September 8‚ 2013 The American Dream: From Innocence to Greed The portrayal of the American Dream in literature has evolved as the United States has developed and prospered. In the beginning‚ the initial settlers in the Americas were searching for simple things‚ such as new opportunities and freedom of religion. As the country grew more populous‚ competition for success was heightened. Many people have different ideas on what the American Dream means to them. Over the years‚ American authors have used
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The American Dream can be defined as a national ethos of the United States‚ a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success‚ and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work. Willy Loman‚ the protagonist of the play Death of a Salesman‚ believes wholeheartedly in the idea that a ‘well liked’ and ‘personally attractive’ man in business will indubitably acquire the material comforts offered by modern American life. This however is a skewed perspective of
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The American Dream In the past it was possible for a working person to have a decent job‚ buy a home‚ get a car‚ and have their children go to school. The American Dream is a set of national ideals‚ like having a decent job and owning a home‚ basically prosperity‚ that are achieved through personal ability and opportunity. Today people would argue that the American Dream is still alive and feasible‚ however‚ the increasing difficulty to achieve common social goals‚ that are often referred to in
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Expansion and the American Dream The experiences a nation undergoes often shape its national identity and define who they are as a country. Throughout the course of its history‚ America has developed a national identity which is the American Dream. The American Dream is defined as the qualities that make up America and most of its people they include; opportunity‚ success‚ determination‚ and ingenuity. Many events in American’s history highlight the idea of the American dream between the period
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Cody Smith Mrs. Alwert ela embedded assessment 1.2 Access To The American Dream America has always had multiple push factors‚ one is the American Dream‚ it is ideal that all citizens of the United States of America live by. The traditional American Dream has always been a motive that has attracted people from all over the world to the United States of America. It was said back then that if you were a hard worker and were determined you would succeed in America. That is true‚ it does not matter what
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The American Dream is core to the American worldview. Though people from schoolteachers to presidential candidates have spoken on this topic‚ there seems to be no consensus as to whether it is dead or alive. One of the many articles written on the Dream is “The American Dream is Dead—Here’s Where It Went” by Adelle Peters‚ and as the title suggests‚ Peters argues that the American Dream is dead. According to her‚ low upward mobility‚ caused by unequal education and a gaping income inequality‚ has
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Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby Dictionary.com states that the definition of The American Dream is the ideals of freedom‚ equality‚ and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. The idea is that every American can reach this “American Dream” with hard work. After World War 1‚ the stock market boomed‚ so ordinary people suddenly became rich. This created a barrier between “old money” and “new money.” The Great Gatsby‚ by F. Scott Fitzgerald‚ is
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that this “Dream” is most closely associated with financial independence and opportunity in modern times- a result of the nation’s capitalist economic system‚ and the effects of the media on public opinion. “The American Dream is an implicit contract that says if you play by the rules‚ you’ll move ahead. It’s a faith that is almost unique to this country‚” remarks Michael Dimock of the Pew Research Center. However‚ despite positive images of American society‚ the “modern age” of American history to
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This essay deals with the presence of the American dream in the book "Death of a salesman" by Arthur Miller. It is a story about a man‚ Willy Loman‚ whose efforts to achieve this American dream went unrewarded‚ and because of this‚ he starts having a huge variety of problems with his family‚ friends and work. The way Americans wish to live their lives‚ is not achieved by every single person. This is clearly seen in Willy Loman‚ who is a man who worked all his life as a salesman‚ and never achieved
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hopes of achieving the “American Dream”. The American dream originated from a few common ideas: that every American citizen has the right to pursue happiness‚ and that everyone has the freedom to achieve social and economic success‚ through means of hard work and dedication. The American dream has served as a motive and incentive for those who strive to become successful and achieve their goals. All United States citizens have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream through means of hard work
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