Definition Essay: The American Dream

896 Words4 Pages

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” I find it amazing how the same situation can cause so many different reactions. My idea of the American Dream is to be able work hard and to be able to support myself and my family. I, along with two-thirds of America, still believe that the American Dream is still attainable. The original meaning of this dream has been distorted so much that people believe it is something it’s not. The term ‘The American Dream’ was first coined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America. He defines the American Dream as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity according to ability or achievement. […] not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be …show more content…

Some are disillusioned by what they find when they get here. There was an entire literary movement depicting these disapointments. It was known as California noir but as stated by historian, Kevin Starr, “even in bad times […] California noir, as disappointing as it might be could not negate the cumulative achievement of California” (Starr). California, with only 12.5 percent of the country’s population has an economy so large that it would be ranked the fifth largest economy in the planet (Starr). California is the home of the Silicon Valley, a place where new innovations are being made everyday. It has one of the most diverse demographics within the country. With as many as roughly 90 languages spoken. California, as well as the entirety of the United States, has gone though years of revolutions and evolutions, making great mistakes as well as great successes though out it’s lifetime. With every phase and every challenge, the meaning of the American Dream evolves along side