Preview

The American Dream

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
479 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The American Dream
Thesis Statement: The American Dream: Money, Success, and A Home

The American Dream changes over time, always based on society. In the 40’s and 50’s the American Dream was to have a white picket fence, a dog, a two parent home, and a couple of children. Today, it’s a little bit different, the American Dream is to have money, cars, fame and success. The things I would have to say would never change about the American Dream and what it consists of would be money, success, and a home. The American Dream consists of money. I would have to say the American Dream consists of money because in today’s society of money because in today’s society money talks. The more money you have, the more power you have. Money and power are what bring some advantages in America. It allows you to get your house, your cars, and your connections (the people you know). The American Dream today is to have all these things, when you have money and power you tend to think you’re invincible and at times in society you are. With all of this money and power you’re not going to keep it a secret. Which brings me to my next topic, in which the American Dream consists of. Success and fame more importantly Success. The American Dream consists of success because in society seems to be one of the main goals. In everything we do we are told to succeed. Whether it be sports, education, and our jobs. So it wouldn’t be a wonder that begng successful and known would be a part of the American Dream. Although gaining success would be reaching a personal goal and gaining money and power, success will not get you the last thing the American Dream consists of… A home. Through all the years and times one thing has continued to be wanted and dreamed up, and that is a home. Not a house, not a mansion, but a home. A home is made up of love, care, and kindness. Everybody dreams of having a home with a moderate sized family filled with love and compassion. A secure,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “The American Dream is a term that is often used but also often misunderstood. It isn't really about becoming rich or famous. It is about things much simpler and more fundamental than that.” - Unknown The American dream is the idea that every citizen of the United States of America should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American dream is a complex idea that is individualized by personal ambitions. Although the definition can vary, most often, this ideation of American involves financial prosperity as a result of hard work. The American dream is not a myth, but it is slowly becoming eradicated due to decreasing quality of life and society limiting those who do not originate from a traditional background to certain lifestyles.…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Dream is one of the things that describes what America is made of. Although the definition of the American Dream may be different from individual to individual, the main purpose is one thing: to gain the wealth and success you need to live a good life. People come to America because this is the land where you have equal opportunity, and the ability to become very successful. There have been many movies and books that depict the American Dream, but both show that the American Dream is not always the happy story that most Americans yearn for. These two movies are Citizen Kane and Mildred Pierce. As these two movies show that the American Dream is not what it seems, they show how middle class life and strong family values is the key to a good life.…

    • 1575 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    At its core, the American Dream is simply about possibility––it makes no guarantees. It’s an alluring but elusive ideal. Take an Impressionist painting, you can admire it from a distance, but as you get closer, it becomes incoherent. You lose sight of the big picture (literally). The same is true of the American Dream; you can admire it as a concept, but as you get closer, what was so clearly compelling begins to dissolve.…

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Dream is a concept that can be traced to the founding fathers of America, which entails ideals such as democracy, equality, freedom, liberty, human rights and opportunity for all to live a better and prosperous life. These ideals are achieved through hard work in an environment that has no barriers and offers equal opportunities for all. The coming of the American Dream came with the declaration of independence from England. People were filled with hope as they believed in the right to freedom, life and pursuing happiness. The idea was the creation of a nation in which people would be free from restrictions to pursue the life they want for themselves. This definition of the American Dream has changed over the course of time as people started deviating from the ideals of liberty, rights, and hard work. Hard work is now just caused by wanting to make the most money and wanting to have power and control.…

    • 524 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Andrew Carnegie

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What is the American Dream? There are a myriad of aspects to it, but one general idea: the ideal life. It is making a lot of money, being respected, and triumphing difficult situations. The American Dream has been pursued by many, but only few make it all the way.…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American dream is the idea held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity. These were values held by early settlers, and have been passed on to following generations. What the American dream has become is a question under constant discussion. What is the American dream? Many authors, poets and photographers have tried their hand at depicting their idea or the concept of the American dream. Langston Hughes, one of the many distinguished poets in the United States has written a number of poems reflecting the African American way of life and how it coincides with the American Dream. Matthew Warshauer, a professor of History at Central Connecticut…

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dream Act

    • 553 Words
    • 2 Pages

    According to dictionary.com the American dream is: “1. the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity, traditionally held to be available to every American; 2. a life of personal happiness and personal comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.” Writer James Truslow Adams states that “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement…each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable...” The main idea of the American dream comes from the Declaration of Independence created by congress in July 1776. In the declaration it is…

    • 553 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The origin of The American Dream began with the poor immigrants looking for opportunities. The Declaration of independence states “all man are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights among which are life, liberty and persuit of happines.”(The Declaration of Independence). The American Dream is different for every individual you come across. To some people it means financial success, to other people it means freedom of expression, while other people want to practice their religion without fear. The American Dream is a complex concept providing immigrants with hope of better life.…

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The American Dream

    • 3111 Words
    • 13 Pages

    To achieve higher expectations of success than the previous generations, and accomplishing what hasn't already been accomplished, can be considered the overall American Dream. Generally, every child wants to surpass the achievements of their parents as a natural act of competition and personal satisfaction. Throughout The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, and Death of a Salesman, there is a constant yearning desire to achieve the “American Dream;” whether it be reality or illusion. Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, and Miller, all portray the ideas of the American Dream relating to the time period that they are referring to. The strive to achieve a goal whether it be to be the wealthiest or achieve a great life by hard work seems to be the template for the original American dream in the books. To be able to support one’s family, have a decent job, a car, and a home, is the stereotypical, “American dream.” Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, and Miller incorporate their ideas of the American dream symbolically throughout their stories.…

    • 3111 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The American Dream

    • 2100 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Generally considered that the American Dream consists of a healthy family, a well-paying job and a sturdy home. A lot of people dream about it and use all their opportunities to achieve it. However, the socioeconomic situation of the United States is an obstacle to this ideal. The characters who inhabit Raymond Carver’s Cathedral are blue-collar Americans confused and illusioned by the hollow image of an American dream they see on the TV screen every night. Denis Johnson’s protagonists, however, have never heard of an American dream, and are certainly not devoted to achieving it; their lives slip by a state of alcoholism and drug use and futures become brutally shapeless. Their despairs and disappointments are displaced instead through drug addiction, alcoholism, infidelity and unemployment. Nonetheless, there are rare but genuine pulses of hope in both authors’ stories. (Carvarian people find their own ways to communicate and affect each other in order to survive in this brutal world. Johnson’s character is influenced by his own experience and surroundings; his sparks of hope occur while he is on his journey to recovery.) Despite the fallacy of the American Dream, the characters of Denis Johnson and Raymond Carver have occasional moments of hope, either in the struggle to achieve the American Dream, or in spite of it.…

    • 2100 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Education is another huge part of the american dream. Education means everything, from what job you can have and to what you even know in general. The cool thing about the american dream is that you can learn…

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The American Dream is all about you as a person being able to have the freedom to do anything and everything you could possibly want with your life because your life is yours. To have the ability to live how you have dreamed about your entire…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Dream

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The American Dream is the ability of being able to start from the bottom and earn the things you need and want on your own. It is being able to build yourself up and have full ownership of your belongings and to know that you deserve what you have cause you worked hard enough to earn it. I qualify the statement that America still provides access to the American Dream to the “tired, poor, and the huddled masses” because yes America provides many programs such as Medicare and Medicaid to support the needy, but there are also many people who do not have access to this help and live in poverty where they are unable to acquire the basic needs of life.…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some view it as money, status, or fame while others view it as morals, family, and freedom. The American Dream is an amazing wish for many people of what they desire to happen. When Mrs. Carroll thinks of the American Dream, she thinks of a life with a happy family without financial struggle. Her American Dream is, “a Christ centered family that is content with the things that they have and are more concerned about building relationships with others than gaining acquiring worldly possessions.…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays