Essay About Achieving The American Dream

The American Dream is the idea that in America, people have the ability to reach success and wealth, while maintaining a happy self and family. Immigrants from countries around the world have traveled to America, for nearly a century now, to achieve this dream of riches and happiness. The American Dream is unattainable, because the obstacles in achieving the it are larger for certain genders, races, and social classes. Many immigrants have intense difficulties in achieving the American Dream because of where they come from and how much they already have. In “The Men”, the speaker says, “I’m the poor devil from the poor Third World,” (Neruda). The speaker is saying that he’s a poor man from a poor country, or Third World, to explain that he has nothing, and is coming to America to build wealth. However, he also says, “I’ve arrived at this famous year 2000, and what do I get? With what do I have to scratch myself? With what do I have to do with the three glorious zeros that flaunt themselves over my very own zero, my own non-existence?” (Neruda). Despite the fact that the speaker traveled to America to achieve his dream, he is still living in poverty without a well-paying job. This challenges the dream because it helps to explain that …show more content…
In the poem “I, Too,” Langston Hughes says, “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes. Nobody’ll dare say to me, ‘Eat in the kitchen,’ then” (Hughes 8-14). He believes that despite the inequality he’s treated with, America has a bright future. Hughes has hope that in time, he will be seen as an equal and his true beauty will be visible. Ironically, 92 years after this poem was written, racism is still a prevalent issue in America. People are still judged based on their skin color and where they’ve come from. This affects their opportunities to achieve their dreams and do what they love, which is a critical aspect of the American