The American Dream The Reality Of America - 860 Words

America throughout time has been known as a country for opportunity and freedom, where anyone can come and have a fair chance at living their â€Å"American Dream.† The stereotypical American dream is having a two parent family, with stable income, owning a home with a white picket fence with two children. But the reality of America is that this â€Å"dream† is achieved more easily by white men. Even though America is supposedly â€Å"The land of the free† and provides â€Å"Liberty and Justice for all†, these statements are more of a source of irony than truth. In America a person’s social status, race, and gender play a large role in their ability to achieve the American dream. The color of one’s skin, how much money and social influence a person has, and what physical anatomy they contain affect how hard it is to attain their American dream. So the reality of America is that it is not as an equal opportunity land for everyone to achieve t heir dreams as it is thought to be. Discrimination against a person based on race is a long standing problem in America. From the land stolen from the Native Americans to the kidnapping of the Africans. So it is a no brainer that this discrimination still exists and can make it harder for individuals to achieve their American dream. The U.S census Bureau found that it was three times as high for black children to live under the poverty rate compared to white children, and eight times as likely to be imprisoned. It was also found that only 75 percent ofShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream : The Aspects Of The American Dream797 Words   |  4 PagesA hope, a wish, a dream, but certainly not reality. The proverbial American Dream consisted first of colonists emigrating to America and find a better life for themselves. The colonists could start from absolutely nothing and shoot to the top of the society. However, for most this dream is known more as a fallacy. The American Dream is Santa Claus. Some people are the beneficiary and believe in it and are filled with a sense of false hope, while others believe they have achieved it themselves andRead MoreGish Jen’s novel Typical American Essay1278 Words   |  6 PagesGish Jen’s novel Typical American A mother drives her three kids to soccer practice in a Ford minivan while her husband stays at the office, rushing to finish a report. Meanwhile, a young woman prays her son makes his way home from the local grocery without getting held up at knife point by the local gang. Nearby, an immigrant finishes another 14-hour shift at the auto parts factory, trying to provide for his wife and child, struggling to make way in a new land. Later, a city girl hails a cabRead MoreThe American Dream Is Sublime Motivation1426 Words   |  6 Pagessaid one of America’s founding father’s, Abraham Lincoln. America, the land of the free, the home of the brave. A country where it doesn’t matter what color of skin a person has, how tall or short they are, or what family they came from; but what does matter is values, and the amount of courage people have. The opportunities in America are endless, and for that reason, people in other countries would do anything to live the American Dream .People will journey far and wide, traverse the entire continentRead MoreLet America Be America Again Poem Analysis792 Words   |  4 PagesThe American Dream or Nightmare? In â€Å"Let America Be America Again,† Langston Hughes addresses the reality of inequality and discriminative behaviors of the American people in the pre-Civil War era. Many Americans during this time felt the American Dream was just an illusion because they can never get the opportunity to make it their reality. In this poem, Hughes voices these silent Americans’ concern of how the founding principles of America are not being fulfilled unless a person is wealthy orRead MoreTortilla Curtain: the Myth of the American Dream1253 Words   |  6 PagesAmerica is often portrayed through images of well off middle-class families, shown alongside multiple cars and a large house that is filled with shining appliances and cupboards full of food. For hopeful immigrants to the United States, these images conjure the widespread myth of the American Dream. Immigrants believe that upon entry into the States, they will obtain prosperity through hard work and determination. The exp ression was first used in the beginning of the twentieth century when AmericaRead MoreHistory of America Mirrored in American Literature751 Words   |  3 PagesThe history of America is mirrored in American Literature. The American dream, the idea of equality and being able to achieve anything you wanted, meant that millions of immigrants moved to America. America claims to be a country which enables everyone to have equality and freedom however in the texts we can see it is rather a Capitalist and individualist country. The paradox of America can be seen through the fact that the Statue called freedom was built by slaves. The inequality can also be seenRead MoreThe American Flag: Symbol of the Vanishing American Dream1069 Words   |  5 Pagesit symbolized freedom and opportunity for both citizens of American and the immigrants. There was the dream that America was a place of freedom, where you could do what you want, say what you want, and get a job or own your own land. For so me, that dream became a reality, but for many of those immigrants, it has proven to be just that, a dream. Is this piece of cloth we hold in such high regard simply an ironic symbol or the American dream? Does it truly symbolize freedom and opportunity, or is itRead MoreThe Great Gatsby And The American Dream1514 Words   |  7 Pagesearlier, the United States of America was a beacon of hope - a symbol of prosperity and freedom - that everybody originating from countries that did not offer the same opportunities craved to experience. Innumerous historical events, like the great migration movements to Angel and Ellis Island, proved America’s status as the homeland for success. Yet, as literature pieces from the time demonstrate, like The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the great â€Å"American Dream† ideology had been watered downRead MoreThe American Dream is Dead in Articles by Cal Thomas and Bob Herbert830 Words   |  3 PagesHowever the American Dream is per ceived there is no question that the dream is on the verge of becoming extinct. Bob Herbert addresses this in his article Hiding from Reality. He argues that the American Dream is dead. Similarly, Cal Thomas also argues that the American Dream is dead in his article Is the American Dream Over?.† Although both authors agree that the American Dream is extinct, they have differing opinions as to why. While they both believe that the government plays a large partRead MoreWomen And The American Dream1253 Words   |  6 PagesThe American Dream is the belief that every person in the United States has an equal opportunity to become successful. However, some people are not entitled to the American Dream. Many Americans are not treated equally under the law. Some of the groups lose their right to vote, have a more difficult time finding jobs, or are a group that has been forgotten by politicians. The American Dream is a controversial issue today because many groups in America have cl aimed that they have not received the