Monday, March 28, 2011

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)?

27 comments:

  1. To me the American Dream is the freedom to do what you would like with your life. Ideals like freedom along with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness cause many people to immigrate to the United States. I believe that earlier generations were more patriotic than our generation . It takes a tragedy like 9/11 to bring our country together and remind us that we should be proud to be Americans. However people easily change and go back to blaming the government for our problems. The American Dream has changed because people forget how lucky they are to be Americans and have freedom. John F. Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." Today people are more self serving rather than willing to serve our country proudly.

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  2. The American Dream is all about opportunity, receiving an opportunity to make something of yourself and whether one takes that opportunity or not, it is up to them. This is why so many people have flocked to America, because they think they can be someone from our opportunity. I don't think that it really has changed, the opportunity is still there, however the ways that opportunity shows are different as well as the people who are receiving that opportunity.

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  3. The American Dream represents the ability to go out and do what you believe in. This dream represents America since it is the land of opportunity. The American Dream might have been different in the earlier generations because that was when America was less populated and people had more opportunity to reach their goals. The opportunity to go out and achieve your goals is still there today but I feel like it is a lot harder to do that. The American dream always stays the same. The dream of coming to America, finding a job, and then becoming rich and having the best time of your life has been the model for the American dream forever.

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  4. To me, the American Dream is different for everyone because the dream is that you can do whatever you set your mind to. Whether your born rich or poor you are given the chance and have the oppurtunity to do whatever pleases you and whatever you want to do. The catch is that life isn't going to be handed to you on a silver plater. To do what you want and have a successful life, it takes hard work and perserverance. In order to accomplish your dream it takes courage, you have to take risks, and you can never give up. Like I said earlier, the ideal hasn't changed and will never change. Just everyone has different goals and different dreams. Granted, I'm sure the tendancy of similar dreams and ideals has changed over the years. For example, during the Great Depression people probably dreamed to get by. But now-a-days people probably dream more about becoming a millionaire or a movie star.

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  5. To me, the American Dream is about achieving your goals and being successful in what you enjoy doing. So many people are unhappy with their careers but they stick with them because of the money. Everyone can do something they enjoy it might take more work but it's worth it in the end. I feel as though the American Dream doesn't change there are just different ideas of it. People from other countries come to America to fullfill their dreams and have the opportunity that Americans have to pursue what they want. The ideas were different back in the day because most people just wanted a job to feed their families and now it's to be rich and famous and have everything you've ever wanted. But It really depends on the person.

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  6. To me, the American Dream is about having opportunity and freedom. This represents the American people being able to make our own path in life and freedom is represented by the American flag. The American Dream has changed with time beacuse America grew. Our dreams have changed from what our parents dreams were because of technology and bigger and better things have come to be. A long time ago people were just worried about feeding their family and having a job, but now days people want the biggest televisions and nicest houses and cars. This is how our dreams have changed over time.

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  7. To me, the American Dream means opportunity. In this country you have to ability to become what you want, live lavishly and make a good life for yourself. It represents that you have the freedom to make your life how you want it. People come to the U.S. to fulfill the American Dream. In the 1020's the American Dream for a woman was to have a house with a white picket fence with a handsome husband and little blond children. The idea of the American Dream has changed by what we want but I think everyone still wants some form of the house with the white picket fence.

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  8. To me, the American Dream is a chance, a goal at life in which you have the ability to succeed in what you want, do have and earn what you want, and to make your life the way you have pictured it. The American Dream is an opportunity to make you life great and to aspire to that. The ideals that are prevalent in finding the "American Dream" are happiness, freedom and a chance to have a better life. I think that is why many people come from all over the world to America just to experience that feeling of what we have to offer that maybe they couldn't receive. I think that the American Dream was different in earlier generations based on what was happening in that time period and what the people wanted out of it. For example, I think in earlier generations, such when farming was the basis of everything, their "dream" might have been to succeed by growing enough food to supply their family, and as well as making a good profit, to live well. Compare this to our "American Dream" now, and I think we chase after luxury items and want to live in those million dollar houses and drive nice cars and have all this stuff without having to work for it. I think that the American Dream has changed also because i think it is now a much harder goal to achieve and almost seems impossible to reach, compared to say the 1920's, where owning a refrigerator, a nice car, that "perfect" house with a great family, and oven and radio were just coming out, and easily accessible. I think that the American Dream has not changed a whole lot, however at the same time has, because the "dream" is to have better than what your parents had, and that is constantly changing and the generations and world keep moving forward as well too.

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  9. To me the American Dream is to be happy. No matter what. You could be poor or really rich, you could have no friends or all the friends in the world, love or no love, etc. and you are still happy no matter what. You could be having the worst day of your life, like me today and yesterday, and still be completely happy with your life. Also, the american dream is to take every opportunity you are given and to appreciate life and everything you have. You may not have everything you want but you'll always have everything you need. Back in the day, the american dream was to be well off, to have a family and to fit into society.

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  10. I believe the American dream means to make something of yourself. Today that means money, and lots of it. To make all the money you can as fast as you can. You look at people who have lots of money and they seem to be the icons for the American dream. Everyone wants to be rich and famous and to be on the cover of some magazine. But i don't think that really makes you happy. In order to do that you need to block out everything else in your life so that you can focus on making money. And then you end up missing everything else that this life has to offer. I hope that will not be the case in later generations. Life is too short to waste it on something like that. I say do what you like no matter how much the pay and you will be happy,

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  11. To me there is no Ideal "American Dream" because there are so many different ways to interpret on what this means to you. However it just doesn't get handed down to you, it comes through a dedicated lifestyle of strong work ethic. When you look at the elite figures today there is no doubt that they did whatever it took to get to where they are now. Most people think that there is only way to achieve the American Dream, and that is to be wealthy. However there are plenty of other ways. That is why I think the American Dream is totally dependent on what individuals priorities and interests are. My American Dream is very different from others and that is being able to achieve my goals and to live a content life. Overall to me the beauty of the American Dream is that you can make it into anything that you want it to be and that anyone can achieve it.

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  12. The American dream to me is to be as successful as possible. America is the land of opportunity and everybody in this country has a chance to be successful. Everyone is just trying to do something with their lives and make the most out of it. For me this would be having a great job with a great salary, family, and friends. Like most this is my idea of the American dream. I feel like this is different from earlier generations because earlier generations didn’t always have equal opportunities like the people in today’s society have. So there idea for success and happiness might be different then ours today.

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  13. When I think of the, “American Dream” I automatically get a visual of immigrants passing the Statue of Liberty and the difficult journey through Ellis Island. I see a man in a suit coming home from work, setting down his briefcase and greeting his family as he opens the door. It is a beautiful day, the grass is green and there are white picket fences. Life is good, and things are well. That is just the stereotypical things I have learned in my life and from earlier generations. That was the old American Dream that the, “average” person had (in my mind) but now this dream is much more diverse. Today I see the American Dream as something that is more unique to the individual. This could be a dream of peace, money, family, safety, fame, security, health, equality or anything else. No matter what it is, it is tied to the belief of a better life. Even though the dream itself is more individualistic today, I feel that the average perception has changed from seeing America as a, “guaranteed/no doubt” opportunity to a, “I hope this works out” and, “Geez, hopefully that doesn’t happen” type of dream here in America. There is definitely more doubt and worry of America in the average person’s mind due to the national debt, job layoffs, seemingly unfair opportunities, and just how fast paced everything is in today’s world; it’s chronic. Although I believe that to be true, on the other hand of America, the Dream has not changed in the way that America has, is, and will represent equality, opportunity, and ultimately, a better life (even if it is a difficult time right now). I see the dream in a place of gratitude for freedom in all forms, especially speech and religion. The dream is protection and security from danger around the world. Being able to wake up and have a safe, relaxing day (not worrying about a war in your backyard) is something that is taken for granted too often; freedom isn’t free. The dream is how one man like Martin Luther King Jr. can lead a nation into incredible change. Even if those against him took his life, the love,compassion, and change of this movement still lives on to this day. Finally, the dream is about the real life and not all the stuff you hear in the media or in an average day. I have learned that the American Dream is best shown in the life of an individual even if it doesn’t make the evening news. There is so much good out there being done by strangers, neighbors, and people that we have never heard of, for people in need. I have deep appreciation for the life and opportunity I have before me today in America. It is a beautiful day.

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  14. To me, the American Dream means to set goals in your life and have the opportunity to express them within the nation. If your goal is to help someone out in need then you go do it, because you have the opportunity to do so. Such as, rebuilding houses down in New Orleans. In earlier generations this may have been harder because sometimes the opportunity doesn't strike itself, yet there are other things going on in your life that are more important to tend to such as the Stock Market crashing. I believe that the ideal of the American Dream has changed in many ways, because with more job opportunities and international peace (for the most part) we are able to mostly come together as one, and create more opportunities to help one another out in time of disaster.

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  15. The American dream is the classic rags to riches story, anyone can come to our country and go from having nothing to everything with hard work and dedication. The poor and underprivileged can become rich and successful in America and fulfill all their dreams and aspirations. These are also ideals that are the American dream. I think the American dream is mostly the same now as it has been in previous generations. Technology and society has changed but I think the determination of the people trying to achieve the American dream hasn't changed.

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  16. The American Dream to me is having a trophy wife, 3 kids, maybe a dog or 2, and a white picket fence. I feel like the only reason we have it is to maintain the image or ideas of our country, you know the "land of opportunity". Why is this what keeps people wanting to come to our country? Why do they look at just that nickname rather than what trouble is actually going on in our country? But of course this "dream" has changed from generation to generation because now a days we want the trophy wife, a six figure check, a big house with a big back yard, kids and some pets...as well as the biggest TV, nicest car, or nicest golf clubs on the block, maybe even to be a member at a country club if your into that. If you can name one generation that has a trophy wife that makes sure the house looks alright and then goes out to an expensive lunch with friends and then goes to the mall to blow a couple hundred dollars to keep looking like a trophy wife then maybe not. But in past generations the stay at home mom was a stay at home mom she cooked, cleaned, and watched the kids while they were out of school for her day activities. This can be one example of why the "American Dream" really only works for our generation because in previous generations it should have been called the "American Goal" because it could be achieved in our generation we will never be satisfied with what we have so it will always be just a dream.

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  17. In my eyes the American Dream means the capability of having absolutely nothing, coming from a working class family or being from out of the country, and becoming successful in life with enough effort given. Many had called the United States as "The Land of Opportunity," and with the American Dream put in mind, it shows. However, being "successful" in life will likely mean something completely different when asking multiple people from several ranges of demographics. Some may say that it's to become a successful person just by doing what you want, and some may say that good fortune will only come to those who dedicate their time into hard work. In the end, it's debatable to me.

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  18. I think for my grandparents' generation, the American Dream meant getting married, having children, and getting a comfortable house in the suburbs. They believed that whatever a person's background, they could work hard and achieve these goals. Today, however, the American Dream has changed. People still desire family, but what that family looks like may be very different. It might be traditional, it might be a step-family, a group of friends, or even co-workers. I think the goals of comfort and security now mean freedom from fears; fears that for many include poverty, uncertainty, or terrorism. The American dream is an ideal, a picture of what a family should look like, success, a certain type of job. Regardless, it must always include freedom. We are a nation of free people after all. Maybe it's time the American Dream expand to include the world and include the hopes of people everywhere. Now that we are living in a global society because of technology, it would not be fair for us to dream our dream and not allow the people of the world to share.

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  19. To me, the american dream means that you set a goal for yourself to make an improvement upon your life, and then you reach it. I think that it means that no matter what people are doing in life, the american dream means they want to do it with a smile on their face. People want to feel good about what they do everyday and do something that makes them happy. In earlier generations, I feel that they thought of the american dream as people who came from nothing at all, people who were "dirt" poor and then did something amazing with their life and earned lots of money. I think the ideal of the American Dream has changed over time because of the economy and many other factors in our world. I feel like in our generation people are satisfied doing anything and they dont really push themselves to do better so it is rare when people actually make an effort to find something different to do instead of settling. Where as before, a lot of people had jobs doing things they liked to do but the thing they wanted was to become famous and rich.

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  20. The American Dream is the the goal of ones life that usually entails becoming rich. The ideal American dream story is one when someone goes from rags to riches in an amazing string of events. Hard work is also a part of the dream, you cant achieve it unless you work for it. As a whole i dont feel that the Dream has changed too much. The means and amounts may be different but the end goal is still the same. The dream is something that is constant and will never leave the American mindset.

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  21. It represents the idea to succed and improve on others ideas. My perceptions tell me that today you have to have money and anice house and nice car to be somebody and be noticed. It might say that it's just money but we have expanded our horizon.

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  22. To me, the American Dream is the equal opportunity that everyone has to succeed in this country. It gives everyone the chance to change their circumstances into something better. Because we have flexible social classes we can move up if we try hard enough. You could be born into a poor family, and instead of living the rest of your life in poverty, you have the chance to be rich and rise to greatness. You really have to want it. The American Dream provides motivation for our citizens. We are so technologically advanced because people try to invent things so they can make a profit, and everyone else can benefit from it as well. If we didn't have the chance to move up, and if we all had the same life quality, there would be no reason to put time, energy and effort into discovering new things. That is what makes America great, we keep moving forward and pushing towards a greater tomorrow. Whether it's as an individual trying to find a better job for a better life, or our people as a whole trying to find a cure for the latest deadly disease, as Americans we work hard to get what we want. Trying and putting effort into a cause is what the American Dream is all about.

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  23. The American Dream is taking risks and opportunity that propel you towards your what you really want in life. Although everyone has different dreams and goals, the hope to get to that point is the same. Some people have unrealistic ideas of what the American Dream is, which can be setting themselves up for failure. For me, the American Dream is to live a happy and fulfilling life. Having money and material items would simply be a bonus. I would much rather be healthy, happy and have good relationships. I do believe that the American Dream has changed through the generations based on what is happening at the time. When times are hard, a society lowers their expectations of what the American Dream is and will be more likely to settle for less. I think however, that Americans should lower their expectations even when things are going well in the world, because people will be satisfied with less rather than constantly craving what they can not have.

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  24. I think the American Dream is an idea of working hard for something you believe in and saying that you have done a good days work. The picture I have of someone living the AD is a farmer or a builder, someone who can say that they did a good job and they are proud of it. You don't ever hear, "Wow. I feel good about all that hard work in the library." No. To live the AD I feel it has to be some kind of work that you can put your name on, in the sense of saying that you are going to be proud of your hard day of work. Today I feel that the idea in my mind of the AD is drifting away with all the new technology, yet there are a few good hard working people out there who are living the American Dream.

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  25. The American dream can be thought of in many ways. it differs from many people. People think the ideal american dream is being the best at every thing you do. its not all about coming in first all the time. as long as you try your hardest. I think that overcoming obstacles is a great way to feel accomplishment. it doesn't matter how big your goals are, it matters on if you have goals set out to be. Many people strive to be as rich as possible. but money is not always the solution to everything. living the life you want to live is truely the american dream. not living the life someone else wants you to live.

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  26. (ABSENT)
    Looking back at the American Dream in the past in my opinion compares directly to the American Dream today. The American Dream to me is having the freedom and oppurtunity to do anything you set your mind to as long as you work hard at it. Anything is possible, there are no limits to what one can do as an individual in America. Money seems to be what everyone sets there eyes on because for almost everyone, its measuring tool for success. Everyone wants success in this world because everyone wants to be the best of the best. A big part of the American Dream for me is having a steady job, but more importantly a strong family. The thought of the American Dream puts an image in my head of a house with a white picket fence, green grass, and a family inside happy as can be. That to me is the American Dream.

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  27. I think the American dream is unique to each individual. The basics stay the same however; the American Dream is the actuality of the answer to this question: what do you want out of life? Whichever way people take it from there is another thing. Some people want money, successful jobs, big house, and a pretty family; basically what you see in a movie, or Disney Channel. Some people would want family, happiness, love, safety, security, etc. There are many different Dreams, like the dream to start over, get a clean start, yet they all revolve around the central question:
    What do you want out of life?

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