The Distortion Of The American Dream

When times are hard many resort to dreaming about their perfect image of what life can be. Their dream will be unattainable because life is never perfect. The American Dream is an idea many thought about during the Great Depression because times were harder for the average working American. The Great Depression occurred during the 1930s when the economy collapsed and eventually one out of four people became unemployed. The Dust Bowl added to the stress of the Great Depression because there was an extreme drought with many dust storms. Lennie Smalls and George Milton are traveling from Weed, California to a ranch in hopes of finding work. Lennie and George have an American Dream to own their

“The American Dream” has become a catch all term for the American way of life. However, since the

In the years following the Second World War, the fabric of American society changed almost irreparably, shifting from a wartime society that saved and struggled to help the soldiers overseas survive in any way they could to a consumer society with everything that they couldn’t have before. When the soldiers returned from war, government programs like VA loans allowed them the opportunity to find the home of their dreams in the suburbs, not only so their hope to have a home of their own where they could raise their families and live the “American dream” could be realized, but so people could actually have a place to live in light of the housing shortage that had occurred in decades past. Newspapers told the story of horrible conditions in which

Azar Nafisi once said, “The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream” . Coates says that for so long he wanted to escape in the dream, to fold his country over his head like a blanket. “ We have taken the one-drop rules of dreamers and flipped them. They have made it into a race”. White people created the American Dream, and they abused people and the earth to achieve it. In the book Between The World And Me Coates message about dream and dreamers are unfair because the color white are to dream in a high class environment as for black people it is to destroy them by going to struggle in prison and the ghettos and led black at no cost. To back up this statement

How would you feel if your perception of the american dream did live up to its own standards? In Barbara Ehrenreich’s book The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream, she argues that white collar workers are limited to their capability by the harsh reality. People assume being part of the middle class in america will be the answer to a better lifestyle but it just hasn’t been case over the past decades. Teachers tell their students the key to success is thru higher education and parents portray college as a door to more opportunities and benefits. People say the reasons behind someone else’s economic woes and life hardships are determined thru the decisions they made throughout life. Dropping out of high School, not going to college, working dead end jobs on wages. Who would be to blame for the situations they end up in? safe to say they can blame themselves. A better question is who do you blame for the ones that do go to college, receive degrees, and have credentials to end up in situations just like the ones that didn’t go to college. Society should also be to blame since economic downturns do not just affect people individually but as a nation. America has an image of the college student as being a bright person going in the right right direction that will bring nothing but promises and assurance of a better future. The reality is that everyone has their own definition of the american dream, but the success is not just

The broken promise of the “American Dream”. “ ‘I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ of myself.’ She said darkly, ‘Maybe I will yet.’ And then her words tumbled out in a passion of communication, as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away… ‘Well, a show come through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’ let me. She says because I was on’y fifteen… I wouldn’t be livin’ like this you bet.’ ” (p. 88 paragraph 1). We see Curley’s wife drown in her sorrows of broken dreams, of what she could have been. “ Crooks said gently, ‘Maybe you can see now. You got George. You know he’s goin’ to come back. S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and play rummy ‘cause you was black. How’d you like that? S’pose you had to sit out here an’ read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books. Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody -- to be near him’... ‘I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.’ ”(p. 72-73 paragraph 8,1). Crooks broken spirit is caused by lack of relationships with other people, and because of his skin colour he will most likely never make those friendships that he wants. The most common “American Dream” I’ve heard from people moving to America is that they want the relationships that come with the success, and Crooks only

For a great number of people during the twentieth century, The American Dream was huge inspiration. It was a concept that evolved across generations from our nations conception. In my own family’s history, it is the reason that I exist. Had the aspiration for a better life not been tied to America, my ancestors may very well have been killed as a consequence of religious persecution in the Ukraine. The manifestation of social mobility allowed for each generation to do marginally better than the preceding, notwithstanding plentiful hardships. Regardless of my own family’s success in the hands of a rapidly fluctuating world, I nevertheless find myself considering the idea of the American Dream with a degree of cynicism. We would like to imagine that this flexibility and opportunity is available to everyone. I have always been of the opinion that practically everyone has the individual, and intellectual capacity to accomplish whatever he or she sets out to do. Nevertheless, there are so countless limiting factors that prevent individuals from attaining their full potential. Many of which, are basically out of their control. For example, I have my doubts that the American Dream was envisioned to incorporate minority populations that undoubtedly would have been severely more socially repressed before the twenty-first century.

The American Dream is a legend that many individuals want to obtain when they come to the United States. In relation to this legend, not many can reach this dream because of their skin color. For example, it is difficult for middle-easterners to find a job in the United States due to racial profiling them as terrorists. Therefore, the bodies of color are upset with the president of the United States for destroying connection to the middle east. To emphasize further, this is the reason why there has been killings of bodies color from the white supremacy.

Economy depends on many factors including resources, laborers, trade and much more. Keeping all of the factors in check depends on the government and the companies. If the balance between the factors are disturbed, the economy suffers. Sometimes, it is not to big of a problem, but when it does, it puts the citizens at risk. If the resources are scarce, the laborers don’t have anything to work for. The economy crashes and soon enough, the United States is in recession. At this point, it up to the people to configure the problem. The American Dream does not guarantee an individual a goal. The American Dream does not control what happens to the economy, it controls what happens to the people. An individual without the emotional strength to find

In his book “The Epic of America” James Truslow Adams wrote the following words: “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” . Adams was an American historian who gained respect and attention with his trilogy New England (1921-19926) and who later on created the term “American Dream” . His words were known to the world in 1931, the time when the whole concept of the American Dream has been popularized, nevertheless “Forrest Gump” was released 63 years later and the Dream nowadays is still present in the minds of young and old. The endurance of this national ethos is noteworthy, especially given all the hardships

The illusions of American Dream also presents in “all men are created equal” in the declaration. As xxx states, it is very clear that “the white, Protestant landowners was responsible for deciding who keep a voice in the new government, but not the people”. When the country grows and their descendants gradually allow other people (from different races or countries) join the community, and give them equal rights to these “outsiders” to what they think fit. Human will naturally tend to protect their own circles and remain vigilance to the outside world, thus, it is not an easy thing to do.

Institutionalized racism: the big elephant in the room. By definition, institutionalized racism is “Any action, intentional or unintentional, that is based on race or skin color and that subordinates an individual or group based on skin color or race is racism” says professor Vernellia R. Randall( cite). Institutionalized racism exist in ever facet of our society. They’re many cases where a decision was made based on someones race. For example: discrimination in the housing market. Especially in America, racism can still be seen very clearly. The housing market is riddled with prejudice and discrimination.

The American Dream is rooted in the Declaration of Independence. In particular, the part which states, (Century of Lawmaking 512) “all men are created equal.” The term American Dream was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America, written in 1931. (goodreads 1) “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement." Our Democracy and the freedom, liberty, rights, and so on, that it provides to every individual is the stepping stone of The American Dream. On its surface, The American Dream may seem like it has adjusted itself accordingly from generation to generation; however, under the surface their lies dark realities of its failures. The ideology of The American Dream and reality of its failures are woven into the fabric of our society, as well as, our economic and political institutions.

The American Dream has brought many people worldwide to America to pursuit this American Dream, but what exactly is the American Dream? The American Dream is described by James Truslow Adams as “That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.”, and this quote is displayed in the movie “Forrest Gump” directed Robert Zemeckis. Forrest Gump was a low IQ student who no one thought was going to do well in life but he was able to get into college with a football scholarship. Even after college he had a career with the military which helped and provided Forrest Gump with a job. This version of the American Dream is real and shows that everyone has a chance to move up the social ladder regardless of the circumstances a person is born into because with anything you do in the United States there is an opportunity with that task that allows a person to move up the social classes.

The play, A Raisin in the Sun writteen by Lorraine Hansberry, shows a family that is barely making it by but somehow seems to make things work. The Younger family is crammed into a two bedroom, no bath apartment complex. The family was borderline poverty and struggled for money. Each person had big dreams for themselves one day, but as time went by the dreams began to fade away. “Now don’t act silly… We ain’t never been no people to act silly bout no money.” ( Hansberry,68) The American Dream was defined by becoming something new, something different, and something better. America is where people come to find who they really are. The family is trying to show society that just because they are African American the can maintain the same things a white family can. The American Dream concept matches the goals and dreams of the Younger family.