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Argumentative Essay: The American Dream Myth

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The American Dream, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative (American). This theory that was once worshipped throughout America is now nothing more than a myth. The only people that can still live the American Dream are those that have been born into an already prosperous family. The American dream is a dying concept. . According to studies an estimated “15 million Americans being unemployed and 6.7 million families being foreclosed out of their homes” (Smith). The essence of Smith’s argument is that there are many people throughout are struggling to make ends meet. When the …show more content…

Many newspapers across the country, exclaimed things like “God to the World: Drop Dead!”(The New York Daily), “Good Riddance”(The New Yorker), "World Coming to an End -- Harvard and MIT Economists Say 'We Told You So.' "(The Boston Herald), and "World Will End Tomorrow--Senate Demands Special Prosecutor."(The Washington Post)(Scheyer). By printing these headlines the newspapers show how the American people think that everything is falling apart. Americans today tend to believe that the world as they know it is coming to an end because they work so hard every day just to make a salary that will not support them or their families. When people begin to get this kind of mindset they start to give up on society. Then this causes the people to instead of work hard just stay at home and do nothing and get on welfare. These actions lead to the unnecessary increase of money that taxpayers have to give up. Paying more taxes means that the people are less likely to be able to provide for themselves or their families. When the tax prices are raised employers start cutting wages. When the wages are cut people get mad and then begin to go on strike. If workers go on strike that means that there is nobody to make all the things that people rely on to

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In a New York Times article, “Too Poor to Make the News,” author Barbara Ehrenreich focuses on the impact the recession has caused to the lives of the working poor. She begins her article by describing how the newly group, known as Nouveau poor, have to give up valuables where as the working poor have to give up housing, food, and prescription medicines. Ehrenreich’s purpose is to inform her readers who are blessed enough not to suffer like the working poor. Barbara Ehrenreich’s article examines the impacts the recession has on the lives of the working poor, by demonstrating pathos, and makes readers aware of the sufferings the poor have to face. Barbara Ehrenreich examines the aspects that are impacting the working poor from the recession.

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They say, I say. News brief after new brief. About the gun violence in Chicago. And if homework is good for kids. The profits of private prisons.

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“The term “American Dream” is used in many ways, but it essentially is an idea that suggests that anyone in the U.S. can succeed through hard work and has the potential to lead a happy, successful life.” (McMahon). The American Dream, according to Google, is everybody can achieve wealth and through hard work, determination, and good fortune. For most people, the American Dream is for lower class people trying to climb the social ladder to be considered upper class.

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What is the American Dream? The American Dream is defined by the ideal that life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. In the article “ American Dream? Or Mirage?” by Michael W. Kraus, Shai Davidai, and A. David Nussbaum, the idea that the lower you are on the wealth/class scale the more you believe in the american dream, whilst on the other hand the higher you are, the more you think it is just luck rather than merit. Professor Kraus et al were wrong in saying that the American Dream is still alive when in truth the American Dream is dying if it is not already dead not only in the upper class but also in the lower class.

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The Oxford English Dictionary defines the American dream as ¨ the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.¨ The best example of the American dream is The Glass Castle written by Jeannette Walls. This is a book written about her traumatic experiences throughout her life and how she has made it through. She has had many struggles she has had to endure throughout her life: poverty, no security, bullies, rape, bad parenting, starvation, etc. Her two main struggles are her parents and poverty which is something that a lot has gone through. In Jeannettes life story, she shows everyone that the American dream is something that

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The American dream is a dream of land in which life should be better and richer for everyone. It’s a land where people succeed to accomplish their ambition of a better life. Most of the people have a different way of defining this American Dream. Unfortunately, for some, it could mean wealth,status,or power whereas for others it could mean companionship, good morals,love,and amity. According to our Declaration of Independence, it entitles every man and woman the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

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My definition of the American Dream is someone who starts from nothing and makes their way through life in a happy and healthy way. Not everyone is capable of reaching the American dream. In Of Mice and Men the American dream was not reached by Lennie and George. In A Raisin in the Sun, they too did not reach the American dream. The American dream is a difficult thing to accomplish even though many live their lives trying got achieve this dream.

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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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The American Dream is an opportunity in which a determined person can have exceptional success through dedication and hard work, achieving equality, freedom, and personal goals. As immigrants, my grandparents followed this beacon of hope, and had this one thing in mind: a better life. Coming from

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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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Faith Volpi Mrs. McLellan English III The American Dream is to succeed in making everyone feel equal and supported. People 's view about the American Dream are different everywhere one goes. The American Dream does indeed still exist in todays society, and it is one 's job to try their hardest to succeed the values of their own American Dream. Because with everyone united one can succeed at achieving one’s own idea of the American Dream.

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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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Over the years, a dream that changed the way the world saw the U.S. was created and it is the American Dream. As the years passed and the U.S. was developing the American Dream as well developed or as many say changed. The American Dream is a term that was introduced in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America (Kamp 2). The term “American Dream” started with a meaning that was reachable: “a better, richer and happier life for all citizens of every rank”(3). Throughout the years the term`s meaning changed dramatically.

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Unemployment happens when individuals are without work and effectively looking for work.[1] The unemployment rate is a measure of the pervasiveness of unemployment and it is figured as a rate by separating the quantity of unemployed people by all people presently in the work power. Amid times of recession, an economy more often than not encounters a generally high unemployment rate.[2] According to International Labor Organization report, more than 200 million individuals universally or 6% of the world 's workforce were without a vocation in 2012 There remains significant hypothetical civil argument with respect to the reasons, outcomes and answers for unemployment. Traditional financial matters, New established financial aspects, and the Austrian School of financial matters contend that market instruments are solid method for determining unemployment.

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