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American Dream Research Paper

1435 Words6 Pages

George Carlin once said, “That’s why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.” This quote by Carlin reveals what American dreams reality is and how difficult it is to achieve it. As stated in the quote American dream only seems reality when you sleep and dream it rather than actually being part of it. We as individual’s dream of a successful life with a house, car, and a job that pays us well to put food on the table in our house. However, only certain people can have that luxurious life that is part of an American Dream. Many work hard to have a stable life rather than achieve the American Dream because they know after all hard work nothing makes it possible to achieve it. However, many individuals are …show more content…

According to the New York Times, “…only 64 percent of respondents said they still believed in American dream…(Sorkin and Thee-Brenan, 1). It is surprising that 64 percent of Americans believe in American dream because that is a fairly high percentage compare to those who don’t believe in it. It takes a lot of hope and motivation to believe in the American dream because they are many who have faced the reality of how American dream is not possible to achieve like Barbara Ehrenreich and her coworkers whom struggled in life as a low wage worker in the novel Nickel and …show more content…

However, her journey is full of hurdles where she ironically does overcome the challenge she has put forth. Throughout the novel Barbara and her coworkers have a difficulty finding a simple place to live in where they can be secured with what they are being paid. Housing instability has become an increasing problem for many in which finding a place to live in for cheap with good living conditions has almost become impossible. In the article, Housing Instability and Food Security as Barriers to Health Care Among Low-Income Americans various authors such as Margot B. Kushel, MD, Reena Gupta, MD, Lauren Gee, MPH, JD, Jennifer S. Hass, MD, MSPH have revealed the association between housing instability and food insecurity and the lack of medical attention that many receive. The article exhibits an analysis of an experiment that was done as 16,651 low-income adults were examined to define what homelessness and hunger really is. In the article, the author mentions, “Housing instability is variably defined as having difficulty paying rent, spending more than 50% of household income on housing, having frequent moves,

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The American Dream has a different meaning from what it once was, but according to Brandon King it is still alive. His beginning question, “What is the true state of the so-called ‘American Dream’ today” (Page #610, Para. #1) appeals to his audience’s own thoughts of his or her own personal beliefs for their futures. Most people have an idea of what they want in life, and their dream may not be the rags to riches dream of yesteryear, but is uniquely theirs.

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The American dream is not as easy as people say it is. The American Dream is being able to afford the necessities you need, without having to struggle and suffer just to put food on a table for their families. People think it’s easy to live the American Dream, but little do they know that there are people out there struggling to support their family. The American Dream is difficult to achieve but very possible if people could find the opportunity and available to them.

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The American Dream, or the dream to be financially stable, is accessible to a certain point in that lower class Americans have trouble living off of lower wages and nonexistent benefits. The American Dream is very challenging to obtain when an American citizen is living off of lower wages. This is the case because without a foundation to build your Dream on, it will just collapse. In the article “Is the American Dream Still Possible” written by David Wallechinsky, David asks Simone Luevano, a hard working American citizen, whether she’s thought about retirement.

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It is impossible for the average American to achieve the American Dream if they are not high status and swimming in pools of diamonds. The American Dream still exists, but it’s not equally accessible to all Americans. The American Dream is the ideology that has shaped the United States into

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The American dream at one point was what drew people to American; the right to life, liberty, and the happiness. The American dream is the hope to acquire currency, large homes, raise a middle-class family, and pursue what brings people joy in life. But in the year 2016, the American dream becomes hard to believe in. The American dream may still exist, but it is not equally accessible to all Americans. This is true because the American dream is not affordable for everyone, it is not available to everyone from different degrees of education, and race and ethnicity creates large social barriers.

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The American dream is a term used in a lot of ways. Although research has shown that American dream can’t be attainable by most people, closer examination shows that it can be attainable by the following reasons. As Daniel J. Mitchell stated in New York Times im January 1st, 2015 “The United States is not a perfect country, but the American Dream is still a reality.” By that he meant that even with America’s Grow rate, poverty, unemployment rate in the past years and still going Americans can still chase their American dreams If we look at the history and the definition it shows that infact it is possible to attain it.

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Jennifer L. Hochschild describes the American dream as “the soul of the nation.” She clearly illustrates the importance of the dream to American culture. So, what is the American dream according to Hochschild? She was referring to John Locke and his fantasy, then said “But the sentence evokes the unsullied newness, infinite possibility, limitless resources that are commonly understood to be the essences of the “American dream.” She also pointed out the flaws in the American dream and how at times the pursuit of it can lead to counterproductive outcomes not just for the individual but society as a whole.

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The American Dream is Attainable Dreaming of success, a bright future, or even hope? An idea placed in the Declaration of Independence, The American Dream has been a beacon of hope to many; however, does The American Dream really exist? Some can and will argue that it’s dead, and that it isn’t achievable. I believe it’s alive, but it has to be realistic. By being realistic, anything could be possible, but only with the amount of effort put forth.

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The American Dream is so essential to our country as it is an honor to reach your goals and make it a reality. The American Dream is the national ethos that people’s lives would be better and more abundant with many opportunities. The American Dream was more accessible to attain back in the days, however, changed over the years. Although the “American Dream” is still possible, many people, minorities are affected by the lack of improvement in social mobility in our society. The American Dream is still alive by being able to live a middle-class lifestyle and by obtaining it through perseverance and hard-work.

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Annotated Bibliography Cohen, M. (2014, April 26). The American Dream is now just that for its middle classes – a dream. The Guardian, p. 00. “The American Dream is now just that for its middle classes – a dream” by Michael Cohen explains the perception of Americans towards the decline of the middle class. The article details how the middle class was viewed before the elections of President Obama, and how it’s viewed after the creation of the Affordable Care Act.

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No matter who you are or where you have come from, you have undoubtedly heard of the American Dream. The idea that no matter who you are or where you have come from, you can do whatever it is you desire in America. What was once one the main driving forces for immigrants to flock to the new world, has slowly changed over the years, but still holds its value in the eyes of those who are looking for a promising new place to live. The American dream might not hold the same awe inspiring sound that it once did, but for many generations before ours it was a beacon of hope that helped build the foundation that the United States was built on. And, still, today the American dream might not be as achievable as it once was, but it is still an important

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656 Words | 3 Pages

According to an article from Gale Student Resources titled “How the American dream has changed overtime”, the start of the American Dream has been traced to the Founding Fathers. The Founding Fathers believed people inherently possessed the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Therefore, they created a country where people could break free from class restrictions and pursue a life that they chose despite where they came from. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the American dream as “A happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful”. However, I believe that it is much more than that.

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The American dream is an illusion that is deeply implanted in the minds of the people, it sets a bar for life achievement and offers hope to work hard to achieve their dreams. As for Americans, they are raised in a society to where they are expected to make lots money and to have a healthy family. After all in our society success is largely based off positions of power and financial stability. For example, in The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there were multiple interpretations of the ideal American dream in the 1920s. In the 1920s, due to the growth of materialism, people advertised and fancied the power of money to fulfilling their dreams.

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The united states brings in thousands of immigrants each year, all seeking safety, opportunity, and freedom, basically a version of their own American Dream. What is the American dream exactly? According to Google, the American Dream is the ideal that every US citizen has the opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. The American dream continues to impact several U.S. inhabitants but is their representation of this dream similar?

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The American Dream was created for all to be equal with the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A dream is a series of thoughts on possibilities one can attain, hence, only one can choose to believe in the American Dream and if it’s achievable. In particular, Steve Tobak’s article called The American Dream is Alive and Well focuses on the opportunity Americans have unlike others and that the dream is attainable by all who work for it. A book by John Winthrop called City Upon a Hill implies that all men are capable of anything if they put God first. The American dream should make life fuller for all, provide happiness, and lead every American to believe they can do anything.

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