94 American Dream Essay Topics & Examples

If you’re in need of American dream topics for an essay, research paper, or discussion, this article is for you. Our experts have prepared some ideas and writing tips that you will find below.

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The American dream is an interesting topic that one can discuss from various perspectives. If you need to write an essay on the American dream, you should understand this concept clearly.

You can choose to present the American dream as a miracle that one cannot reach or depict a free and wealthy nation. In any case, the American dream essay is a good opportunity to reflect on the concept and learn more about it.

There are many topics you can choose from while writing your essay. Here are some examples of the American dream essay topics we can suggest:

Remember that you do not have to select one of the American dream essay titles and can come up with your own one. Once you have selected the topic, start working on your essay. Here are ten useful tips that will help you to write an outstanding paper:

Feel free to find an essay sample in our collection and get some ideas for your outstanding paper!

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95 American Dream Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on american dream, 🎓 most interesting american dream research titles, 💡 simple american dream essay ideas, ❓ research questions about the american dream.

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American Dream Essays (Examples)

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American Dream

American Dream he Great American Dream has undergone a massive transformation since the end of nineteenth century and the sooner we come to terms with it, the better it is for the rest of the world. he American dream was once characterized by westward expansion, 'the new world' and ideals of liberty, freedom and equality. Unfortunately all these interpretations of American dream have lost significance over the years. It is our inability to reconcile ourselves with the changing reality that has resulted in such gross judgment errors including the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the more recent Afghan and Iraq wars. As harsh as it may sound, the truth is that America is no longer the symbol of equality or freedom. he black community had realized the sad truth a long time back as Malcolm X declared in 1962: "What is looked upon as an American dream for white…

The Great American Dream has undergone a massive transformation since the end of nineteenth century and the sooner we come to terms with it, the better it is for the rest of the world. The American dream was once characterized by westward expansion, 'the new world' and ideals of liberty, freedom and equality. Unfortunately all these interpretations of American dream have lost significance over the years. It is our inability to reconcile ourselves with the changing reality that has resulted in such gross judgment errors including the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the more recent Afghan and Iraq wars. As harsh as it may sound, the truth is that America is no longer the symbol of equality or freedom. The black community had realized the sad truth a long time back as Malcolm X declared in 1962: "What is looked upon as an American dream for white people has long been an American nightmare for black people." Our leaders have so far played a damaging role in interpreting and achieving the American Dream. George W, Bush, has not yet given up on the expansion theory. For Ronald Reagan, it meant becoming rich. And for others, it means being able to live and enjoy a free life. However none of these interpretations really define the American Dream because they have only contributed to turmoil and trouble around the world and within the country. For me thus, American Dream in its original form is only an elusive concept that has resulted in conflict, confusion and resentment. We need to give American Dream a new meaning and help the nation achieve it without military, political or social aggression. The new interpretation should be more in line with Rock star Bruce Springsteen's version of the American Dream: "I don't think the American dream was that everybody was going to make . . . A billion dollars, but it was that everybody was going to have an opportunity and the chance to live a life with some decency and some dignity and a chance for some self-respect." (1)

1) Quoted in Dave Marsh, Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen in the 1980s (New York: Dell, 1984), 264.

American Dream The Awakening" and "Thelma and Louise" Although written and filmed a century apart, Kate Chopin's novel, "The Awakening," and the movie "Thelma and Louis" possess the same core theme of feminism at odds with the norms of society. Chopin's character Edna, has had the social upbringing of any proper female of her day. Chopin describes her as "an American woman, with a small infusion of French which seemed to have been lost in dilution" (Chopin 9). Her marriage is social and filled with household schedules and social agendas. Edna's place is carved neatly and tightly. Her children were a responsibility that did not consume her for she "was not a mother-woman" (Chopin 19). She had never grown those protective wings that idolizing mothers grow and revere. Edna's husband, Leonce, reproaches her for her "inattention, her habitual neglect of the children" (Chopin 12). It was not as if Edna…

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. C.1899. Herbert S. Stone & Co.

Electronic Edition.   http://docsouth.unc.edu/chopinawake/chopin.html  

Thelma & Louise." Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Directed: Ridley Scott;

Screenplay: Callie Khouri. 1991.

American Dream Entails That Anyone

In this way the American Dream became even less accessible to poor persons, who in the past may have expected help from the more fortunate sectors of society. Instead they were forced to see the rich grow increasingly richer without any chance for access to prosperity. Unemployment and disparate income rates exacerbate the problem. hose employed in the most worthy of caring professions are often at the lowest end of the poverty scale, according to Malveaux (in Rothenberg, 2004, p. 293). She also blames the blind eye of policy makers for creating and maintaining this policy by means of elements such as welfare and minimum wage policies. In terms of employment, there is also still much discrimination against both women and black people. Malveaux further blames both the government and society for the inaccessibility of the dream to some when citing the events of 9/11 (in Rothenberg, 2004, p. 294).…

The American Dream thus leads to more inequality, which is the exact opposite of its ideals. The very mythological nature of the concept is responsible for this phenomenon. Because the perception is that the United States is a country of opportunity for everybody, many immigrants move away from their home countries, believing that a better life exists in the United States. The reality is however that the current economic downturn and events such as 9/11, together with the somewhat unwise actions taken by the American government, has moved the country further away from the American Dream. The concept is therefore now truly a myth. It is a pity then that so many still cling to the ideals of the Dream as if it can offer the salvation that in reality the country could not.

Rothenber, Paula S. (2004). Race, Class, and Gender in the United States. 6th edition, Worth Publishers.

American Dream Throughout U S History

(Steinbeck, 1939) When the Grapes of Wrath is compared with the other works that are discussed earlier, it is clear that this is showing the negative side of the American dream. In this situation, things did not work as planned for the Joads. Instead, they were forced to deal with these challenges and believe that things will turn around. This determination is showing how the American dream is more than just about succeeding or failing. On the contrary, it is illustrating how the personal relationships with one another and the lessons that are learned will help to make everyone successful. The key for achieving this goal is to never lose faith in each other, no matter the consequences or the outcomes. (Steinbeck, 1939) This is different from the previous works, by highlighting the struggles and how the American dream can be realized. As the Grapes of Wrath, is discussing the…

Cullen, J. (2003). The American Dream. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hansberry, L. (2011). A Raisin in the Sun. New York, NY: Double Day Press.

King, M. (1964). The American Dream. Drew University. Retrieved from:   http://depts.drew.edu/lib/archives/online_exhibits/King/speech/TheAmericanDream.pdf  

Steinbeck, J. (1939). The Grapes of Wrath. New York, NY: Plain Label Books.

American Dream Is the Idea

Waves of immigrants -- the Irish fleeing famine, the Italians, the Germans, the Scandinavians, the Chinese -- came to America, in the hopes of beginning their own businesses, starting their own farms and making life better for their children. America seemed like a place where the past did not define one's status in the present: yet even though many of these ethnic groups made inroads into America's social fabric and prospered, they also had to struggle against racism and intolerance. Despite the success of many poor individuals, it is important to remember that even wealthy industrialists and philanthropists like Andrew Carnegie, who made a fortune after beginning life as a poor man, often employed workers at slave wages to make tremendous profits. Even today, having social standing in America conveys undeniable advantages. The rich live in communities with better schools, have better health (and health insurance) and greater access to…

American Dream the Term American

A solid work ethic can help stimulate creativity. ork ethic does not entail laboring for long hours in deplorable working conditions. A healthy work ethic means that Americans work hard because they love what they do and take pride in it. arshauer shows how the "get rich quick" ideal has permeated American society, replacing what was once a healthy work ethic with an unhealthy arrogance. Liu also refers to what he has perceived to be a "culture of entitlement" in which individuals feel they deserve to be rich without having to work. The American Dream was never about winning the lottery. Rather, it was about being duly rewarded for hard work. The fact that hard work can be fulfilling has been lost on the current generation, which idolizes wealth but not the creative energy needed to create and sustain it. The new economy is changing the American Dream. Creativity and…

Florida, Richard. "The New American Dream."

Francis, David R. "The American Dream Gains a Harder Edge."

Library of Congress. "What is the American Dream?" Retrieved June 23, 2007 at  

American Dream Today the Term

This is a lesson that many today need to learn. This view of the American Dream can still be seen today, however, even if it requires reading between the lines. In Bruce Handy and Glynis Sweeney's graphic essay "The American Dream, Supersized," the author is struck by his daughter's field trip in a limousine to the former tenements that were the home of many immigrants in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The view of the American Dream that the authors presuppose is represented by this scene is the ability to achieve luxury without really thinking about the struggle that this type of wealth entails. Yet the facetious comments that the authors "imagine" in the mouths of immigrant parents, such as "God willing, my children will go to medical school and then become rich by injecting women's faces with poison to make them look younger" and "Would that my great-grandson grows…

American Dream What's Wrong With the American

American Dream What's wrong with the American Dream? The American Dream is primarily associated with achievement and success. According to Hochschild, achievement and success can be individually defined as it can mean something different to each person. The basic tenant, however, is the notion that hard work yields favorable results, if you play by the rules. Further, the dream can be pursued by anyone despite his or her background, culture, race or personal history (Charon & Vigilant, 2009, p. 28). Hochschild notes that there is an inherent problem with the American Dream; namely, that everyone can equally participate and can begin again. The myth and fantasy associated with this basic tenant is something that can be desired and sought after but not achieved. The American Dream is really a notion, ideology, or philosophy for White middle class Americans. It is not equally accessible for people of color, and up until…

Charon, J., & Vigilant, L. Social problems: Readings with four questions. 4th edition.

CA: Wadsworth.

American Dream Futile Bait and

The relationship between company and worker, where the company makes an investment in the employee through training, stock options, a structured retirement and benefits plan, etcetera, is no longer the norm today. Furthermore, although in other countries, health insurance, a livable pension plan, and other benefits like daycare for children, are not necessarily tied to private employment, these necessities for survival are in America. To be unemployed or underemployed means living in a state of continual anxiety about caring for one's self and for one's dependants. This drives many workers to look for unhelpful assistance from paid personal consultants and headhunters, who administer unhelpful personality tests rather than make a real effort to seek employment for their clients. Besides the problems inherent to the way that American government and corporate America are structured is the problem that there simply are fewer and fewer jobs for college-educated job seekers and more…

Ehrenreich, Barbara. (2005). Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American

Dream. New York: Metropolitan Books.

American Dream in the context of Gus Van Sant's 1997 film "Good Will Hunting" There has been much controversy with regard to the American Dream during recent years, as people appear to be more and more hesitant about accepting the fact that it exists. "Good Will Hunting" stands as a perfect example concerning a person who feels fed up with promises associated with living the American Dream and simply wants to live life the ways that he feels is best. While the film also emphasizes how a person can fail in taking advantage of the opportunity to live the 'American Dream', it also makes it possible for viewers to understand that people should actually focus on appreciating things that actually matter instead of being obsessed with the material aspect of the dream. The protagonist's name, Will, is basically meant to emphasize his main problem -- his lack of will. "He…

Bibliography:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott, "The Great Gatsby," (Interactive Media, 14 Feb 2012)

http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Great_Gatsby.html?id=JgxOs2GX86AC&redir_esc=y

Miller, Arthur, "The Man Who Had All the Luck," (Penguin Group U.S., 25 May 2004)

  http://books.google.com/books?id=ODxxXvnvpm0C&dq=%E2%80%A2%09Miller,+Arthur,+%E2%80%9CThe+Man+Who+Had+All+the+Luck%E2%80%9D,+  (Penguin+Group+U.S.,+25+May+2004)&hl=en&sa=X&ei=yW59UoTTJ-HE7AbwnIGwAQ&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAg

Consumerism: The Fallacy of the American Dream The American Dream is really money." Jill Robinson, an American novelist, cuts to the chase when she pinpoints the materialist nature of the American Dream. Usually cloaked with images of a leisurely retirement, the American Dream is fundamentally a struggle to keep up with the Joneses and to reassure our children that they will not have to work as hard as we did. The American Dream entails sacrificing the present for the future, saving and scrimping in order to play golf in Boca. Once upon a time, middle class Americans felt proud of pursuing the American Dream because it was the norm: everyone had ideals of suburban life with the white picket fence and a golden retriever. Now, Americans are jaded and cynical. We continue to climb corporate steps and work fifteen-hour days so that we can make the payments on the SUV.…

American Dream Essay Titles

American Dream Essay Titles Introduction The American Dream is something numerous writers and researchers have written about in the past.  The best way to attract new attention to your essay is to give it a great title that catches the eye of potential readers.  American Dream essay titles should pop with imagination and excitement.  After all, this is one topic that incites a great deal of enthusiasm in people, whether they believe in the Dream or denounce it as a nightmare.  So don’t be boring with your title.  Check these out for inspiration. Top 25 American Dream Essay Titles 1. Ben Franklin and the Myth of the American Dream 2. The Pursuit of Mammon:  How the  American Dream Turned into out to be an American Nightmare 3. Edward Albee and Satirizing the American Dream in American Drama 4. Is the American Dream Still Possible?  For Those Who are Naïve Enough…

Logan Wolf David Chapman Summer 2012/ENC-1101 The social immobility The American Dream is not what it appears to be. The American Dream as defined by James Truslow Adams in his book, The Epic of America, 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. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." (Truslow 214-215). Although Mr.…

American Dream Deadline May 3rd 2013 Intro

American Dream" Deadline: May 3rd, 2013 Intro: "In United States, major ideology American Dream, suggests equality opportunity exists positions social class structure a reflection deserve. The American Dream is generally regarded as a set of privileges that an individual living in the U.S. would have access to freedoms providing him or her with the chance to become prosperous and to be happy in general. The basic idea of the American Dream started as a result of people acknowledging that as long as an individual was free, he or she could achieve his or her goals as long as he or she is willing to work in order for them in a relatively short period of time. Even with the fact that the U.S. is presently one of the most developed countries and that American cities have access to a wide range of privileges, the American Dream has become less accessible…

Works cited:

Cullen, Jim, "The American dream: a short history of an idea that shaped the nation," (Oxford University Press, 2004)

Grogger, Jeffrey, and Trejo, Stephen, "Falling Behind or Moving Up? The Intergenerational Progress of Mexican-Americans," Retrieved April 23, 2013, from the PPIC Website:   http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/r_502JGR.pdf  

"American dream dying: the changing economic lot of the least advantaged," (Rowman & Littlefield, 2010)

"The American Dream then and now," Retrieved April 23, 2013, from the Arcor Website:   http://home.arcor.de/vhailor/413_FF_Fact_file_3_NRW.pdf

American Dream the Concept of

Moreover this lends him inimitability, it lends him importance, and it gives him honor. Like each one among us ranging from the first note to the last note in the entire octave of music on the keyboard of God is important since every man is created in the image of God. (A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.) The Declaration of Independence' might be the indenture of the American Dream, however within the complex text and the present reality remains numerous alterations on the quest of happiness: eunum, pluribus. Nevertheless, it is also a fact that within all chances, as dappled as any American citizen who has ever led his life, remain the fundamental categories of dreams that leans on notions whose significance both exceeds a specific perspective and gets a meaning by that perspective. The Puritans dream is that of freedom;…

Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King,

Jr. Retrieved at   http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/sermons/650704_The_American_Dream.html  . Accessed 6 November, 2006

Calder, Lendol. Financing the American Dream: A cultural history of consumer credit.

Princeton University Press, 1999.

American Dream' Is That Dream of a

American Dream' is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with the opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. (What is the American Dream, Pg. 1) The preceding quote was written by James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book, Epic of America. It is believed that this was the first time the term "American Dream"…

Bibliography

"What is the American Dream?" The Library of Congress American Memory Fellows Program. February 2003.

"I have a Dream." Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the Net. February 2003.

American Dream Is a Concept

The enormous number of questions did not only succeed in bringing people to physical exhaustion, but they also confused people to the level where they could no longer think logically and risked being deported, even though they were not attempting to deceit the American system. Most contemporary people express their liberal opinions regarding immigrants in the U.S.T.C. Boyle's Tortilla Curtain goes at proving how while some have apparently changed their discriminatory principles, they tend to act against their reasoning when encountering a difficult situation. Delaney claims to be a freedom promoter, and one who cannot accept racist theories. Matters seem to have changed significantly ever since the times when squatters robbed Californian dons of their lands and Chinese immigrants were considered to be different from immigrants of other nationalities. In Candido's opinion, Delaney lives the perfect life, being a legal U.S. citizen, owning a house in a good neighborhood, and…

American Dream Metaphor Stands as

The Grapes of rath" novel written by John Steinbeck portrays the Joad family as it tries to cope with all the difficulties that migrant laborers had suffered during the Great Depression. Across the novel, readers are presented with the 1930 farmers that, in search of the American dream, find themselves trapped into a world in which the wealthy are willing to exploit the working-classes to the maximum, regardless of the fact that farmers are malnourished. In the beginning of the book, Steinbeck presents the situation by describing the farm crops in Oklahoma having been devastated by a recent dust storm. At first Steinbeck refrains from presenting any characters as he intends to let the readers in on the topic. Tom Joad, a young man who has just been released from prison, tells the story of how he had been imprisoned to a truck driver. During the story, Steinbeck takes advantage…

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Viking Press, 1949.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. The Viking, 1939.

The Searchers. Dir. John Ford. Warner Bros. 1956.

Warshauer, Matthew. "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Changing Conceptions of the American Dream." Online resources for American studies. 13 Dec. 2008. http://www.americansc.org.uk/online/American_Dream.htm

American Dream'so Many Things

Fitzerald reveals to the reader that happiness is not a thing, which you can buy with money or handpick with power. His fulfillment of the requirements oh the "Dream" has come to such a point that between the lines the reader sees how desperate he is. So what is the American Dream that is criticized in the definition of Scott Fitzgerald? It is successful life and work through which people obtain the material acknowledgement of their success and become happy when they do. The problem is that having the person you "love" also start being a "material acknowledgement," too. The essence of the book is that when the moral principles are low, people choose any means for achieving success and people are interested only in the result. The real understanding of the "American dream" is lost by the characters in this book and by this Fitzerald shows that there is…

Fitzgerald, F. Scott the Great Gatsby New American Library, 1988.

American Dream Understood 1960'S 1970's 16 1961 Kennedy Delivered

American Dream understood 1960's/1970's 16[1961], Kennedy delivered a landmark speech at the University of Washington campus in Seattle: "We must face the fact that the United States is neither omnipotent nor omniscient, that we are only 6% of the world's population, that we cannot impose our will upon the other 94% of mankind, that we cannot right every wrong or reverse each adversity, and that therefore there cannot be an American solution to every world problem" (http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1635958_1635999_1634954,00.html #ixzz2g57wnLby).It was the early sixties and the American Dream was being questioned, revised, reiterated, reinforced and, most importantly, completed with responses to matters the Americans and the rest of the world were confronted with. he Cold War, the War in Korea, the U.S. relations with Cuba, the Civil Rights Movement, the Women's Rights Movement, the understanding and revision of authority from all standpoints, the challenging of conservative views on human sexuality and the…

The American Foreign Policy of the sixties and the seventies appeared to have roots in the idealistic idea of the American Dream. Theoretically, the Americans were fighting to liberate peoples from all sorts of tyranny. Practically, the American people were left to discover what the costs to be the worlds' policeman really involved.

War on foreign fronts cost the Americans dearly. Unfortunately, the results were poor to null, so they public rage against such futile undertakings began to grow. The American dream's meaning of fighting for freedom began to shift towards the freedom to say "no" to war, despite its initial noble intentions of fighting on the "good" side. "As the war expanded -- over 400,000 U.S. troops would be in Vietnam by 1967 -- so did the antiwar movement, attracting growing support off the campuses. The movement was less a unified army than a rich mix of political notions and visions. & #8230; Some peace activists traveled to North Vietnam. Quakers and others provided medical aid to Vietnamese civilian victims of the war. Some G.I.s protested the war" (  http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/vietnam/antiwar.html  ).

The two ideals of the American dream in the sixties and seventies: "peace" and respectively "freedom," began to shift in a matter of a few years: "In 1965, a majority of Americans supported U.S. policies in Vietnam; by the fall of 1967, only 35% did so. For the first time, more people thought U.S. intervention in Vietnam had been a mistake than did not. Blacks and women were the most dovish social groups" (idem). The Americans were beginning to understand that such speeches as that of President Kennedy's on the campus in Seattle were meant to go beyond mere campaigning and political gain. Unfortunately, politicians appeared to have learned very little from the War in Korea,

American Dream Corrupted in the Great Gatsby

Great Gatsby -- the American Dream The Great Gatsby is a novel that uses the theme of the American Dream in a number of ways, and it is not a stretch to explain that F. Scott Fitzgerald was showing the dark side of the elusive American Dream. The themes used in The Great Gatsby revolve around those issues in the Roaring Twenties that were linked to the newly wealthy people; and Fitzgerald uses those themes to present the flaws in the American Dream. This paper points to some of those passages in the novel that relate to the American Dream. The Great Gatsby's American Dream Themes Tanfer Emin Tunc presents an essay in the book appropriated titled The American Dream in which he points to how the concept of the American Dream is woven into Fitzgerald's novel. Fitzgerald uses the protagonist Jay Gatsby to "…exemplify the rise and fall of…

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Phoenix, OR: Interactive Media Publishing. 2012.

Tunc, Tanfer Emin. "The Great Gatsby: The Tragedy of the American Dream on Long

Island's Gold Coast." From The American Dream, Eds. B. Hobby and H. Bloom. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009.

American Dream Means What Does

And with money, transgender persons can buy all their needs and get a surgery to change their biological sex organs. ith money, one can buy a place where one can feel safe and comfortable. So, the American Dream is achievable but if only you have the required amount of money for whatever you want to be. That statement is also subject to contention. hether transgender persons can be considered fully-fledged citizens in America is a debatable question. As Hanna Rosin explains in her article about the lives of transgender children, overcoming the difficulty of being a transgender person in America is extremely difficult. Discussing some older transgender persons, Rosin writes: "transgender men and women in their 50s and 60s described lives of heartache and rejection: years of hiding makeup under the mattress, estranged parents, suicide attempts" (Rosin). She also discusses a an endocrinologist who had "seen patients rejected by families,…

Works Cited:

Livingston, Jennie, Paul Gibson, and Jonathan Oppenheim. Paris Is Burning. Burbank, CA: Miramax Home Entertainment, 2005.

Rosin, Hanna. "A Boy's Life." The Atlantic. November, 2008. Web. 17 April 2012

American Dream in Contemporary American

The harsh realities and poverty faced by most Americans today resulted to the loss of meaning of the American Dream, since its gradual disintegration as a concept is yet to be determined (Jonsson, 2002). Most people are skeptical about their future lives, an attitude that serves as a detriment for people to once more, aspire to achieve the American Dream. The American Dream still exists, although faith in it has gradually died down. Florida (2003) gives important emphasis to bringing back the attitude of hopefulness and contentment in life, since if looked at relatively, American life is still much better than those from other countries. This comparison motivates people to pursue their dreams and try to eradicate from their thoughts the persistence of "spiritual poverty," a term coined by Schwartz (2000), which identified Americans (and people in general) as having greater dissatisfaction in life than those who lived years and…

Florida, R. (2003). "The new American Dream." Washington Monthly, 35(2).

Jonsson, P. (2002). "Troubled times for some modest American dreams." Christian Science Monitor, 94(103).

Kellman, S. (2003). "The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that shaped a Nation." USA Today Magazine, 132(2700).

Schwartz, B. (2000). "Waking up from the American Dream." Psychology Today, 33(4).

American Dream in a Raisin

hile the family does move anyway, they are changed. alter learns that he cannot trust everyone and every fly-by-night idea is probably just a fraud. Curing the sick was the most important thing to Beneatha before alter lost the money. After the incident, she does not seem to care as much and she tells him, curing the sick is "not close enough to what ails mankind" (Hansberry 2254). Losing the money opened her eyes to how cruel people can be and forces her to rethink her priorities. alter has matured because of his mistake and has not allowed it to ruin the rest of his life. His deal with illy opens his eyes to the fact that while people are dreaming, there are "takers out there operating, just taking and taking" (2258). He realizes that he must not only work to achieve his dream, he must also work not to…

Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Vol. II. Lexington D.C. Heath and Company. pp. 2202-63.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. An Introduction to Literature. Sylvan Barnet, ed. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1985. pp. 1030-1114.

American Dream Today

Politics at the Movies—Changing Visions of the American Dream The so-called “American Dream” has changed in fundamental ways over the years, beginning with a modest vision for a steady job with a living wage, a little house with a white picket fence, a decent car, a happy marriage and good kids who did not use drugs. Over the years, though, this modest vision transformed into far greater aspirations, including a large salary, a big house in the suburbs, a trophy wife (for men) and children who excelled in academics and extracurricular activities, among countless other things. Today, however, more and more Americans are realizing that this type of vision is not achievable for them, and perhaps not their children as well due to major economic and social changes. The purpose of this paper provide a discussion concerning the concept of the “American Dream,” including its basic definition, the origins of…

Faade of the American Dream

The Façade of the American Dream is the main theme of Ta Nahesi Coates Between The World And Me as is made clear through the struggles the main character faces in the book. What is the American Dream? Peace, prosperity, possession of property, freedom from want, from fear. Who has possessed it? The reality, as Ta-Nahesi Coates points out in his book Between the World and Me, is that the Dream is possessed by very few people—by, in fact, the elite class that runs America and that is responsible for developing and maintaining its systems and structures. The problem with addressing this reality is that all too often people attack the system and the structure as though it developed all by itself. Far less often do people actually name the names of the people responsible for its erection—people like Margaret Sanger, the original American eugenicist, who sought the destruction of…

Facade of the American Dream

Essay Prompt: The Façade of the American Dream is the main theme of Ta-Nahesi Coates Between The World And Me, as is made clear through the struggles the main character faces in the book For all Papers 1 and 3 in the course, you will need to include and engage with 2-3 additional sources that you locate on your own through critical news media (not blogs), as these are more cultural studies papers,. But be sure that you're using the primary text as your main focus, and the cultural/social issues and sources to back up your thesis about the primary text! This is a literature course, after all.  Choose one (or more, but ideally one) of the primary texts we’ve read thus far—due to this, I imagine most papers will be on Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me. You will need to include and engage with 2-3 additional sources…

American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of

American Dream" in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" with References to Mark Twain and Henry Thoreau Arthur Miller's play entitled "Death of a Salesman" is a story about a man who has created a conflict with his family because of his great belief in the American Dream. Willy Loman, the main character in the story, makes a living by being a salesman, and the story revolves around his frustrations in life, particularly the strain in his relationship with his eldest son, iff Loman. Willy's frustrations stems from the fact that iff was not able to have a permanent and stable job, and is often fired from work because of some petty offense or misconduct on his son's part. Willy always insist that his son iff must develop relations with other people, and he must also have charisma and the ability to interact with them in order to achieve prosperity…

Miller, Arthur. "Death of a Salesman." New York: Penguin Books USA Inc. 1949: 137-8.

Thoreau, Henry. E- text of "Walden: Part I, Economy." American Transcendentalism Web site. 15 November 2002   http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/walden/chapter01a.html  .

Twain, Mark. "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." New York: Penguin Books USA Inc. 61, 303.

American Dreams by HW Brands

American Dreams by H.. Brands American Dreams chronicles the history of the United States after the defeat of the Axis powers until the present day. After orld ar II, America emerged as the major world power. It had an atomic capacity and had been less scarred, economically and politically, than Europe. How America managed this new role and how Americans' self-perceptions of themselves have changed over the subsequent decades is the subject of H.. Brand's brief social history. The book is organized into three sections. The first section, called Visions of Omnipotence (1945-1965), details the heady postwar time when America was first beginning to establish its authority in the world. It played a critical role in revitalizing the fortunes of Europe through the Marshall Plan and contained communism through the establishment of NATO and the Berlin airlift. This was also the era of the Korean ar, the Bay of Pigs,…

Brands. H.W. American Dreams. New York: Penguin, 2010.

American Dream and Wealth Gap

Economics and Global Capitalism The American Dream has always been tied to homeownership, yet homeownership has always been a prospect made possible through long-term loans made to credit-worthy applicants. For Main Street, this was mainly the case at least since the Baby Boomers came to age. For subsequent generations, predatory lending came about as the monetization of debt became another way for Wall Street to make money off Main Street. The American Dream prior to this was connected to the concept of upward mobility, but this too has been linked to the prospect of homeownership. Essentially, the American Dream has always been a dream about ownership of assets, of being at the minimum part of the middle class—a status that anyone could achieve in America so long as he was willing to work hard. Today, with globalization and the offshoring of manufacturing, the blowing of credit bubbles, the devaluation of…

American Dream of Egalitarianism

America: A nation of paradoxes America is a nation of paradoxes. On one hand, it is a nation that has symbolized freedom to many immigrants, as poignantly illustrated in Emma Lazarus' poem "The New Colossus," a poem included on the famed Statue of Liberty that greeted so many refugees as they strove to escape from Europe and avoid intolerable situations. The Lazarus poem proclaims the dawning a new America, free of class restrictions, which can offer prosperity even to the poorest new arrival. Yet federal policies in regards to African-Americans and Native Americans have been marked by injustice and prejudice. The American Dream of egalitarianism exists next to an ugly strain of racism that has run through the thread of American history since its inception. Emma Lazarus' poem is perhaps the most explicit, famous rendition of the American dream: "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp... / Give me your tired,…

Aldrich, Thomas Bailey. "Unguarded Gates." 1895. Print.

Hawk, Walter Echo. In the Courts of the Conqueror. Golden, Colorado: Fulcrum, 2010.

Hirschman, Charles. "Immigration and the American century." Demography (pre-2011) 42.4

(2005): 595-620. ABI/Inform Complete. Web. 19 Sep. 2014.

American Dream Hey Kim Do

My heart was always full of things I wanted to say -- questions that needed answering, or opinions bubbling beneath the surface, but I no longer had words to say them. I had lost my old world, but could not gain my footing in my new land. How I longed to be normal -- a normal Korean or a normal American, I did not care. But I knew that I was neither. My family history had aged me far beyond my years, although I had only a child's vocabulary in English. I could not go back, as my American experience soon made me different from my fellow Koreans. But my assimilation into America was imperfect. I chuckled at Gary Soto's essay "Looking for ork," about how he wished to make his American family act like the perfect families on TV, like Father Knows Best. It is hard to imagine one's…

Soto, Gary. "Looking for Work." From Rereading America. Edited by Gary Columbo, Robert

Cullen & Bonnie Lisle. New York: Bedford/St.Martin's, 2004.

Wu, Frank. Yellow. New York: Basic Books, 2003.

American Dream Depicted in the

Here we see that Laura is coming around and realizing that she, broken or not, is just like everyone else. Furthermore, the odd horn that made the unicorn seem "freakish" (1018) is no longer an issue. hen Laura realizes this, she also realizes that the things that make her seem like a freak to others may not be so significant, either. The time she spent with Jim allowed her to see that what makes her different might not be such a bad thing after all. She even tells Jim that with a broken horn, the unicorn "will feel more at home with the other horses" (1018). This statement reinforces Laura's change. The broken unicorn also symbolizes how Laura must deal with the possibility of remaining single. The broken unicorn could very well be her broken heart. These things break, and when they do, they are rarely the same again. However,…

Barranger, Milly Understanding Plays. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 1990.

Boxill, Roger. "The Glass Menagerie." Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations. Information Retrieved October 5, 2008. Facts on File Resource Database.   http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin=True  

Cardullo, Bert. "Williams's the Glass Menagerie." Explicator. 1997. 55.3. EBSCO Resource Database. Information Retrieved October 5, 2008.   http://search.epnet.com  

Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. An Introduction to Literature. 8th ed. Barnett, Sylvan, ed. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1985. pp. 967-1025.

Defining the American Dream

American Dream Defining the American Dream People have talked about a concept called the American Dream for many years, but the definition is difficult to pin down. The reason for this is that as the situations in the country change, so does the view people have of what the American Dream represents. The purpose of this paper is to define what the American Dream is from history, the generally accepted meaning of the term, and how that definition may have changed over the past couple of years. History shows that the concept of the American Dream began with the "discovery" of the Americas. hether the explorer was Leif Erickson or Christopher Columbus, all of the people who have come to these shores have dreamed of something better. As a matter of fact; "The idea of an American Dream is older than the United States, dating back to the 1600s, when…

Abowitz, Deborah A. "Social Mobility and the American Dream: What do College Students Believe?" College Student Journal 39.4 (2005): 716-728. Print.

McManus, John F. "Understanding America Today: Immigrants have Long Come to America to Live the "American Dream." The New American 23.21-15 Oct. 2007. 4-6. Print.

Tyson, Lois. Psychological Politics of the American Dream: The Commodification of Subjectivity in Twentieth-Century American Literature. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University Press, 1994. Print.

wiseGeek. "What is the American Dream?," 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2011.

Is the American Dream Alive and Well

American Dream alive and well? hile the American Dream has been one of the most intriguing concepts in U.S. history, it has gradually come to be more and more difficult to access. Many people in the present actually have problems determining whether or not it still exists and this amplifies the problem. hile most would prefer to believe that the American Dream never left and that anyone has the chance to make it in the American society, the reality is that there are a lot of interfering factors that make it difficult for people to achieve their goals in spite of the fact that they go through great trouble with the purpose of doing so. Social class represents an important factor in the contemporary society and the American Dream has come to be closely connected to it during recent decades. The reality is that governments have the tendency to provide…

Fussel, Paul, "Class: a guide through the American status system," (Simon & Schuster, 1992)

Gilbert, Dennis, "The American Class Structure in an Age of Growing Inequality," (Pine Forge Press, 13.05.2010)

"Overview of BLS Wage Data by Area and Occupation," Retrieved April 12, 2013, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Website:   http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm

The American Dream Today

Opportunity and the American Dream In spite of what Adams said, the American Dream still depends a great deal on birth or position. As Reifenberg and LeBlanc note, it all depends on one’s opportunity: a “general lack of opportunity affects the ability of the less welloff to live up to their full potential. Often disadvantaged for reasons beyond their control, they are forced to live life dreaming of what might have been had the circumstance of their birth been different” (445). In other words, unless one is born into the right circumstances, the right family, or the right environment, the so-called American Dream is unlikely to become a reality. Someone born in the urban part of America, in a poor family or in a poor community, is not going to have the same opportunity to achieve the American Dream as someone who is born the son of a wealthy businessman…

Chinatown the American Dream Essentially

If the American dream is real to someone, it is real; land and products can be bought and sold as a consequence. Obviously, for the dream of a better life to be sold to anyone it needs to be established that their current existence is less than attractive. This is why water is diverted away from a city in desperate need of water: the citizens need to be convinced that what they need is somewhere else. Furthermore, all of the town's undesirables are lumped into the center of the city, where they are most visible and most difficult to avoid. Poor minorities, essentially, are caught within the low income housing projects in the inner city. This is why Chinatown is unattractive to white, affluent citizens. Racism is as much of an impetus to leave the city as the stifling drought. The organizational structures in place demand that the Chinese live…

1. Chinatown. Feature Film. Paramount Pictures, 1974. 131 min.

Welfare Experience Deparle's American Dream

The second issue is the economic disparity between men and women, and the differences in their earning capabilities. Not only are women more likely to be single parents, they are also less likely to be given jobs then men, and are also apt to earn less at these jobs. The fact that even full-time employment in many cases did not provide enough of a living to support a family is a key indicator that something is wrong with society. Welfare is an attempt to address this problem, and even it falls short. This also leads to a feeling of injustice which is definitely felt by many on welfare, and is used to justify continuing payments by certain individuals DeParle mentions. In general, however, the families he depicts are struggling against external practical constraints and the inner struggle and strained energy reserves that this causes, with very real inhibitive effects on…

Resurrection of the American Dream

Resurrection of the American Dream The American Dream is a concept that has been a part of American culture for many decades. The American Dream is a deeply held conviction that an individual can reach his or her fullest potential if they apply themselves appropriately. This concept is built on the idea that there are no limiting conditions that can keep someone from fulfilling their potential such as age, race, sex, disabilities, or other factors that are beyond an individual's control. The idea is centered on the concept that there exists the opportunity for social mobility that can be achieved through the application of one's efforts. Through hard work and determination an American has the potential to improve their circumstances at all times. However, the vitality of the American Dream has been compromised in recent decades with many macroeconomic developments that have negatively impacted the economic opportunities for Americans. Furthermore,…

Adams, J. The Epic of America. Simon Publications, 1933. EBook.

Asensio, A. And D. Lang. "The Financial Crisis, Its Economic Consequences, and How to Get Out of It." International Journal of Political Economy (2010): 58-69. Web.

Focardi, S. And F. Fabozzi. "The Resonable Effectiveness of Mathmatics in Economics." American Economist (2010): 19-30.

Lal, D. "The Great Crash of 2008: Cause and Consequences." Cato Journal (2012): 265-277. Web.

Arthur Miller the American Dream

"(Miller, 96) However, even if it can appear that illy's death is a further failure and humiliation, Happy points out at his funeral that Loman had the braveness to pursue his dream to the end, despite the fact that he did not succeed: "I'm gonna show you and everybody else that illy Loman did not die in vain. He had a good dream. it's the only dream you can have - to come out number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I'm gonna win it for him."(Miller, 111) the promise that Happy makes to follow his father's dream and accomplish it for him is again ironic however. Miller points thus to the perpetuation of the American Dream in society, and hints at its probable permanence. Thus, Miller's play is one of the most 'American' productions as it points to the conflictive relationship established between the American…

Gordon, Lois. "Death of a Salesman'; an Appreciation," in the Forties: Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Everett/Edwards, Inc., 1969, pp. 273-83.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: The Modern Library, 1975.

Sociology Definition of Concept Theory The American Dream

Sociology Definition of Concept/Theory: The American Dream is one of the most pervasive elements of American consciousness and identity. It is the cornerstone of the myth of meritocracy in America, as the American Dream suggests that anyone can achieve upward social mobility simply by working hard. The American Dream is one of the chief motivating factors for foreign immigrants, who flee war-torn, poor, or otherwise problematic places abroad to seek asylum and opportunity. Although the American Dream has come true for many Americans, including immigrants, the achievement of upward social mobility and integration with the dominant culture in America remains elusive. The American Dream is more a myth than a dream. Example 1: Drash, W., Basu, M. & Watkins, T. (2013). Boston suspects: Immigrant dream to American nightmare. CNN. 20 April, 2013. etrieved online: http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/19/us/Massachusetts-bombers-profiles/index.html?iid=article_sidebar This article is about the suspects in the Boston marathon terrorist attacks. The article focuses…

Drash, W., Basu, M. & Watkins, T. (2013). Boston suspects: Immigrant dream to American nightmare. CNN. 20 April, 2013. Retrieved online: http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/19/us/Massachusetts-bombers-profiles/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

Silver, R. (n.d.). Interviews and stories (personal).

Myth of the American Dream

Paine is broken and reveals the entire scheme. Similarly, Dumbo suggests that a belief in one's self can accomplish anything, even in the face of the most seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Dumbo is the story of an elephant with enormous ears. Dumbo is a freak and the mockery of the circus. His mother is taken away after she tries to protect him. The circus is a cruel and judgmental environment that put animals on display for the public's entertainment. However, Dumbo proves that with gumption, unrecognized talents can be honored. This is was typical of the Disney style -- much like during the Great Depression, the third little pig was celebrated as someone who "exhibits old-fashioned virtues, hard work, self-reliance, self-denial" (Sklar 204). The social prejudice that hurts Dumbo does not have to be cured; he merely needs to try harder to use his disability in service of society. These films…

Dumbo. Directed by Walt Disney. 1941.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Directed by Frank Capra. 1939.

Skylar, Robert. Movie-Made America. Vintage, 1994.

Article Summaries of American Dream

American dreams can sometimes be just a pipe dream as many new articles showcase the bad side of dreaming. In one article, "Poll: hites and Republicans Rank as Angriest Americans" by Rafferty, hite Republican Americans have shown the most anger at the current state of America. Polls recently released information showing whites in America are the angriest because 54% of the white American population have grown more outraged in the last few years. Latinos come in second 43% and African-Americans third at 33%. Another poll revealed 73% of whites feel anger at least once each day in comparison to the 66% of Latinos and the 56% of American blacks. The topics they feel the angriest of are consumer fraud and congressional dysfunction. Overall, there is a growing sentiment that the American dream is no longer possible. "52% of the country said the idea of the "American dream" no longer holds…

Parkinson, Nick. "Selby: American Dream Will Put Me On Map." ESPN.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.

Rafferty, Andrew. "Poll: Whites And Republicans Rank As Angriest Americans." "CNBC. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.

Ridgway, Nicole. "Capturing The American Dream With Photographer John Loomis." CNNMoney. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.

Decline of the American Dream

As we have already mentioned, the mood and tone for moral corruption in New York City was prime in the 1920s and while it may seem there are the rich and the poor, class distinction among the rich plays an important role in the novel. Gatsby's success will only carry him so far because of a dividing line that exists between the new wealth and the old wealth. This is best depicted with the est and East Egg sections that divide individuals according to their wealth. Gatsby, regardless of how much money he makes, cannot hold a candle to the old wealth of the community in which Tom and Daisy live. Tom comes from an "enormously wealthy" (6) family and when he moved to the rich East Egg, he "brought down a string of ponies from Lake Forest" (6). The Buchanan's home is "more elaborate" (7) than what our narrator…

Alberto, Lena. "Deceitful traces of power: An analysis of the decadence of Tom Buchanan in the Great Gatsby." Canadian Review of American Studies. 1998. EBSCO Resource Database. Site Accessed November 01, 2008.   http://search.epnet.com  

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Bantam Books. New York. 1974.

Fussell, Edwin. "Fitzgerald's Brave New World." ELH. 1952. JSTOR Resource Database. Information Retrieved November 1, 2008.   http://www.jstor.org/  

Inge, Thomas. "F. Scott Fitzgerald: Overview." Reference Guide to American Literature. 1994. GALE Resource Database. Information Retrieved November 03, 2008. www.infotrac.galegroup.com

The American Dream Essay

The American dream is something people in the United States and the world over, have strived for throughout the years. From the first immigrants of Western Europe to the new immigrants of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, many came to this country in pursuit of freedom a chance at upward mobility. This American Dream essay example will focus on the ways Americans have in the past and present, attempted to achieve a life of happiness and fulfilment in the United States. Title Recommendations: Pursuit of the American Dream To be or not to be: The American Dream A chance at Upward Mobility: The American Dream Topic Recommendations: The Modern Day American Dream Why Do People Pursue the Elusive American Dream? How to resurrect the American Dream The Ideals Behind the American Dream Outline: I.  Introduction II.  Body A.  The History Behind the American Dream B.  The Modern Day American Dream…

Truth Behind the American Dream

He blames his father his personal failure because he, "blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody! That's whose fault it is!" (1108). illy's failure extends beyond the workplace and spills over into his family life. This should come as no surprise since the two are closely connected when we think of the American Dream. illy does not want to change and this proves to be detrimental to his job, his life, and his family. At the age of 63, illy decides not to think about change or failure. It is easier to find excuses. For example, he tells Linda, "The trouble was that three of the stores were half-closed for inventory in Boston. Otherwise, I woulda broke records" (Miller 1046). He admits "people don't seem to take to me" (1047) and he is often overlooked and "not noticed" (1047) at work. He…

Beatty, Mary Lou. "Arthur Miller." Humanities. (22)2. (2001) 2. Site Accessed April 13, 2010.

Gassner, John. Modern American Literature. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing. 1969.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. An Introduction to Literature. Sylvan Barnet, ed. Boston:

Generation Conflict and the American Dream

Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller, and "The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts" by Maxine Hong Kingston. Specifically, it will discuss conflict between generations and the "American Dream" in the two works. Both of these works clearly show the conflict between generations that often results from differing views of the "American Dream," the dream that is so elusive to so many of us. Author Kingston's story is fact, rather than fiction, but the generational differences between her and her mother are still apparent. She remembers, "We'd have to face four- and five-day-old leftovers until we ate it all. The squid eye would keep appearing at breakfast and dinner until eaten. Sometimes brown masses sat on every dish. I have seen revulsion on the faces of visitors who've caught us at meals" Kingston 108). Her life is far different from her mother's, and she is firmly entrenched…

Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts. New York: Vintage International, 1976.

Miller, Arthur. "Death of a Salesman." Masters of Modern Drama. Haskell M. Block and Robert G. Shedd, ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. 1962.

Great Gatsby the American Dream

In fact, other than her beauty and her high class status, it is hard to see why Gatsby loves her so much. But Daisy's materialism, for Gatsby, is not a negative quality. "Her voice is full of money," he says (94). This indicates that Gatsby sees Daisy's obsession with wealth as a good thing, a kind of a way to egg him on to make something of his life. Daisy is Nick Caraway's second cousin but unlike Nick, she is obsessed with money to the point that she ignores human feelings. hen Gatsby left to go to war, she ended their relationship. Tom Buchanan at the time was much more financially stable than Gatsby, and even though Tom strikes almost everyone who comes in contact with him as a rich, superficial person, Daisy loved Tom's money. Daisy has aspirations to be loved and appreciated, of course, but between love and…

Fitzgerald, Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1980.

The Great Gatsby." Study Guide. Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District.

12 Apr 1999. 22 Apr 2007. http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/grgatsb.html

Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Changing Concepts of the American Dream."

Great Gatsby and the American Dream

Great Gatsby and the American Dream In many ways, the first portions of the biography of Jay Gatsby embodies the American Dream: Jay Gatsby was born to unspeakable poverty and was able to climb out of it through hard work, discipline and dogged determination. This was at least how it appeared in the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. However, over the course of the book Fitzgerald demonstrates that the American dream is actually far more elusive and far darker than most actually realize. Consider the exchange that the narrator, Nick Carraway has with Gatsby's father, once Gatsby has been killed. The father has found a schedule that his son wrote out for himself back when he was boy, and the schedule dictates a strict hourly routine of how the young man would divide his time each day: from the moment he rose from bed, to the dumbbell exercises he would…

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. (2013) The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribners

Dragon the American Dream in

Sissy Eng stands out in direct contrast to her younger brother, having fully embraced the American Dream by marrying a white husband -- one who interestingly exoticizes Chinese people and culture -- and capitalizing on her Chinese heritage through the publication and sale of a cookbook, in which she takes enormous pride and pleasure. She, like her father though in a less subservient manner, fully caters to the American expectation of her Chinese identity, and uses it to make her own version of the American Dream. She is quite successful at this as well, and is entirely happy with the life she has created for herself as a staunch Chinese-American. Sissy does not exhibit any sense of guilt or conflict for having "sold-out," but rather accepts the largely artificial identity of her mixed culture or nationality as her natural place in the American systems of thinking and success. Fred Eng…

Legendary American Dream Is Home

The proliferation of the internet has threatened to undermine the capacity of real estate agents and brokers to control the dissemination of information in the real estate market. Prior to the inception of the internet and the adoption of its use by the real estate industry, details relative to real property was largely within the exclusive province of the agents and brokers. Multiple listing services, property transfer information, existing liens and mortgages, etc. were, until the proliferation of the internet difficult, if not impossible, for potential buyers to obtain. The internet changed all that but many real estate professionals have attempted to hold on to their control of such information which has precipitated considerable litigation (Darlin). The battle that is raging is between a real estate industry attempting to remain competitive in the market place and consumers demanding more autonomy and more information. B. Marketing and Customer Demand There is…

Associated Press. As Housing flounders Realtors leave profession. 21 August 2007. 27 June 2011 .

Craft, Timothy M. Real Estate Finance in the Midst of Change. Research. Madison: University of Wisconsin School of Businesss, 2000.

Darlin, Damon. "The Last Stand of the 6-Percenters?" New York Times 3 September 2006.

Grubb, Farley. "U.S.Land Policy: Founding Choices and Outcomes." Irwin, Douglas. Founding Choices: American Economic Policy in the 1790s. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009. 259-289.

Distortions of the American Dream The Effects

Distortions of the American Dream: The Effects of Materialism in Day of the Locust and the Great Gatsby In both The Day of the Locust and The Great Gatsby, pursuit for the superficial and material in the world has become their driving focus, blurring the line between right and wrong. In this paper we will look at how materialism affects both Jay Gatsby and Tod Hackett. We can see what direction the main protagonist in Day of the Locust, Tod Hackett, will go, just by looking at the word "hack" in his name. While in school he has decided to pursue the field of commercial illustration instead of pursuing the more rigorous field of painting art for arts' sake. His friends warn him that he is selling out. Tod has taken the possibility of a great education at Yale and has decided to help create superficial images of things that…

Shoeless Joe American Dreams How

And so America continues to search subconsciously for ways back, for snorkels to lower to those buried souls. Consider the resurgence of magical literature in America over the last decade and a half. Never since Tolkien has the fantasy genre -- the Twilight books and the wealth of vampire chronicles accompanying for example -- been so widely successful. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels are a recent manifestation of that search for snorkels. What could be more escapist than to imagine being a wizard estranged and insulated from his magical heritage and forced into the mundane -- muggle -- world? As Shoeless Joe was to Ray Kinsella, as writing was to W.P. Kinsella, so has Harry Potter been to a recent generation of Americans. Harry Potter is a mythological symbol of the type Campbell knows has been lost to the detriment of the people. He is the truth Americans wish they…

1. Kinsella, W.P. Shoeless Joe. New York: First Mariner Books, 1999. Print.

2. Twigg, Alan. "Kinsella, W.P." ABCBookworld, BC Bookworld. 2005. Web. 28 April 2010.

3. Besner, Neil. "Kinsella, William Patrick" the Canadian Encyclopedia. 2010. Web. 28 April 2010.

4. Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. California: Joseph Campbell Foundation, 2008. Print.

Distortion of the American Dream

Disillusionment and the Harlem enaissance and Post-Modernism Distortion of the American Dream The American dream has been as old as the American constitution. From the text, there is a highlight of the American dream and its distortion over years. It is presented as an old dream, which is as old as the Constitution of the United States of America. According to the text, those who framed the American dream were engaged the country in a state where everyone will gain the good as from working hard. Through working hard, people will be able to make it possible to attain different levels of their fulfillments. Nonetheless, today many things have changed with the changes in time (Hemingway, 2013). With the aspects of capitalism and materialism taking root in every society, the dream has been distorted. The possible supports for a statement that many of the people live within their required states…

Hemingway, E. (2013). Hills Like White Elephants: Short Story. Toronto: HarperCollins Canada.

Wicks, R. (2003). Modern French Philosophy: From Existentialism to Postmodernism. Oxford: One world Publications.

Death of a Salesman Willy and the American Dream

Exchange at the End of Act Two: THE WOMAN: I just hope there's nobody in the hall. That's all I hope. To Biff: Are you football or baseball? BIFF: Football THE WOMAN: (angry, humiliated) That's me too. G'night. Both Biff and Happy are shown throughout the course of Death of a Salesman to have a very careless attitude in regards to how they treat women. They treat women like conquests, not as human beings. In a flashback sequence, Linda complains that mothers have informed her that they are worried that Biff is rough with girls; Happy has slept with a number of the girlfriends and fiancees of the superiors at his place of employment. He does so not because he is in love with these women but as a passive-aggressive way of getting back at the people who tell him what to do on a daily basis at work. In…

American Myths the Flag Is

As Margaret Atwood points out, Americans have as much to be ashamed of as to be proud of. When Barbara Kingsolver claims "The values we fought for and won there are best understood, I think, by oil companies," she refers to the way the American flag has been distorted. The issues the flag symbolizes, such as freedom and liberty, are myths for many people. As Kingsolver points out, the American flag has been used to justify many evils including wars like Vietnam and Iraq. Instead of delivering true freedom, liberty, and democracy, the American flag really brought economic dependence. Instead of associating the American flag with negativity, death, and intimidation, Kingsolver suggests that Americans reclaim it. The red stripes do not need to symbolize war. They can also symbolize "blood donated to the ed Cross." The American flag is a flexible symbol that is often used in ways that manipulate…

Atwood, Margaret. "A Letter to America." Published on Friday, April 4, 2003 by the International Herald Tribune. Retrieved July 29, 2008 at   http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0404-07.htm  

Kingsolver, Barbara. "And Our Flag Was Still There." Published on Tuesday, September 25, 2001 in the San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 29, 2008 from Common Dreams at   http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0925-08.htm  

Streufert, Duane. "Evolution of the United States Flag." Evolution of the United States Flag. Retrieved July 29, 2008 at   http://www.usflag.org/history/flagevolution.html

American & God's Dream the

Marx's interpretation of Twentieth-Century Capitalism, as described by Miller, describes the changes in the American dream. The American dream was initially one linked to the idea of land ownership. Immigrants came from Europe, where land ownership had been a privilege of the wealthy. However, when America was relatively unsettled, almost anyone could theoretically come to America and claim land, and many people did just that. Of course, some of these early Americans did so in a grand way, traveling westward from the cities and establishing homesteads in the wilderness. The idea of home ownership, however, was not limited to those frontiersmen. Instead, only 100 years ago, someone could come to America and, because of the cheap price of land, afford to build his own home if he worked hard enough to do so. However, the nature of the home, itself, was different. Those homes were centers of production: at the…

Medaille, John. The Vocation of Business: Social Justice in the Marketplace. New York:

Continuum International Publishing Group, 2007

Miller, Vincent Jude. Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture.

New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004.

American National Character History

American National Character (history) The Ongoing Search for an "American National Character" This assignment asks the following pertinent and challenging questions: Is it possible to find trends amongst so much diversity? What characteristics are distinctly American, regardless of class, race, and background? What is problematic about making these generalizations and inheriting the culture? What have we inherited exactly? What problems arise with our ideals - and are we being honest with ourselves? Discuss individualism and the "American Dream." Are these goals realized and are they realistic? This paper seeks solid answers to these often elusive questions. The search for a national character should be never-ending, and the pivotal part of the search that should be enlightening and enriching for the seeker of that knowledge may just be the inspiration from the books and authors springing into the seeker's mind along the way to discovery. Who is presently engaged in a…

Bellah, Robert. Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life.

New York: Harper & Row, 1985.

Cochran, Thomas Childs. Challenges to American Values: Society, Business, and Religion. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985.

Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books, 1973.

American Economy 1950s Consumer Culture

Thus, a couple -- Tom and Betsy ath -- are stuck in the middle trying to find real meaning in it. Living in suburban Connecticut, their three children are addicted to TV and show no real interest in the life around them. Tom is the epitome of the discontented businessman, who is forced to work to pay for the new middle class suburban life. Despite his hard work, he finds it hard to pay for his life, a staunch contrast to the free living seen in the Seven-Year Itch. Betty's acceptance of Tom's affairs, which shows the passive and supportive role of the wife in the 1950s no matter what the husband is to do -- he is her life support, for she is a stay at home wife. In the end -- the money isn't worth the tension it causes at home. Thus, the film is a testament to…

Moffatt, Mike. (2009). The post-war economy:1945-1960. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved December 12, 2009 from   http://economics.about.com/od/useconomichistory/a/post_war.htm  

Simbajon, Carlo. (2009). Economic status of the United States in 1950. Economics. Retrieved December 12, 2009 from   http://ezinearticles.com/?Economic-Status-of-the-United-States-in-1950&id=1565016

American Investment Recovery Act Throughout American History

American Investment ecovery Act Throughout American history there has been an emphasis on maintaining a balance of power between different branches of government. This is from the belief that concentrating too much authority in one area will lead to inevitable abuses in others. To prevent this, the federal government and states have always practiced these basic principles. As a result, there are varying interpretations as to the overall scope of power given to particular branch. (McNeese, 2001) In 2009, these issues were continually being brought to forefront with the American ecovery Act and einvestment Act of 2009. This law was designed to provide the economy with additional amounts of stimulus to address the lingering challenges from the financial crisis. However, the process of enacting this legislation, there were increased amounts of controversy surrounding the balance of power between the President and Congress. This is because the Democrats had an overwhelming…

The American Investment and Recovery Act. (2009). Fiscal Accountability. Retrieved from: http://www.fiscalaccountability.org/index.php?content=cog09-13#

The American Investment and Recovery Act. (2009). GPO. Retrieved from:   http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr1enr/pdf/BILLS-111hr1enr.pdf  

Estimated Impact of American Investment and Recovery Act. (2012). CBO. Retrieved from:   http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/05-25-Impact_of_ARRA.pdf  

Wickard v. Filburn. (2012). Case Briefs. Retrieved from:   http://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/constitutional-law/constitutional-law-keyed-to-stone/the-powers-of-congress/wickard-v-filburn-2/

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Drama - World

American Dream he Great American Dream has undergone a massive transformation since the end of nineteenth century and the sooner we come to terms with it, the better it…

Sports - Women

American Dream The Awakening" and "Thelma and Louise" Although written and filmed a century apart, Kate Chopin's novel, "The Awakening," and the movie "Thelma and Louis" possess the same…

American History

In this way the American Dream became even less accessible to poor persons, who in the past may have expected help from the more fortunate sectors of society. Instead…

Family and Marriage

(Steinbeck, 1939) When the Grapes of Wrath is compared with the other works that are discussed earlier, it is clear that this is showing the negative side of the…

Native Americans

Waves of immigrants -- the Irish fleeing famine, the Italians, the Germans, the Scandinavians, the Chinese -- came to America, in the hopes of beginning their own businesses, starting…

A solid work ethic can help stimulate creativity. ork ethic does not entail laboring for long hours in deplorable working conditions. A healthy work ethic means that Americans work…

Urban Studies

This is a lesson that many today need to learn. This view of the American Dream can still be seen today, however, even if it requires reading between the…

American Dream What's wrong with the American Dream? The American Dream is primarily associated with achievement and success. According to Hochschild, achievement and success can be individually defined as…

The relationship between company and worker, where the company makes an investment in the employee through training, stock options, a structured retirement and benefits plan, etcetera, is no longer…

American Dream in the context of Gus Van Sant's 1997 film "Good Will Hunting" There has been much controversy with regard to the American Dream during recent years, as…

Consumerism: The Fallacy of the American Dream The American Dream is really money." Jill Robinson, an American novelist, cuts to the chase when she pinpoints the materialist nature of…

Essay Titles

American Dream Essay Titles Introduction The American Dream is something numerous writers and researchers have written about in the past.  The best way to attract new attention to your…

Logan Wolf David Chapman Summer 2012/ENC-1101 The social immobility The American Dream is not what it appears to be. The American Dream as defined by James Truslow Adams in…

American Dream" Deadline: May 3rd, 2013 Intro: "In United States, major ideology American Dream, suggests equality opportunity exists positions social class structure a reflection deserve. The American Dream is…

Moreover this lends him inimitability, it lends him importance, and it gives him honor. Like each one among us ranging from the first note to the last note in…

American Dream' is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with the opportunity for each according to ability or…

The enormous number of questions did not only succeed in bringing people to physical exhaustion, but they also confused people to the level where they could no longer think…

Research Proposal

The Grapes of rath" novel written by John Steinbeck portrays the Joad family as it tries to cope with all the difficulties that migrant laborers had suffered during the…

Fitzerald reveals to the reader that happiness is not a thing, which you can buy with money or handpick with power. His fulfillment of the requirements oh the "Dream"…

American Dream understood 1960's/1970's 16[1961], Kennedy delivered a landmark speech at the University of Washington campus in Seattle: "We must face the fact that the United States is neither…

Great Gatsby -- the American Dream The Great Gatsby is a novel that uses the theme of the American Dream in a number of ways, and it is not…

Women's Issues - Sexuality

And with money, transgender persons can buy all their needs and get a surgery to change their biological sex organs. ith money, one can buy a place where one…

The harsh realities and poverty faced by most Americans today resulted to the loss of meaning of the American Dream, since its gradual disintegration as a concept is yet…

hile the family does move anyway, they are changed. alter learns that he cannot trust everyone and every fly-by-night idea is probably just a fraud. Curing the sick was…

History - U.S. (after 1865)

Politics at the Movies—Changing Visions of the American Dream The so-called “American Dream” has changed in fundamental ways over the years, beginning with a modest vision for a steady…

The Façade of the American Dream is the main theme of Ta Nahesi Coates Between The World And Me as is made clear through the struggles the main character…

Essay Prompt: The Façade of the American Dream is the main theme of Ta-Nahesi Coates Between The World And Me, as is made clear through the struggles the main…

American Dream" in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" with References to Mark Twain and Henry Thoreau Arthur Miller's play entitled "Death of a Salesman" is a story about…

American Dreams by H.. Brands American Dreams chronicles the history of the United States after the defeat of the Axis powers until the present day. After orld ar II,…

Economics and Global Capitalism The American Dream has always been tied to homeownership, yet homeownership has always been a prospect made possible through long-term loans made to credit-worthy applicants.…

Research Paper

America: A nation of paradoxes America is a nation of paradoxes. On one hand, it is a nation that has symbolized freedom to many immigrants, as poignantly illustrated in…

My heart was always full of things I wanted to say -- questions that needed answering, or opinions bubbling beneath the surface, but I no longer had words to…

Here we see that Laura is coming around and realizing that she, broken or not, is just like everyone else. Furthermore, the odd horn that made the unicorn seem…

American Dream Defining the American Dream People have talked about a concept called the American Dream for many years, but the definition is difficult to pin down. The reason…

American Dream alive and well? hile the American Dream has been one of the most intriguing concepts in U.S. history, it has gradually come to be more and more…

Opportunity and the American Dream In spite of what Adams said, the American Dream still depends a great deal on birth or position. As Reifenberg and LeBlanc note, it…

If the American dream is real to someone, it is real; land and products can be bought and sold as a consequence. Obviously, for the dream of a better…

The second issue is the economic disparity between men and women, and the differences in their earning capabilities. Not only are women more likely to be single parents, they…

Resurrection of the American Dream The American Dream is a concept that has been a part of American culture for many decades. The American Dream is a deeply held…

"(Miller, 96) However, even if it can appear that illy's death is a further failure and humiliation, Happy points out at his funeral that Loman had the braveness to…

Sociology Definition of Concept/Theory: The American Dream is one of the most pervasive elements of American consciousness and identity. It is the cornerstone of the myth of meritocracy in…

Paine is broken and reveals the entire scheme. Similarly, Dumbo suggests that a belief in one's self can accomplish anything, even in the face of the most seemingly insurmountable…

American dreams can sometimes be just a pipe dream as many new articles showcase the bad side of dreaming. In one article, "Poll: hites and Republicans Rank as Angriest…

As we have already mentioned, the mood and tone for moral corruption in New York City was prime in the 1920s and while it may seem there are the…

The American dream is something people in the United States and the world over, have strived for throughout the years. From the first immigrants of Western Europe to the…

He blames his father his personal failure because he, "blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody! That's whose fault it is!"…

Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller, and "The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts" by Maxine Hong Kingston. Specifically, it will discuss conflict between generations and…

In fact, other than her beauty and her high class status, it is hard to see why Gatsby loves her so much. But Daisy's materialism, for Gatsby, is not…

Great Gatsby and the American Dream In many ways, the first portions of the biography of Jay Gatsby embodies the American Dream: Jay Gatsby was born to unspeakable poverty…

History - Asian

Sissy Eng stands out in direct contrast to her younger brother, having fully embraced the American Dream by marrying a white husband -- one who interestingly exoticizes Chinese people…

The proliferation of the internet has threatened to undermine the capacity of real estate agents and brokers to control the dissemination of information in the real estate market. Prior…

Distortions of the American Dream: The Effects of Materialism in Day of the Locust and the Great Gatsby In both The Day of the Locust and The Great Gatsby,…

And so America continues to search subconsciously for ways back, for snorkels to lower to those buried souls. Consider the resurgence of magical literature in America over the last…

Disillusionment and the Harlem enaissance and Post-Modernism Distortion of the American Dream The American dream has been as old as the American constitution. From the text, there is a…

Exchange at the End of Act Two: THE WOMAN: I just hope there's nobody in the hall. That's all I hope. To Biff: Are you football or baseball? BIFF:…

As Margaret Atwood points out, Americans have as much to be ashamed of as to be proud of. When Barbara Kingsolver claims "The values we fought for and won…

Mythology - Religion

Marx's interpretation of Twentieth-Century Capitalism, as described by Miller, describes the changes in the American dream. The American dream was initially one linked to the idea of land ownership.…

American National Character (history) The Ongoing Search for an "American National Character" This assignment asks the following pertinent and challenging questions: Is it possible to find trends amongst so…

Thus, a couple -- Tom and Betsy ath -- are stuck in the middle trying to find real meaning in it. Living in suburban Connecticut, their three children are…

American Investment ecovery Act Throughout American history there has been an emphasis on maintaining a balance of power between different branches of government. This is from the belief that…

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Essays About The American Dream: 7 Interesting Topics to Discuss

American Dream has main themes: hard work and equal opportunity create a better life over time. Discover essays about the American dream topics in this article.

The concept of the American dream includes many ideas, including those outlined in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Professional writers, high school students, and many people have worked to outline the meaning of the American dream in essays and research papers.

Many United States citizens operate under the assumption that working hard can elevate their financial and social status. Many people in American society grapple with whether the idea of the American dream is an attainable reality for those born into less-fortunate circumstances. While some argue that social mobility—meaning changes in social class based on effort and hard work—are at the core of the American dream, others argue that those who are born into a preferable situation may have an easier time achieving the dream, disputing the notion of an equal playing field.

Here, we’ll discuss 7 interesting essay topics on the American Dream that you can use in your next essay.

For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers

1. Is The American Dream Still Alive?

2. the american dream is still alive: these people are proof, 3. the american dream defined, 4. the american dream in literature, 5. what does the american dream look like for immigrants, 6. how has the american dream changed over time, the final word on essays about the american dream, faqs about essays about the american dream.

A topic of much debate, it can be tough to figure out whether the American Dream continues to exist as it did half a century ago. Many people question whether the American Dream is a reality for that outside of the American family depicted in 1950s television and print ads—largely white, upper-middle-class families.

Suppose you decide to write about whether the American Dream still exists. In that case, you’ll want to consider the inflation of the cost of a college education that has made it impossible for many students to work and pay their way through college, resulting in debt that feels impossible upon graduation. Rather than a fresh start in life, many graduates face low-paying jobs that make it difficult to handle daily living costs while also paying back high-interest student loans.

As you write about why the American Dream is currently a struggle for many, include success stories that show how the American Dream is still being achieved by many. You may want to touch on how the traditional idea of the American dream is changing with time. You can do this by highlighting studies that explain how successful Americans today feel regarding the American Dream and how the tenants of a successful life are changing for many people. 

Want to show your audience that the American Dream is still alive and well? Highlighting the stories of people who have achieved success in their lives can be a great way to convey proof of the existence of the American Dream to others. 

As you write your essay, it’s important to share how the definition of the American dream has changed over time. Today, many people feel that the American dream has more to do with a sense of belonging and community than making a certain amount of money or living in a certain type of home. Research shows that across the United States of America, people generally shared a positive feeling about the possibility of achieving the American dream. Most felt that they either had achieved the dream or were on their way to achieving it.

As you write your essay on proof of the existence of the American Dream, be sure to highlight people from different backgrounds, sharing the different challenges they’ve faced throughout their lives. You’ll want to show how Americans achieve success despite challenges and different starting points and how they’ve enjoyed their success (despite having different definitions of what it means to achieve the American Dream).

In years past, the definition of the American Dream was clear: rising above circumstances, developing a successful financial portfolio, owning a home, and having kids in a successful marriage. Today, however, many people define the American Dream differently. In an essay on defining the American dream, it’s important to consider viewpoints from different cultures and how a person’s socioeconomic starting point affects their view of what it means to have “made it” in America. 

When defining the American Dream, you may want to touch on how social and economic issues in America have made the American Dream a more realistic possibility for some groups than others. Social programs, discrimination, and civil rights issues have made it tougher for some minority groups to climb above the standing they were born into, making it harder to achieve financial stability and other aspects of the American dream.

In your essay about defining the American Dream, you may also want to touch on the importance of being able to take risks. This can be easier for people whose parents and other relatives can provide a safety net. People who are dependent on their savings to support new business ventures may find it harder to take risks, making it more difficult to achieve the American dream. 

When defining the American Dream, be sure to touch on how the Dream can be different for different people and how one person’s financial stability might not be the same as someone else’s. If possible, include anecdotal quotes and stories to help your reader connect to the way you’re defining the American Dream.

Many pieces of classic American literature work to show what the American Dream means to various groups of people. In writing an essay about the American Dream in literature, you’ll want to discuss several different classic works, including The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. 

When discussing the theme of the American Dream in literature, there are a few different approaches that you can take to show your readers how the American Dream has changed in novels over time. You may want to work through a timeline showing how the American Dream has changed or talk about how real-life social and economic issues have been reflected in the way that authors discuss the American Dream. 

When writing about the American Dream, you may also want to touch on how each author’s social standing affected their view of the American Dream and whether the achievement of the Dream was feasible at the time. Authors born into difficult circumstances may have a different view of the American Dream than authors born into a more affluent lifestyle. 

Growing student debt, a lack of high-paying jobs, and increasing living costs have made it difficult for people to keep their faith in the American dream. Economic research shows that many first- and second-generation Americans experience economic mobility upward in immigrant families, but this mobility eventually stalls in future generations. According to some researchers, t’s possible that first- and second-generation immigrants feel more of a push to be a success story in an attempt to erase the negative connotations that some American citizens have with the word “immigrant.”

People who are new to the United States face different challenges than people who have lived in the country for their entire lives. Writing an essay about how the American Dream is different for people born in other countries can enlighten many of your readers about how the Dream is different for people in different circumstances.

Essays About the American Dream: How has the American dream changed over time?

The American Dream has not remained stagnant over the years, and what people once believed to be the American Dream is something that many Americans no longer want. Writing an essay about how the American dream has changed over time can be an interesting way to explore how the ideals of America have changed over the years. 

The wealth gap has changed over time in the United States, making it increasingly difficult for people born into a lower socioeconomic status to build their wealth and achieve the American dream. Research shows that more than 40% of people born into the lowest part of the income ladder in the United States stay there as adults. Talking about how economic challenges in the United States have made it difficult for many people to go through college or start businesses can be a jumping-off point to discussing changes in the American Dream. 

For many people, the ideals associated with the American dream—marriage, family, kids, a job that provides financial stability—are no longer as desirable. Some people don’t desire to get married, and it’s more acceptable in society to stay single. Some people have no desire to have kids, and some people prefer to work in the gig economy rather than going to a 9-5 job every day. Discussing these changes in American society and how they relate to changes in the American Dream can help your reader see how the Dream has changed over time.

In the eyes of many, the American dream is often associated with homeownership. Skyrocketing mortgage rates in the U.S. make it hard for many people to afford a home, relegating them to rent or living with family members. If you decide to talk about the difficulties of becoming a homeowner in today’s economy, do your research on the latest mortgage news. Many people who once qualified for mortgages struggle to get approved due to skyrocketing interest rates. Including recent financial news can help help your readers connect recent events with the reality of the American Dream.

Opinions on the American dream differ, and when writing about the topic, it’s important to keep your audience in mind. While some people have experienced at least part of the American dream, others have struggled despite hard work due to an unequal playing field from the start.

What literary works discuss the American dream?

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is well-known for their takes on the American dream.

What should be considered when writing an essay on the American dream’s existence?

When writing a persuasive or argumentive essay on the American dream, it’s important to consider social mobility, interest rates, homeownership rates, the cost of education, and other factors that contribute to creating a lucrative financial life.

If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

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american dream essay titles

American Dream Essay Examples and Topics

The idea of american dream and unhappiness in the great gatsby.

The well-known American Dream results from the desire to work hard in order to gain prosperity, freedom, or even a better life than one lives. In The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald, set in the roaring twenties, a man named Jay Gatsby proves…

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Why Gatsby Doesn’t Achieve the American Dream

The American Dream is different for every American even if it’s a fictional character. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the protagonist tries to achieve the American Dream the only way he thinks it is possible. Gatsby doesn’t achieve his American Dream since…

The American Dream and Why It is Still Alive in the United States

The American Dream Is Alive The American Dream began with the birth of a nation who strove to be free of oppression, although the term “American Dream” was not officially coined until 1931 by James Truslow Adams. He defined the American Dream as “a land…

The American Dream Displayed in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, he uses the color yellow in an attempt to convey that anyone can achieve the American Dream through wealth, happiness, and love. For example, Gatsby shows that his wealth helps him achieve the American Dream. James Gatz has…

Is the American Dream Still Possible Today

No matter the person’s ethnicity, skin color, or cultural background, it was believed that living in America, achieving one’s dreams could become a reality. This is the American Dream; the idea “in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity…

How F. Scott Fitzgerald Develops the American Dream Through The Great Gatsby Novel

Tommy Hilfiger once said “The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, it’s possible to achieve the American dream”. It’s not easy to succeed you have to work for it and sacrifice things to get their, you…

Is the American Dream Still Achievable

The American dream is your vision about the goal that is deep seated in your brain and the idea by which equality of an opportunity is available to any American, and goals to be achieved. Many immigrates like me are living the American dream. The…

Of Mice and Men American Dream and Plot

The American Dream is what many strive for throughout their life. It represents the feeling of freedom and independence. For many, their American Dream is unattainable in the sense that, for them, it is mostly just a dream rather than something that can become a…

Serving in Florida by Barbara Ehrenreich Plot and Analysis

In Barbara Ehrenreich’s essay “Serving in Florida,” she argues that people living on minimum wages cannot lead a healthy and happy lifestyle. She talks about her exhausting experiences in the workforce and her experiment with multiple minimum wage jobs. Ehrenreich begins this experiment in Key…

The Reasons Why the American Dream is Still Alive

 Is the American dream still alive? Posed this question among numerous Americans and as per every individual’s experience, you will find various answers. A few Americans don’t have the slightest idea of what to accept in any case and they will say it is confusing…

The American Dream Portrayed The Great Gatsby

The American Dream is typically described as the belief that no matter what race, gender, or social class you were born into, you can obtain your version of success with hard work and sacrifice. In The Great Gatsby, there is a common theme of the…

The American Dream in The Great Gatsby Story

The goal to be successful practically never ends well. The human race as a whole is built off of succession. The goal can get us wrapped up in only succeeding in that, and make us lose track of reality. The American Dream In the Great…

America as the Land of Opportunity

America is filled with many opportunities for everyone. No matter who you are or what your background you come from, you will always have the chance to live the American Dream. If someone where to ask me how I would describe America in three words….

Death of a Salesman American Dream

The American Dream is the fairy-tale by which equity of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest need for goals to be achieved. In the 1950’s Americans was able to go after the American Dream, with big hopes towards the future Americans were…

Is the American Dream Still Alive

 In my perspective, the American Dream is still alive because the employment in the past few years has contributed to prosperity in the United States. The American Dream was coined by the Great Depression. The American Dream was coined by James Truslow Adams, who wrote…

Best topics on American Dream

1. Is The American Dream Still Achievable

2. Of Mice and Men American Dream and Plot

3. Is The American Dream Still Possible Today

4. Serving In Florida By Barbara Ehrenreich Plot and Analysis

5. The Reasons Why The American Dream Is Still Alive

6. The American Dream Portrayed The Great Gatsby

7. The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Story

8. America As The Land Of Opportunity

9. Death Of a Salesman American Dream

10. Is The American Dream Still Alive

11. Coates’ “Between The World And Me” Book Analysis

12. Supporting Others: The Way To Your Own Success

13. The Great Gatsby and American Dream

14. The American Dream Through The Persona Of Gatsby In The Novel The Great Gatsby, Written By F. Scott Fitzgerald

15. How F. Scott Fitzgerald Develops The American Dream Through The Great Gatsby Novel

New American Dream Essay Examples Essay Topics

1. Reinterpretation of the American Dream in Modern Times

2. The American Dream's Effects on Socioeconomic Class

3. The Impact of Ethnicity and Race on the American Dream

4. The Relationship Between the American Dream and Materialism

5. The importance of the American Dream for future generations

American Dream Essay Examples Argumentative Essay Topics

1. American Dream is Still Accessible In Contemporary Culture

2. A Source of Inspiration or an Unrealized Hope: the American Dream

3. The Relationship Between the American Dream and Immigration

4. Government Policies' Impact on the American Dream

5. Education's Involvement in Realizing the American Dream

Summary: the Evolution of the American Dream

The idea of the American Dream has always had an underlying influence on the consciousness of many Americans. The evolution of the American Dream is visible through the use of Modernism, the Harlem Renaissance, and Postmodernism. Modernism is bold new experimental styles, and structures that…

Film Review of The Great Gatsby and the American Dream Concept Through the Plot

‘The Great Gatsby’ was a film based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel that told a love story of Jay Gatsby set in the 20s New York city. The film presented a marvelous roaring 20s world in the United States. Although the film is not a…

Depiction of American Dream in the Movie "The Big Sick"

The movie “The Big Sick’ explores the issues between race and cultural exchange and highlights the impact these issues have on dating and marriage. This movie I think uses a lot of close ups in important scenes to highlight the importance of characters and their…

Neighbour Rosicky by Willa Cather Review

“A dream does not become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work” (Colin Powell). At the story Neighbour Rosicky written by Willa Cather, we see that how much work is important for Rosicky, who works hard during his life to have a…

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American Dream Essay Topics & Ideas

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Argumentative American Dream Topics Ideas

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The American dream is one of the most common expressions in the world. Both migrants and indigenous people are striving to make this dream come true in America. Interest in understanding the American dream became especially popular in the latter years of the Soviet Union, when young people, based on Hollywood films, dreamed of stylish jeans, beautiful houses, some huge “Cadillacs” in the garage. Despite these beliefs, the expression of the American dream is far more than any material asset.

The American Dream is a common doctrine in the United States that the possibility of fame, success, and prosperity is available to anyone living legally or illegally in the United States.

The term “American Dream” is intended as a general social doctrine (ideology) for the United States that unites people living in the United States in search of happiness and prosperity. This ideology is based on the belief that anyone living in the United States, by realizing their energy and hard work, can achieve success in life and become a wealthy member of society. Virtually every new president of the United States in his inaugural address notes that under him every American will move closer to his American dream.

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american dream essay titles

Argumentative Essays on American Dream

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The Evolution of The American Dream

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The American dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society in which upward mobility is possible for everyone.

The term "American Dream" was coined by James Truslow Adams in 1931, saying that "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.

Achieving the American dream requires political and economic freedom, equality, as well as rules of law and private property rights. The American dream also offers the promise that the circumstances of someone's birth — including whether they were born American citizens or immigrants — do not completely determine their future.

“When we make college more affordable, we make the American Dream more achievable.” — William J. Clinton “I am the epitome of what the American Dream basically said. It said you could come from anywhere and be anything you want in this country.” — Whoopi Goldberg, “The American Dream is a phrase we’ll have to wrestle with all our lives. It means a lot of things to different people. I think we’re redefining it now.” – Rita Dove

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American Dream Essay Examples

The reason they call it the American Dream is that you have to be asleep to believe it. For many years, the United States has been known for the idea that if one works hard enough he or she will be prosperous and, in turn...

The American dream is about having the opportunity for success. The American dream is also about freedom and living the life you want to live. This is my American dream, essay examples, where I will share personal dreams. So my American Dream is to have...

To start with, in this American values essay I will argument how these values affects our life. The American dream to me is all about family values. The American dream is defined as the ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American,...

“The American Dream,” is something everyone who comes here or lives here strives to achieve the american dream, but what is the american dream exactly? In american dream argumentative essay we will discuss this topic through the review of two books. Fitzgerald has defined the...

This is 3 reasons why the American dream is still alive essay in which three basic arguments due to the topic are given. Between 1880-1920 the immigration to the United States reached its peak.The socalled “Old Immigration” brought thousands of Irish and German people to...

What are most important issues facing america today essay will take an attrmpt to answer this question throught the perspective of the idea of American dream. “Nature or nurture” is a question that has long been asked by society. In asking this, society is trying...

Representation of the American Dream in “The Great Gatsby” essay. The novel, “The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream, and the idealistic and illusionary goal to achieve wealth and status. The ruthless pursuit of wealth leads to the corruption of...

The fulfillment of the American Dream is not always achieved a clear example is a novel entitled Of Mice and Men. American Dream is a phrase that has multiple meanings to different people. For some people, the American Dream might be an education. To others,...

The question that I asked myself after reading “The Great Gatsby” is “How does Gatsby represent the American dream?”, so in this essay I will try to analyse whether there is any depiction of American Dream and how it is represented. In the book caracters...

The topic of the paper is “Park Avenue; Money, Power and the American Dream” essay where the author analyse two text in comparison. So have you ever wondered why dreams do not come true? Everyone is different but everyone has equal opportunities and chances to...

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The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, the set of ideals (democracy, rights, liberty, opportunity and equality) in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, as well as upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers.

The American dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society in which upward mobility is possible for everyone. The American dream is believed to be achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, rather than by chance.

The American Dream is rooted in the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims that "all men are created equal" with the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The meaning of the "American Dream" has changed over the course of history and includes both personal components and a global vision. Historically the Dream originated in the mystique regarding frontier life. As John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, the colonial Governor of Virginia, noted in 1774, the Americans "for ever imagine the Lands further off are still better than those upon which they are already settled". He added that, "if they attained Paradise, they would move on if they heard of a better place farther west".

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