Today, The American Dream is still a reality and is still possible to achieve through pure dedication and perseverance. Some more than others, have the drive to lead themselves into successful lives and achieve their personal dreams. The American Dream is very achievable even with today’s standards of upper class living even though some may say otherwise, perhaps mainly due to economic reasons. The phrase “The American Dream” has many definitions, but the most construed may be “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.
Thomas Wolfe says, “…to every man, regardless of his birth, his shining golden opportunity…the right to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him” (Wolfe 18).
Wolfe explains that every man no matter what ethnicity or where they are from, has the right to fulfill his dreams and shouldn’t let anything stand in his or her way. If you immigrate to America destitute, you still have the chance to turn your life around through perseverance.
As the quote says, everyone has the opportunity to achieve The American Dream but dedication is a key factor. A prime example of fulfilling The American Dream would be the story of Philip Maung. Maung and his family emigrated from their home country of Burma to the United States with nothing but $13 in his pocket and the dream to provide for his family and start a new life. With a simplistic and very achievable goal in his sight, Maung started his own sushi company named Hissho Sushi.
The Term Paper on Blues Music As A Vivid Reflection Of The Black American Life And Culture
Blues Music As A Vivid Reflection of The Black American Life And Culture Blues can be justly called the Black-American music. It reflects the history and culture of the blacks in America from the times when they were slaves till the present days. Translating the emotion into music, blues performers cry, hum, moan, plead, rasp, shout, and howl lyrics and wordless sounds while creating instrumental ...
With hard work, Maung fulfilled his dream and Hissho Sushi now is a major supplier of sushi to schools, stores, and restaurants around the country. “Even in a tough economy, if you are passionate enough about what you do and surround yourself with equally passionate and dedicated people, success is always possible” (Maung 7).
Maung is the perfect example of an immigrant working themselves up the corporate chain and completing The American Dream with pure commitment. Today, the ideal way in the minds of people to achieve The American Dream is to have to work very little or even not at all.
Many believe in making a fortune by becoming lucky, perhaps by the lottery. The media has contributed greatly to this ideal. On today’s TV shows, you can observe people becoming wealthy through game shows such as Wheel of Fortune and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? or by claiming success through talent such as American Idol. Michael Sandel explains, “a message at odds with the ethic of work, sacrifice and moral responsibility, with a little luck they can escape the world of work to which misfortune consigns them” (Sandel 18).
Sandel explains that today, society is different and believes that very little work is required to being able to afford luxurious items due to the media’s influence on the public. Of course, this logic is completely false. If you want something badly enough you must work hard to achieve it. The American Dream today is still very much achievable today through commitment and perseverance. Even if you are an immigrant from another country seeking a new future for yourself and your family, a new, rich and fulfilling life can be claimed by working hard through everything.
Or even if you are just a regular person hoping to strike it rich by becoming lucky, the chances are against you put it is still feasible. The American Dream is and will always be achievable, even during hard times success is imminent and is always present. Works Cited: Warshauer, Matthew. “The American Dream Still Exists. ” Is the American Dream a Myth? Ed. Kate Burns. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. At Issue. Rpt. from “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Changing Conceptions of the American Dream. “American Studies Today Online. 2003. Opposing Viewpoints In Context.
The Term Paper on The American Dream 11
Some people might agree that the American dream still exists, while others don’t or they have different beliefs. The American dream is one of the most controversial themes in the United States. I totally agree that the American Dream is still on, though we need to work a little more to make it happen. I recently read a quote by Senator John Kerry that relates two articles that I have read in the ...
Web. 12 May 2013. “The American Dream. ” Students. Library of Congress, n. d. Web. 12 May 2013. “ Living the American Dream: Hissho Sushi CEO named Entrepreneur of the Year” dBusiness News July 7, 2009 http://charlotte. dbusinessnews. com/shownews. php? newsid=186327& type_news=latest. Web. 12 May 2013 Andrew Moravcsik “Dream On America,” Newsweek International, 2006. www. msnbc. msn. com/id/6857387/site/newsweek. William Rivers Pitt “The Other American Dream,” Truthout, September 1, 2002. www. truthout. org/docs_02/09. 01A. wrp. am. drm. htm.
