What Is the American Dream Essay

There is a vast difference between the American Dream and the reality of living in the U.S.; in which having money does not always lead to happiness. In F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby the American Dream is seen as an ambition for many and nothing to others. It seems that during the 1920s anybody and everybody wanted to achieve the American Dream. Americans felt that having money was the only way to be happy. For George Wilson and Jay Gatsby, that was the ultimate goal; to be rich,…

his incorrect way of life. He is only telling him to stop what he is doing and let it go. Willy unfortunately mistakes his tears as an evidence of love, and he still fails to recognize his faults and flaws and he fails to recognize that Biff and he himself have both failed in every sense. As of the state of mind, Willy is so far past reality that he cannot even sense the truth anymore. Yet till his last breath he still wants his American dream to be met; whether it is by him killing himself, or…

People always say to “dream big or live small”. I’ve considered this a lot more now that we’ve explored the American Dream and what it means to different people. At a very early stage of my life my family moved to the center of the world, Dubai, and I immediately learned what it meant to build one’s dreams. I was 10 years old, and we had just moved into a apartment on the Palm Jumeirah. I was intrigued by the tall buildings, and confused to see no mountains around us. When I first started school…

decided that the answer lies in his delusions. His misguided beliefs of what his life has become are the start of the delusions and his idea of the American dream fuels them. In our dance I represent who Willy believes he is; a well-liked and successful salesman. Claire represents who Willy actually is; an anxious and insecure man who is no longer able to do his job successfully. Willy also has misguided beliefs about the American dream. He believes that you just need to be well-liked and have…

The Great Gatsby is one of the few books from when the idea of the American dream was at its peak that tells the true story of how the dream is really nothing but a nightmare. So, what exactly is the American dream? It is the idea that no matter who one is, where one came from or who one’s parents are one can become successful with hard work. F. Scott Fitzgerald the author of The Great Gatsby knew the truth. He knew that this dream was just a hoax that caused many to struggle their entire lives…

The American Dream in Of Mice and Men Behind every great life there lies a deep passion. Everyone has that something that drives them to live their life in such a way that they can enjoy it to the fullest. However, not everyone discovers for themselves what this truly is. John Steinbeck implements the idea of the American Dream throughout the novel Of Mice and Men, since migrant workers are constantly looking for something better through the times of the Great Depression. George and Lennie are…

What criterion defines a successful person? Who is to determine that? In “The Right to Fail,” William Zinsser disagrees with the idealistic American way of earning success. He also discusses the negative portrayal of dropouts in America. Zinsser believes that failing often leads to success and attempts to redefine the meaning of success. Although Zinsser glorifies dropping out, his examples of success, favor traditional means of achieving success. Zinsser undermines his own argument later on,…

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman presents the struggle of an American family to achieve success. Willy Loman, the main character, is a salesman who is motivated by the desire to provide for his family. This desire is the quintessential definition of the American Dream. Blinded by this desire, Willy Loman loses sight of his true happiness and tears himself apart. To fully understand the breakdown of Willy, one must first look to the play. Miller uses numerous literary devices to introduce the…

to the sweet awards of freedom, opportunity, and--its cotton candy--the “American Dream”. The “American Dream” is an idea that has been perceived differently throughout the years. Regardless of individual interpretation, the term still exists and has continuously drawn in a great number of people from all over the world. As our society evolves, population grows, and new officials step up to lead the country, the “American Dream” could seem improbable to achieve. However, this only appears so in…

The American Dream, it is a very well known statement, though over the years its meaning has changed for many people, and for some it no longer has meaning at all. There are some people that are optimistic in life and they believe in things like the American dream, in the words of Stanford I. Well, “ I think that the American Dream says that anything can happen if you work hard enough at it and are persistent, and have some ability. The sky is the limit to what you can build, and what can happen…