“The American Dream”
holds various definitions, according to dictionary.com these include:
1.
the ideals of
freedom, equality, and opportunity
traditionally held to be available to every American.
2.
a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.
3.
the notion that the American social, economic, and political system makes success possible for every individual.
The
whole idea of the American Dream was probably originated from immigrants first
arriving in early America seeking a better life, job opportunities, and to be
free of religious prosecution. The founders of America shaped the American
dream by instilling their beliefs of how government should be run.
Many
people think of Hollywood and L.A. when they hear “the American Dream”. Some of
my own imagery that comes to mind when I hear the words “American Dream” is the
image of riding down a road trimmed with palm trees in a pricey convertible,
and also the image of sun bathing while being served pina colodas. Basically the
American Dream sometimes means to become wealthy. But to many it goes a lot
deeper.
I
believe that the American Dream has a differing meaning depending on the
individual. For an immigrant, the American Dream is a chance at a different
life, many times a much better one than they, or their children, could ever
have in their native country. For me, like many other college students, the
American Dream is the opportunity to pursue my dreams, and make a comfortable
living for my future family. My personal American dream is to have a career
that helps others, and also to be honest (and this is a bit more shallow) a nice
big house, and lots of nice things for me and my family. No matter what one’s specific
“American Dream” is, it has one consistent theme, and that is success. It is
wonderful that we have the opportunity to achieve success even if some of us
were not born wealthy.
It seems as though Americans are beginning to doubt the notion of the American Dream.
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