Definition Essay: The American Dream

Chalmers, Shakira

English 096

Prof. Lisa Helrich

8th December, 2016

American Dream

People say that they want the American Dream but what exactly is the “American Dream”? The American Dream means the idea that every U.S citizen should have equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work determination and initiative. It’s a term used for the “way of life”. The question now is that “. Is this dream attainable”? That still varies, people have different ways of viewing the American dream and what it means to them. Some think that they can just come over here and get rich quick and be the billionaire, but it’s so much more than what is portrayed. There are three basic elements to the American dream freedom, economic security

The views on economic security can be different because it depends on what economic status you want to be. People see the Kardashian lifestyle as the way to live as others see the lifestyle to be financially stable and can pay bills and not have to struggle in life. How people see life in America is living the “Hollywood life” with the expensive cars, houses and money. That lifestyle isn’t as easy as people want it to be, if you do not know someone then it is very hard to get into that industry. Reality television makes it seem effortless to become famous but you must work hard to have the glamorous life, and even then, it is not promised. People also have this image of the American dream as a white Pickett fence, a dog, and two children with a nice house and two cars in the driveway nice job and a stay at home wife, when that is not what it is at all. When people talk about how they want that when they get to America they will get disappointed because what they pictured and wanted America to be and what the media paints it to be is not what it is. Sometimes it feels like the media takes over the American dream more and more and it becomes more materialistic every day. For the Americans that live here it becomes even more harder to achieve because the pricing of housing is only getting higher and seems like the paychecks are just enough anymore. It feels like once you feel like you got it in your hands it then

What is portrayed by the media and what they believe to be the American dream I do not believe that that is attainable and or realistic at any point. If you work hard to achieve your goals and what you put your mind to you will achieve the success that you want and your own American dream will be what you wanted it to be and to succeed in the efforts that you chose. If your an immigrant from a third world country then practically anything would be an upgrade, especially the vision of free medical care, child birth and privileges, the dream is still strong. If you are everyone else, middle and lower class, the dream is dead, downward movement more plausible. So, everyone has a different outlook on the American Dream and what it means to them so is it attainable is the main question. Yes, it