are able to achieve the American Dream, it is a person’s free will and the choices they make that ultimately decides how far he, or she, is able to go.
If someone limits himself and decides to sit back and watch his prospects pass him by because he believes that is where he belongs, there is obviously no way this person will be able to gain anything. In order for someone to prosper, they must be able to make the right decisions that will lead them on the right path to attain whatever their needs may be. Am excellent model of this is Nancy Pham, came from living in “a crowded refugee boat in the choppy seas off warton South Vietnam” to finally living the life she wanted in “suburban Toledo where she’d open her own beauty salon” (McLaughlin). Nancy Pham sacrificed all she had, and risked the safety of herself and her family to give them a better life. It is with this choice that she was able to acquire that second chance at making her dream a reality. The same is possible to those who make the choices that will help them advance and take that extra step to reach that American
Dream. What many of us have failed to realize is that the American Dream is more accessible to us now more than ever before. We fail to see that “the American Dream affords us opportunity and the freedom to seize it.” Because of the beliefs that everyone of us is created equal, and because of the chances given to us to overcome poverty, and because of our positive choices and determination, we have a greater amount of opportunities than our parents and grandparents did. It is with that I say we must not let these chances pas us by in vain for the “Dream remains both a hope and a promise, even as we add it its meaning with each new chapter of our lives” (Rather).
Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. Although it involves a long struggle for most people, it can be achieved because of the possibilities brought by today’s newly established racial and gender equality, along with a person’s ability to overcome poverty, determination, and free will. Since America’s beginnings, racial and gender equality had played a large part in America’s culture and lifestyle. People of races other than white were looked down upon during America’s first years as a country, as well as at a more recent time during the 1960s. Different races were segregated into different schools, different sections in restaurants, and even on different seats on buses. It seemed almost impossible for anyone to accomplish the things they wanted to when there was so many rules and regulations holding them back. However, times have changed since then, and the opportunity is more readily available for anyone than ever before. A perfect example of this is our nation’s own president, Barack Obama. He is half African-American and half white, yet he still made a huge impact on our society today by taking the most important position out country as President of the United States. In his Key Note Address from the 2004 Democratic National Convention, he states that he himself believes “we hold the truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” and that there is no such thing as “a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.” In other words, our country should not be separated by race or ethnicity; it is called the United States for a reason, that reason being that in order for our nation to move forward, we must be united. Seems a little far-fetched? Thinking that becoming President is way out of reach? How about a success story from a person no different from anyone else? Wayne Ward Ford knew what he wanted to accomplish ever since he was a child. Despite his trouble-maker ways—drugs, robbing, and breaking into apartments—Ford knew he wanted to be active in politics (Rather). Even though life did not seem to be taking a turn for the good, things changed when he accepted a football scholarship to a nearly all-white college in Minnesota. It seemed that things would be better, and he would finally be back on track. However, just as things were improving, “racism threatened to throw him off course.” Despite this, Ford did not let this obstacle bring him down and chose to turn his anger to activism and founded the school’s black student union (Rather). Where is Ford now? Today, he is living the American Dream. Being the only black member of the Iowa State Legislature and founder of his own community program for at-risk youth, he certainly has made a stand for not only African-Americans but for people of any race as well. He is one of the many that has proven to anyone who believes they cannot accomplish anything because of their race that there is a chance for them. So if he can, there is no reason why anyone else should not be able to. Furthermore, gender has little or no effect on a person’s chance to reach their American Dream. Women’s rights have greatly improved ever since women were first allowed to vote back in the 1930s. Although women were still not completely equal to men in the eyes of society when this occurred, as time went on, things kept moving forward for women, and more opportunities were becoming available for them. In a Times Magazine article written by Nancy Gibbs called “What Women Want Now,” Gibbs states that “more and more women are the primary breadwinner in their household (almost 40%)” or are providing a significant amount of the income for their families. This is clearly shows how women have become an important part of our society today, and they are capable of accomplishing the same goals men can, including reaching the American Dream. In other words, “it’s no longer a man’s world,” however, it isn’t “a women’s nation” either (Gibbs). It turns out that the same number of both men and women believe the same things, such as bring financially secure, having a fulfilling job, and being self-sufficient, matter in keeping a stable household. Both equally share the responsibilities needed to keep their homes in a good economic state and healthy living environment; this is what living the American Dream is all about. The American Dream is available to anyone, with gender having no importance on whether you achieve it or not. A common battle that many of us face, especially now while our country is in recession, is being able to pay for the elements necessary to acquire the American Dream; sadly, not all of us are millionaires. Despite this fact, plenty of people have managed to beat odds, I happen to know a pair of these certain individuals: my parents. Both of my parents were raised in opposite sides of Reynosa, Tamaulipas in Mexico, in two of the poorest areas in the city. It was not until they were in high school that their parents—my grandparents—decided to move them to the United States. At first, living in a completely different country, with a different culture and lifestyle, was difficult for my parents to adapt to. They were often put down by classmates because of where they came from and what they did not have money for at the time. However, my parents did not let this affect their dedication to education. They were at the top of their graduating class, and were able to attend college and receive the higher education required to access the career fields they desire. They married in 1989 and had the family they always wanted when my sisters and I came along. They now have careers they enjoy; my mom the president of her company, and my dad a manager for HEB. After a few years together, my parents were able to build the dream house they had always wanted, and have lived a secure and stable lifestyles ever since then. They are living proof that the American Dream is accessible to anyone to strive for it. There is also help for those who are not able to do it on their own. There are plenty of programs and funds that are formed to assist people struggling to pay for the fundamental items needed to gain access to the American Dream. Programs such as TAP (Total Action Against Poverty), set out to “help low-income people buy homes, build businesses and invest in education” (Polantz). There are also plenty of financial aid programs and scholarships to help students acquire the key funds to attend the college of their choice. As long as someone is willing to ask for help, there will always be someone ready to provide them with assistance, making the American Dream even more possible to access. As mentioned before, appearance and social class have absolutely no effect on whether the American Dream is accomplished or not.
What really counts is whether a person can be persistent and determined to accomplish their goals. Nothing worthwhile can be given to someone, it has to be earned. The American Dream is something that takes much determination and hard work to reach. Take Delores Kesler from Jacksonville, Florida, for example, her American Dream seemed to be way far off her current path in 1977. “Divorced and with a small child, she began her career at 22 with a series of dead-end jobs,” barely making enough to keep herself going. It was with a $10,000 loan that helped her fund a temporary staffing agency that helped her get back on her feet. When she retired, her company “had projected revenues of $2 billion” (Rather). She now uses her fortune to help others, and has created the Delores Pass Kesler Foundation, which helps students get a thorough education. All this happened because “she was determined to succeed,” and because she believed she could turn her life around with hard work. Reach the American Dream can be struggle for most, but that is only momentarily, and the end result can be most …show more content…
satisfying. As determination takes a large part of whether you are able to achieve the American Dream, it is a person’s free will and the choices they make that ultimately decides how far he, or she, is able to go.
If someone limits himself and decides to sit back and watch his prospects pass him by because he believes that is where he belongs, there is obviously no way this person will be able to gain anything. In order for someone to prosper, they must be able to make the right decisions that will lead them on the right path to attain whatever their needs may be. Am excellent model of this is Nancy Pham, came from living in “a crowded refugee boat in the choppy seas off warton South Vietnam” to finally living the life she wanted in “suburban Toledo where she’d open her own beauty salon” (McLaughlin). Nancy Pham sacrificed all she had, and risked the safety of herself and her family to give them a better life. It is with this choice that she was able to acquire that second chance at making her dream a reality. The same is possible to those who make the choices that will help them advance and take that extra step to reach that American
Dream. What many of us have failed to realize is that the American Dream is more accessible to us now more than ever before. We fail to see that “the American Dream affords us opportunity and the freedom to seize it.” Because of the beliefs that everyone of us is created equal, and because of the chances given to us to overcome poverty, and because of our positive choices and determination, we have a greater amount of opportunities than our parents and grandparents did. It is with that I say we must not let these chances pas us by in vain for the “Dream remains both a hope and a promise, even as we add it its meaning with each new chapter of our lives” (Rather).