Friday, February 12, 2010

The American Dream Ideal

Please respond to the following questions in a thoughtful written response:

Explain what the American Dream means to you. (What does it represent? What ideals are prevalent? Think about images you have seen, what your past learning experiences have taught you and what you perceptions show you today) How might the American Dream be different in earlier generations? Has the ideal of the American Dream changed (with regard to time, place, or generations)?

19 comments:

  1. Society has led me to believe that the American Dream consists of a nice car, nice house, large sums of money, great job, great family and friends, etc. I dont think that evryone sees the American Dream the exact same way. Like stated above this may apply to some people, like the foreigners that come to America seeking opportunity to move up in the social class and have things they didnt have previously. To me the American Dream means that I have made an impact in my community. It would be nice to get the nice car, house, and lots of money, but in part I see the American Dream as achieving your own personal goals by hard work and determination.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The American Dream is a very broad idea. What it means depends on the person. When most people think of it they might think of material items which of course appeal to most anyone, but to me the American Dream is something else; to me the American Dream are the opportunites one can be given. The opportunity to be greater is my American Dream. Living here has so many chances for people that it has to be. Giving the option to become something better is the best gift one can ask for, and if you are given room to grow of course it makes it that much easier to try and challenge yourself to be the best that you can. The American Dream; opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The American dream can mean a lot of difference things to a lot of different people. In my opinion the American dream is to have the freedom to do what I want when I want. When many people think about the American dream they think about growing up getting a spouse, having a kid and getting a house. They think about this or they think about material objects. This might be because of different generations, back in the day right after the war finding a wife and having a kid or two was the American dream. Now all anyone wants is more clothes, money, cars, and a big house. The times have changed therefore so have the people and what they want.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The "American Dream" is something that is unique to our country, and to each individual in this country. It is seeing your dreams and chasing after them. It is the opportunities given to you in order to do what you want to do and be who you want to be. It is the chance to live a free and democratic life. I think the "American Dream" has changed from generation to generation. It used to be coming here to find political and religious freedom. Being free of oppression. I believe that the "American Dream" and the ideals brought with it (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) in this present time, have been taken for granted by the average person.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The American Dream means something different to everyone. To many people it represents living a successful life, with loving friends and family and a great job. It also is about the material things such as a nice car, house, cell phone and more, the list could go on. Obviously, a vast majority of people would love that, but there is a deeper meaning behind the American Dream. I believe you should set goals for yourself and try your best to achieve them. Here in The United States, almost anything is possible and if you achieve the things you want in life, then you are living the "dream

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think the American Dream has changed over the years. It used to be living in the suburbs with your spouse, a dog, a couple of kids, drinking coffee in the morning and reading the newspaper. Now, however, I feel like you need to become extremely wealthy and famous. People are becoming older before they marry, wanting to get well into their career before settling down. I think everyone has their own dream, but the American Dream is focused and centered upon fame and money.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The American dream can mean difference things to different people. I think that the American dream is having the freedom of doing everything my heart desires. In America we have so many opportunities that don't even compare to other places, you can grow up poor and under privileged and end up being a millionaire. The American dream is typically imagined to have a pretty spouse with 2 kids to create the picture perfect family in suburbia with the same daily routine, happily surrounded by what makes them happy, along with this some would want the expensive material things like clothes and cars. This has how people have looked at it for a while. Now its less of the emotional happiness created by family and more of the material satisfaction people get from looking beautiful either natural or from surgical adjustment, from the material things like cars, clothes, money, and big houses. Now people are happier from what they buy and see in Hollywood then family.

    ReplyDelete
  8. As it says in the Declaration of Independence everyone should be entitled to life, liberty, and the "pursuit" of happiness. From my perspective it seems as if people are not willing to pursue their dreams. People seem to work on something for a while and then when the going gets tough they give up and wait for people to have pity on them. I feel a lot better about something when I work really hard for it and then I see positive results and I think that if we continue to work really hard inour jobs and in our daily lives we can get out of this finacial funk that we're in as a country. This is what I believe the true American Dream is all about. Their is a saying that says "luck is when preparedness meets opportunity". With this in mind the harder we work in our lives the more we will reap the benefits.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Although the American Dream can have many differnt meanings to different people, I think it is mainly about what the Declaration of Independence states; that everyone has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The main aspect of this that pertains to the American Dream is the pursuit of happiness because America is all about the freedoms you are entitled to. The pursuit of happiness has different meanings to different people and has changed from past generations but the main thing that makes this possible is freedom. To have the American Dream is to have the freedom to do what you wish in order to purse your dreams and happiness.

    ReplyDelete
  10. the american dream has different meanings to different people. to me the american dream is to have a good job, a good life, and good friends. it also means to me to be happy with your life and have very few regrets. i dont think the american dream has changed much from earlier generations, just a new value of the dollar and different views on a good life.

    “There are those who will say that the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind is nothing but a dream. They are right. It is the American Dream.”
    Archibald MacLeish

    ReplyDelete
  11. In the past the "American Dream" was to have a stay at home mom, a working father, money, and kids with a craving for education. Although that may be true somewhat today... I believe that the "American Dream" today is more money and material goods oriented. Rather then wanting a family and a good life, I feel that nowadays people just want the money and the cars and the house and to them that is satisfactory. In my opinion the American dream should be a mixture of people's ideas through the generations. For me, I want a good family and a solid income and be able to support my kids in whatever they want to do. I feel that for the American Dream today people also want to look perfect and be perfect, therefore a lot of plastic surgery and expensive clothes have been glorified. Although I think it is nice to treat yourself once in awhile, I don't believe that its something to pride yourself on. Its causing people to be judge mental and it is honestly sad. The American Dream will always be ever changing, but sadly I don't think it will ever get better.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The American Dream to me means to not think the world revolves around you, but to be helping others and being down to earth. I do think that most people who live in America think the American Dream is to have as much money as you can, the best paying job, fancy clothes, and houses. If America was not so stuck on it self, why did it take an earthquake for us to wake up and realize all the struggles of Haiti. To me the American Dream should represent how kind our country is, but right now I think it represents how selfish we are. If you just look at most people they just walk with their fancy clothes, drive fancy cars, talk on their phones 24/7, but not really caring about the people around them. I think the American Dream was different in earlier generations because back then the American Dream cared more about family being together and as long as they had a roof over their heads. I think the American Dream has changed the most amongst children and teenagers because we care about our friends and the materialistic things that we have.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The American dream is the idea of success in one's own goals and desires in a free environment through hard work. In the present this generally seems to include the possession of great wealth, an incredibly large house in a highly (over)rated neighborhood, and possibly a happy family. In the past, the American dream was probably less materialistic (generally speaking). In recent times, material possessions have become more socially important as a symbol of high status. However, the general idea of success through honest work has always been prevalent in the American dream.

    ReplyDelete
  14. My vision of the American Dream is to work hard and to succeed in whatever I choose to do with my life. I think that working hard allows a person to truly appreciate and value everything that he gets. I believe that the iconic American Dream is the rags to riches stories where a person was born into poverty and worked hard to become a rich and successful person. My problem with the classic idea of the American Dream is that money doesn’t buy happiness. I don’t buy into the idea that material possessions are the key to happiness, but I do see where this idea comes from. If a person is poor then it is easier to equate money with happiness because money would allow them to live an “easier” life. My idea of success is to have a job that I love coming to every day, instead of a job that makes me rich. I would rather have a job where the pay is just ok, but every day I have fun with it. Instead of job that makes me rich, but every day I work there I hate it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. To me the American Dream is the belief that you can go from nothing to something. That if you work hard enough, you can overcome any obstacles you face, and accomplish your dreams. The American Dream makes us believe that hard work is the key to success in life. It also gives us hope that we can accomplish the unthinkable and the unbelievable against all odds. I have seen stories such as "The Pursuit of Happiness" and it has made me believe that if someone such as Will Smith's character can accomplish what he did that I can do anything that I set my mind to. When it comes to the American Dream of earlier generations I personally feel that it is the same. Although what lies at the end may have changed I feel like the idea remains the same in the generations today.

    ReplyDelete
  16. To many, the American dream is nothing more than their status symbol. For me the American dream is all about opportunities to improve and move up in life. Regardless of the circumstances a person is born into, the many opportunities that America has made readily available such as education, provides us all the chance to prosper. These opportunities are not guaranteed but through hard work, anyone can all achieve their own definition of their American dream.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The American dream can mean a lot of different things, depending on the situation it has changed throughout the generations. The basic idea of being happy will always belong as part of the American dream. It is the state at which your goals have been reached which would make everyone have their own individual dream. Many people don't reach their dream and its normal for that to be the case cause most of the time success is not secured. Failure of reaching this dream is common

    ReplyDelete
  18. The American Dream changes from person to person. For one person it can mean to be wealthy and live a good life but for me it means making something of yourself. Using all of your resources to do something great with your life. Whether that be helping the needy or becoming famous. Each person differs. In earlier generations the American Dream for a woman might to have a good family and to be a good mother. This has changed over time though. Woman no longer want to be stay-at-home moms. They want to do something and make a difference outside of their homes. The American Dream is all about becoming something from basically nothing.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ah, the American Dream! What is it now- the infamous American Dream? It has evolved as have the minds of the people. America is such a fortunate country and is seems as though the materialistic things are so commonplace among people and their everyday lives. And I'm thinking that, though these material things play a part in the American Dream, do they fulfill- truly fulfill the American Dream? From my point of view, the American Dream has always been about achieving personal content- Happiness. Happiness, for America, is a goal. If you think about it, everything and anything, all through time, people have wanted to be happy. Let's look back to the dear ol' fifties, right here in the United States. This is where most people of this country see the American Dream coming together: perfectly trimmed lawn, white pickett fence, Mother baking cookies and vaccuuming as she wears her best pearls, handsome Clide walks into the house from a long day of work and hugs little Jim and little Jane. A perfect reality. Freedom brings happiness. Success brings happiness. A family brings happiness. And of course, America has always indulged in the illusion of happiness that temporarily lived within the materialistic things. It's always been about happiness. It will always be about happiness. This is THE American Dream. No matter your perspective, it always leads to you and your contentment. A man could have everything and have nothing at the same time; he could have the car, the job, the wife, the kids- everything, and he could still not be happy. You think he feels successful? You think he achieved the American Dream? He doesn't think he did. He thinks he missed something- but where did he go wrong? No matter what, people are going to be looking for happiness, and whatever happiness they search for and whatever happiness they find, that is their American Dream. The American Dream used to be able to fit a standard definition, but I think now, more than ever, it's more about the personal definition people are developing within their lives.

    Happiness; the ghost within the American Dream.

    ReplyDelete