The American Dream: Functional Myth
Manjarrez 1
Liz Manjarrez
Ms. Rimmer
English 11
February 13, 2015
The American Dream
The American Dream can be defined as a national ethos of the United States in which people strive towards prosperity, success, and up the social ladder through hard work (American
Dream). People who believe in this ideal essentially believe that every American has a potential to build themselves up from nothing and achieve prosperity if they work hard enough towards it.
There are many that believe in this functional myth. On the other hand, there are also many who think the American Dream is unattainable or maybe just very limited to very few people. Truth be told, the American Dream may be very far out reach for many people. But that doesn’t mean …show more content…
that it still can’t be achieved through perseverance. It just means the American Dream might just be much harder for some to achieve than for others; it all depends on how one interprets the definition of the American Dream, as well as what family someone is born into and that person’s mentality, as well as discrimination and lack of equality.
Two people’s definitions of the American Dream may not entirely align with one another.
James Truslow Adams, the man behind the coining of the term the “American Dream,” first made its use of the term in his history
The Epic America in 1931. Since then, there have been several adaptations to it (Ford 1). The simple notion first began as the expectation that you could make something out of yourself even if you had started with virtually nothing. However, over the course of time, the definition of the American Dream has become a bit loose and yielded many
Manjarrez 2
different interpretations. There are still those who believe that the American Dream is merely just about pursuing happiness and freedom, but for many, this term has come to be about materialism rather than the basic necessities for a comfortable lifestyle. Their vision of the
American Dream has come to be that of owning a shiny new car, a big house, and amassing …show more content…
an enormous wealth (A Better Life 1). Surely, the American Dream can be achieved, but it depends entirely on your own perspective. If you see it in terms of the basics, you would be more likely to live out the American dream than if you see it in terms of consumer expectations, in which case, chances are that you’ll likely get let down.
But just because someone hasn’t made it into a higher class or hasn’t experienced the
American Dream, it doesn’t mean that it’s not in their future, or that they’ll never be able to obtain it. Making the most of the dream is entirely up to the person. But the American economy hasn’t exactly made it any easier for anyone. In a comprehensive economic study done by
Harvard and Berkeley, it was shown that mobility in the U.S. hadn’t changed much over the past twenty years. But there was hardly any to begin with. Raj Chetty, one of the researchers on the project, said that “social mobility is low and has been for at least thirty or forty years”
(Surowiecki 2). In fact, James Surowiecki states that “seventy per cent of people born into the bottom quintile of income distribution never make it into the middle class, and fewer than ten per cent get into the top quintile” (2). Now, this doesn’t look so promising for future generations, but what family one is born into is uncontrollable and even when you’re born into a not so prosperous household, you can choose to make the best of it. Although it may prove to be difficult, no matter where you come from, no matter your social status before, no matter who you
Manjarrez 3
are, you have the ability to achieve the American Dream if you just are willing to work hard, have determination, and display a positive attitude..
If one aspect had to be chosen to decide what topples all others when considering what is the greatest blockade to obtaining the American Dream, it would be discrimination and a lack of distribution of equality. Discrimination has noticeably decreased a lot from what it used to be, but it’s undeniable that it still exists in the world today. This nation claims to provide equal opportunities to all but that is not the reality. For various minority groups in America, attaining the American Dream can prove to very difficult, especially when faced under certain obstacles which many other groups do not have to confront.
According to the United States census Bureau, blacks are twice as likely to be poor compared to other races, and eight times as likely to be imprisoned. Blacks are also three times more likely to be convicted of drug violations than whites. Only 75 percent of blacks have received posthigh school education, compared to 85 percent of whites. Not surprisingly, blacks on average also make less money than whites (
Deutsch
).
And the reality is that those in the higher class will always have some advantages that the lower class won’t.
It is arguable that the American Dream may not be obtainable. And that may be true for the most part. Factors such as unemployment, debt, and poverty may take away any remaining faith one may have had in the American Dream.
For instance, the economy is not at such a great place right now and minimum wage has not kept up with the increased cost of living. But people still achieve the American Dream. It’s all about how you perceive it. Although the economy
Manjarrez 4
might be in decline, if your idea of the American Dream is purely to be free, then you can achieve the American dream comparably easier than if you believe the American Dream is all about money.
Achieving the American Dream may mean many things to different people and may prove to be hard. Some people start off with an advantage that others may not have and it makes it more difficult for people to achieve the dream. But through hard work and dedication, you can do it if you believe in yourself, stay committed, and never give up no matter how difficult the path gets. Discrimination might still exist but you just have to be resilient. And despite humble beginnings, there is always the possibility that you can make it.
Manjarrez 5
Works Cited "American Dream."
Wikipedia
. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
Deutsch, Philip. "The American Dream Is Still."
The Tech
. The Tech, 11 Feb. 2003.
Web.
1 Feb. 2015.
Ellis, Kate, and Guettler, Ellen. "A Better Life: Creating the American Dream."
American RadioWorks
. American Public Media. Web. 1 Feb. 2015.
Ford, Michael. "Five Myths About the American Dream."
Washington Post
. The
Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
Surowiecki, James. "The Mobility Myth."
The New Yorker
. The New Yorker, 3 Mar.
2014. Web. 2 Feb. 2015.
Liz Manjarrez
Ms. Rimmer
English 11
February 13, 2015
The American Dream
The American Dream can be defined as a national ethos of the United States in which people strive towards prosperity, success, and up the social ladder through hard work (American
Dream). People who believe in this ideal essentially believe that every American has a potential to build themselves up from nothing and achieve prosperity if they work hard enough towards it.
There are many that believe in this functional myth. On the other hand, there are also many who think the American Dream is unattainable or maybe just very limited to very few people. Truth be told, the American Dream may be very far out reach for many people. But that doesn’t mean …show more content…
that it still can’t be achieved through perseverance. It just means the American Dream might just be much harder for some to achieve than for others; it all depends on how one interprets the definition of the American Dream, as well as what family someone is born into and that person’s mentality, as well as discrimination and lack of equality.
Two people’s definitions of the American Dream may not entirely align with one another.
James Truslow Adams, the man behind the coining of the term the “American Dream,” first made its use of the term in his history
The Epic America in 1931. Since then, there have been several adaptations to it (Ford 1). The simple notion first began as the expectation that you could make something out of yourself even if you had started with virtually nothing. However, over the course of time, the definition of the American Dream has become a bit loose and yielded many
Manjarrez 2
different interpretations. There are still those who believe that the American Dream is merely just about pursuing happiness and freedom, but for many, this term has come to be about materialism rather than the basic necessities for a comfortable lifestyle. Their vision of the
American Dream has come to be that of owning a shiny new car, a big house, and amassing …show more content…
an enormous wealth (A Better Life 1). Surely, the American Dream can be achieved, but it depends entirely on your own perspective. If you see it in terms of the basics, you would be more likely to live out the American dream than if you see it in terms of consumer expectations, in which case, chances are that you’ll likely get let down.
But just because someone hasn’t made it into a higher class or hasn’t experienced the
American Dream, it doesn’t mean that it’s not in their future, or that they’ll never be able to obtain it. Making the most of the dream is entirely up to the person. But the American economy hasn’t exactly made it any easier for anyone. In a comprehensive economic study done by
Harvard and Berkeley, it was shown that mobility in the U.S. hadn’t changed much over the past twenty years. But there was hardly any to begin with. Raj Chetty, one of the researchers on the project, said that “social mobility is low and has been for at least thirty or forty years”
(Surowiecki 2). In fact, James Surowiecki states that “seventy per cent of people born into the bottom quintile of income distribution never make it into the middle class, and fewer than ten per cent get into the top quintile” (2). Now, this doesn’t look so promising for future generations, but what family one is born into is uncontrollable and even when you’re born into a not so prosperous household, you can choose to make the best of it. Although it may prove to be difficult, no matter where you come from, no matter your social status before, no matter who you
Manjarrez 3
are, you have the ability to achieve the American Dream if you just are willing to work hard, have determination, and display a positive attitude..
If one aspect had to be chosen to decide what topples all others when considering what is the greatest blockade to obtaining the American Dream, it would be discrimination and a lack of distribution of equality. Discrimination has noticeably decreased a lot from what it used to be, but it’s undeniable that it still exists in the world today. This nation claims to provide equal opportunities to all but that is not the reality. For various minority groups in America, attaining the American Dream can prove to very difficult, especially when faced under certain obstacles which many other groups do not have to confront.
According to the United States census Bureau, blacks are twice as likely to be poor compared to other races, and eight times as likely to be imprisoned. Blacks are also three times more likely to be convicted of drug violations than whites. Only 75 percent of blacks have received posthigh school education, compared to 85 percent of whites. Not surprisingly, blacks on average also make less money than whites (
Deutsch
).
And the reality is that those in the higher class will always have some advantages that the lower class won’t.
It is arguable that the American Dream may not be obtainable. And that may be true for the most part. Factors such as unemployment, debt, and poverty may take away any remaining faith one may have had in the American Dream.
For instance, the economy is not at such a great place right now and minimum wage has not kept up with the increased cost of living. But people still achieve the American Dream. It’s all about how you perceive it. Although the economy
Manjarrez 4
might be in decline, if your idea of the American Dream is purely to be free, then you can achieve the American dream comparably easier than if you believe the American Dream is all about money.
Achieving the American Dream may mean many things to different people and may prove to be hard. Some people start off with an advantage that others may not have and it makes it more difficult for people to achieve the dream. But through hard work and dedication, you can do it if you believe in yourself, stay committed, and never give up no matter how difficult the path gets. Discrimination might still exist but you just have to be resilient. And despite humble beginnings, there is always the possibility that you can make it.
Manjarrez 5
Works Cited "American Dream."
Wikipedia
. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
Deutsch, Philip. "The American Dream Is Still."
The Tech
. The Tech, 11 Feb. 2003.
Web.
1 Feb. 2015.
Ellis, Kate, and Guettler, Ellen. "A Better Life: Creating the American Dream."
American RadioWorks
. American Public Media. Web. 1 Feb. 2015.
Ford, Michael. "Five Myths About the American Dream."
Washington Post
. The
Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
Surowiecki, James. "The Mobility Myth."
The New Yorker
. The New Yorker, 3 Mar.
2014. Web. 2 Feb. 2015.