American Dream - still reacheable? (American Dream)

Member Name: shamis4

Product:	American Dream
Date:	27/08/08 (280 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a belief that you can acheive anything

Disadvantages: not possible for everyone

The 'American Dream' is said to be a belief that any person who can put in hard work and use initiative can achieve anything they want. The United States offers boundless possibilities and opportunities and many other rewards, and people can achieve their 'dream' regardless of their past and previous circumstances; anyone through enough commitment is able to unlock their potential.
In this essay I will be discussing the relevance of the dream in today's society and whether it is still achievable by anyone. I will also compare the status of the dream in the past to what it is like today.
On the other hand one could say that the dream is merely an idea and many people would never have a chance of achieving it. However the fact that it exists gives people something to aim and strive for and as a result they believe that they will become successful in life. This optimism would then result in people, in theory, leading better lives, and the idea of the 'American Dream' has been extremely successful in achieving its purpose - to improve people's lives in America.

The American Dream was very different in the past, particularly in the 1920s. Up to the Wall Street crash in 1929, many people were able to make money on the stock market and many wealthy people were created in this period. People could achieve their dreams and buy many material goods including cars, fridges and radios. This massive boom led to many people becoming able to achieve their 'American Dream'.
Despite the Wall Street Crash and the depression of the 1930s, the idea of the dream has still survived and is a prominent feature in society today. It is clearly very resilient and powerful and many people in America believe it is still achievable.
In today's society one could say that the dream has become distorted from its original meaning and has merely become an obsession with wealth and possessions. Thus, in these circumstances, the dream is not accessible just by hard work and commitment, but requires access to wealth, power and connections. An example of this is Hilary Clinton who is running in the current presidential election. Through the status of her husband, Bill Clinton (president 1993-2001), she has been greatly aided in this election; with him providing wealth, power and certainly connections. However, Hilary Clinton is trying to accomplish something never before achieved - becoming the first female president. This is a step towards the aspirations of women and in particular towards the equality between men and women, and symbolises a dream held by many, if not all women in America and suggests that the dream is not only held by a singular person but can be held by a whole community, in this case women.

Another point is that today people can also achieve their dreams with no hard work at all. Game shows such as 'Who wants to be a millionaire' and the lottery can make instant millionaires and winners resultantly can achieve their dream with no input or effort whatsoever.
There has recently been a major crisis in America over mortgages, in which many banks have lent mortgages to customers in the sub-prime category. These people have very poor credit history and have borrowed money they can't afford to repay, and as a result the banks have been repossessing property and this has led to lives becoming devastated. This recent catastrophe has caused American dreams to become ruined, and has heavily affected those with poor credit history.

There are many examples of people who have achieved their 'American Dream'; a recent example is Bill Gates who invented Microsoft and built up a multi billion dollar empire.
Overall, in my opinion the dream is something that can be achieved by everyone, but is more easily attained by those with power and connections, whilst others find it much more challenging. Over time the idea and purpose of the dream has changed and become solely a struggle for wealth, but nevertheless the dream in itself has been very resilient and has survived many difficult periods such as the Wall Street crash. I believe that in the future the dream may surpass many changes, but will remain an icon in American values.


Feel free to express your views on what the American Dream is and if it's still there - or has it gone in recent years and particularly in our current economic climate.

Summary: The American dream - what is it?