The American Dream In 2016 Summary

American Dream Summary In the Investopedia article “What is the American Dream in 2016?” author Sean Bryant describes the American Dream in present day. He begins discussing the American Dream and how it has drastically changed from when it was first envisioned, and how it is still alive today. Bryant proclaims that more people are attending and graduating from college than ever before. College students are now spending a lot more money for their education as well. Bryant establishes that after graduating from college, in order to pay back their immense student loans, students are challenged to find a well-paying job in a tight job market.

Later in the article Bryant recalls that when the American Dream was first mentioned by James Adams,

In her interview she said, “My Dream is for my daughters to find their passion in life and have the opportunity to pursue it without interference. I want the fact that they are women to be irrelevant in the work place and for it to neither open nor close doors for them” (Staiger). As a child, her Dream was to have a home, a family, and a career and she is happy to say that she has fulfilled her American Dream. Melissa interprets the American Dream as a reality and as a beacon of hope. In terms of obstacles of succeeding in one’s Dream she describes how “… many in our society have begun to think that the opportunities that abound in American are things they are owed by society instead of recognizing that they are things they must get for themselves. It is sometimes this feeling of entitlement that keeps people from achieving their Dreams”

Hetteroth often dreamed of having a large family like the one she came from and she knew that obtaining a good education would help her accomplish her Dream. To her, the American Dream has always meant “'… the freedom to worship and the hope of a better life…’” (Hetteroth). During her early life she udreamed of being a teacher, one of the few jobs that were considered acceptable for women. Toni says that her Dream is now more focused on her children and grandchildren than her own desires. She realized that the largest obstacle in her American Dream was her own narrow vision of life. She believes that the American Dream is both a hope and a reality and that “'the trouble is that few people take the time to see and be grateful for the fact that they are living it!'”