Preview

Essay On The American Dream Future

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1053 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay On The American Dream Future
The American Dream as told through Illustrations of the Future The concept of the American Dream has been something that has drawn people to the United States for the past two hundred years. But is the American Dream the same as it was at its inception? The American Dream has traditionally been defined as the concept that no matter where someone starts out in life, he or she can work his or her way upward and achieve an “ultimate dream” through dedication and hard work. However, this “ultimate dream” - what Americans work to achieve - has changed over time. Through the eyes of illustrators who imagine what they think the future will hold, one can see what the Americans of their time value, and consequently what the “current” American dream is. Through these illustrations, one can see that over time, the ultimate dream that Americans work towards has changed from one of individualism, …show more content…
This change can be seen through illustrations of the ideal futures of various decades. From 1915 to the 1980s, the idea that anyone could achieve the “ultimate dream” stayed the same, while the ultimate dream itself changed from the want to make one’s own way in the world, to having a perfect family, and finally to having the most possessions. However, in recent years young people have stopped believing that anyone could achieve anything through hard work - although these Americans still have a dream of having a nice house, a family, and a job, this is a dream that is no longer uniquely American. The concept of being able to achieve anything by working hard and persevering, and the fact that this was actually possible in America, is what made the American dream so important. Today, the American Dream is mostly considered unattainable, and is now considered more of a historical concept than it is a modern

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The Myth of Individualism

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages

    America is famous for the reputation of being the land of opportunity, and for generations immigrants have fled to the United States to experience the freedom and equality our government lays claim to. The fundamental of this reputation is the American Dream, the belief that life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each by hard working regardless of social class or circumstances of birth(by James Truslow Adams). The American Dream is different for everyone, though it is most commonly associated with success, freedom, and happiness. The concept of the American Dream seems to have dwindled from where it was in the past few generations. It has gone from success, freedom, and happiness to having lots of money and the nicest possessions. Also, it is believed to be blind to race, sex, or socio-economic status. In today’s society we all hope and strive for this dream, but how many actually achieve the American Dream? Is it a reasonable goal that Americans should strive for, or is it a myth that only leads to self-destruction? Repeated examples and statistics of the lower-classes, those continually facing the harsh reality that opportunity and equality are empty promises, only prove the opposite. The countless stories of failure to reach the American Dream significantly override the few success stories that keep the myth alive. However, these few success stories keep Americans, as well as the rest of the world, believing in the false opportunities the American Dream puts forth.…

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The idea of the American dream began when immigrants migrated to America in hope to become successful, have financial stability, and receive rights they could not in their country. The American dream however was not only fancied by immigrants. Americans also had faith and wanted to pursue the American dream. The confidence in the American dream has diminished over time due to several economic developments and government policies that has widened the gap between the rich and the poor. The American dream is basically dead due to serveral factors. In chapter 18, I came upon several essays that support my argument that the American dream has ended. I have realized that there are ample obstacles one has to endeavor to achieve…

    • 1045 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The traditional form of the American Dream is portrayed through hard work, the ability to better yourself, and financial success. Throughout the course of time, not only do customs change, but the ideals of the American Dream are modified as well. In most cases the basic characteristics of the traditional American Dream is translated through the actions of a successful society. Although this philosophy does not imply to the modern beliefs of the American Dream, many individualists began speculating that there are two options to the ideal American Dream, whether it’d be success or failure itself.…

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Dream is described as the perfect lifestyle. No one wants challenges or problems; they want the ‘perfect life’. This idea is stabilized by the different desires, wants, and needs for each person trying to obtain it; every individual has a different dream but it still can be obtained, as we see from Gatsby and Nick. The people in this country all have different backgrounds, they have come from different situations. The dreams of each of these people are different and the journey to achieve them can be challenging.…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gatsby

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “I think the American Dream says that anything can happen if you work hard enough at it and are persistent, and have some ability. The sky is the limit to what you can build, and what can happen to you and your family.”-Sandford Wall. The American is defined as the traditional ideals such as equality, democracy, and prosperity that serve as a common foundation for the people of the United States. In literary workings such as Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Great Gatsby, “The Necklace”, and “The Road Not Taken”, the authors prove that the American Dream is attainable due to the fact that many America’s are successful in acquiring independence, economic prosperity, and finding love.…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Dream to most is starting low on the economic or social level, and working hard towards wealth and fame. Having money, a car, a big house, and nice clothes symbolizes the American dream. On the other hand there are some Americans that dream too small. In another article by Marianne Cooper called “The Downsizing of the American Dream” she states that American’s “Lacking the resources needed to stay afloat in the new economy, these young people were no longer setting their sights on the very things that have long symbolized the American dream: a home, a job, a family.” This shows another side to the story.…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Many people think the American Dream isn’t reachable because of how hard someone might have to work to reach it. Honestly I believe that anyone can reach it if they try hard enough to get to that dream.…

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the years go by, the American Dream becomes less practical to fulfill. What is seen on television screens has changed the main concept of what the dream should be about. Instead of owning land and supporting a family, the dream has become about owning the most expensive cars, clothes, houses, etc. The Dream gives artificial faith that anything is possible and motivation to keep working for a better life.…

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The american dream

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages

    To this day whenever someone new comes to the United States they come along with a famous ethos “The American Dream”. Many people immigrate to America each year to receive their rightful freedoms, equality, and opportunities to achieve their goals. In recent discussion about the American Dream, a controversial fight has been over whether this dream still prospers and is achievable or if it is even a realistic idea to have anymore. On one hand, some people like Anne Jolis an editorial page writer for the Wall Street Journal Europe look at America today and say the “The dream today is in doubt”. From this perspective, MONEY is the power that runs basically everything in America and rules upon if you will achieve your dream. On the other hand however, people like Chris Demello argue that the dream is still alive and always will be. To me the American Dream is no longer obtainable. There is a horrible amount confusing and fighting that is happening in the States, the economy and government is more debt than ever before, and education is becoming worse preventing people to strive and their best to help the country run.…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Dream was once based on the same principles of The Declaration of Independence, like freedom and equality. That all men deserve “..life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..” (Revolution) Over time, the dream became more materialized and narcissistic. For some, it promised a journey of milestones and accomplishments. But for others, obstacles in the way were too much of a struggle. 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.”…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The point of the American Dream was to achieve a fulfilling life, yet in 2011, 50 million Americans, mostly made up of the poor, children, and the elderly, had to use food stamps in order to survive (Corning 1). In other words, it is not a satisfying lifestyle. To begin with, most people would say the original definition of the American Dream would come from the novel, The Epic of America, by James Truslow Adams, “a better, richer, happier life for all of our citizens of every rank” (Corning 1). Throughout history, the American Dream has been a chance to obtain a happy and comfortable life, but today, the American Dream has been reduced to a mere fantasy.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American dream is something that people all over the world yearn for. They long to leave their native countries and come to America to escape religious persecution, unstable government, or something similar. Even well-established American citizens can have an American dream of their own. Many young adults, myself included, dream of a successful life where we work hard for what we wish to have. While many foreigners’ American dreams are of a life of freedom in the “Land of Opportunity”, my American dream is to find happiness, success in my life and career, and economic stability.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    American Dream

    • 1286 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The American Dream, something once thought to be the American lifestyle that once achieved, one’s life may be considered perfect. It started out simple, owning two cars, owning a large house in a suburban neighborhood, married with two children, and owning your own business. This may the American Dream after World War II has ended; however, because of the economic crisis, the increase of major corporations, and the cost of living; over the years, reaching this goal has been a very difficult to achieve.…

    • 1286 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Dream

    • 1099 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Everyone! Come to America! You will have a life of happiness and riches! This what people usually consider the American dream, having a good steady job, owning a house, and making enough money for their family and themselves. Just having a happy life for their family and themselves. Many people consider the American Dream to still be alive and still present in today’s society but many also believe that the American Dream is nonexistent. In this essay I will be shedding light on how the authors, Bob Herbert, Brandon King, and Cal Thomas see the American Dream. Bob Herbert considers the American dream to be completely dead. He thinks that no matter how you define the American dream, there is not much left at all (Herbert 564). Cal Thomas on the other hand still believes that the American dream is still alive but it had changed. He thinks it has become more idealistic. He thinks the dream has boiled down to acquiring more material wealth rather than being stable middle-class people (Brandon 573). Cal Thomas also thinks that the American dream is alive but he thinks that it has a lot of falling family value that used to come with the seemly American dream. In society today he thinks the dream is defined as achieving greater prosperity and consuming more material goods (Thomas 568). People today strive to accomplish their own interpretation of the American Dream, but the reality is that some people do not even believe the American dream still exist. It is up to you do determine if you really consider the American dream to still be alive.…

    • 1099 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    American Dream Narrative

    • 1636 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In the book, The Epic of America, written in the year of 1931, author James Truslow Adams was the first to give a “clear” definition of what the American Dream really is. He stated that 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” (Truslow 214). Although his definition describes what the American Dream is, it does not explain what everyone’s American Dream is throughout the world. This is because each person has their own idea of a perfect life, therefore giving them their own distinct Dream and ways to achieve it. For some people, the ideal and perfect life may mean finally leaving their home country and traveling to America to be successful and prosperous. For others, it may mean getting married, having two beautiful children living in a three bedroom house with a white picket fence. Although several people may have the same outcome they would like to accomplish, it is how they get there that distinguishes them from the rest. As a young, only child, I determined what I wanted my American Dream to be and that was to grow up underneath the influence of my parents and have the perfect family with a dog, but I still have yet to make it there. Sometimes, some people just have to wake up and realize that their American “Dream” is more like an American “Nightmare.”…

    • 1636 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays