Jumi 1

Yasmen Jumi

Professor Adrienne Cassel

ENG.1201.B51

April 28, 2019

What is the American Dream? What is an American?

In this day and age, the American dream can be seen as either a dream come true or a

complete and total fantasy. Monetary self assurance, self-reliance, and the advantages to achieve

a higher goal in life is mostly what the common American would consider an ‘American dream’.

Although, there has been different speculations, convictions and achievements all through the

diverse personalities of America. The American Dream can likewise help and bolster one's soul

in progress, and roots for them to procure the most elevated interest in their occupation, yet

additionally in their life. The definition of the American Dream differs from the ones who have it

and the ones who are trying to achieve it. As for the the meaning of the word ‘American’, it can

stand for a base of hope and privilege or the stubbornness and recklessness of a prideful nation.

In the first place, before there can be a valid argument concerning the subject of an

American Dream; it is important to know the history to support the claims. The American

Dream, simply put, can be defined as the values and thoughts of the American people that can be

used as a whole to better the nation. Kimberly Amadeo gives insightful definitions of the

American Dream in her article titled, “What is the American Dream? The History That Made it

Possible.” in the article, she quotes historian James Truslow from his 1931’s book, Epic of

America. He states:

“The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer

and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement...A dream
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of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and woman

shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are, regardless of the fortuitous

circumstances of birth or position.” (Amadeo, Kimberly).

The American Dream was built to be so much more than Americans yearning for better

things and bigger wallets. It was created from the values our forefathers put in place for us to

uphold as the years go on. Though, throughout the years the ideals of the American Dreams grew

greedy as people did desire their own wealth and finer things. The Great Gatsby (2013)--based

off of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby--depicts the corruptness of the high class and how

there shallow views or ‘dreams’ and how, in real life, essentially lead to a failing stock market

and the Great Depression (Amadeo, Kimberly). What once was an ideal to change things for the

better and build up the future turned into the desire to get more money, material items, fame, etc.

To break down the timeline of what the American Dream has meant in the past, it must

begin in the early 1900s. In the 1930s and 1940s, it stood as an advertisement for plays, books,

sermons, book-reviews, and newspaper articles. After World War II in 1950, however it became

more about the freedom and equality of the American people. The speech, “I Have a Dream” by

Martin Luther King in the 1960s, set the bar that the American Dream--mainly his personal one-

was ‘the disappearance of prejudice and a rise in community spirit’. As time moved on, the

American Dream became more about material endeavors and gaining monetary values to the

highest extreme (Shiller, Robert). The American Dream now depends on the American people

and the divided views of them. Now the argument between the definition of the American Dream

from the ones who have achieved it versus the ones who have not can be made.
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Firstly, to explore the definition of the American Dream from the ones who have

achieved it; the simplest way is to get the opinion of these people. In Alexandra Pelosi’s Citizen

U.S.A : A 50 State Road Trip, the author, an immigrant herself, gathers stories from different

people--who moved to the United States--that have achieved or are achieving the American

Dream. From one of the very first accounts in the book is from a woman named, Pimpreya June

George. An immigrant from Thailand that aimed to become the next Steve Jobs. As she became

educator, she pursued her goal by creating her first app called “Intro to Numbers”. She quoted,

“When I grew up, I would never think that this is what I wanted to do. But in America, I saw the

opportunity to become and live my dream.” (Pelosi, 2). A second perspective from the same

book tells the story of ninety-two year old Mexican immigrant, Dementrio Gallardo. His caption

in the book is ‘I built L.A.’ As a construction builder, Gallardo spent twenty-two years of his life

working on government buildings including the Federal Building. But the building that he felt

most proud of was the Las Angeles Convention Center, where he was able to become an

American citizen.Today’s day and age, people have much different views of what the American

Dream actually is. Below is a chart that shows of poll of what Americans believe to be the most

important parts of the American Dream.

It is shown above that having personal freedom, having basic needs met, and achieving

one’s potential are the top three parts of achieving the American Dream. The poll was taken in

2014 with 1821 U.S. citizens 18 years and older. Its findings concluded that the majority

believed that the American Dream is harder to gain than it was a decade ago. This was based on

the fact of the high cost of education and healthcare. Even though those two factors can be

crippling, people still have the hope that the American Dream is thriving on their own accounts.

In Alicia Brice’s presentation on the Beliefs and Values Linked to the American Dream,

she shows--through a video and transcript--the connection of the ideas that continue to build up
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American’s Dream as it has in the past. For Example, Brice compares the settling of the West to

the Americans desire to succeed and how they will travel far to achieve the goal set before them

(Brice, Alicia). Many Americans do pursue their dreams by leaving their homes behind. While

most see it as not a particular heroic of feats, the results of those who have accomplished what

they set out to do speaks essentially for itself. Nothing can be done just waiting for it to happen.

So taking that first step is all apart of the journey of the American Dream.

In recent times many public figures, including the current President Donald Trump have

boldly stated that the American Dream is in fact ‘back’. In truth, the American Dream did not

disappear, but instead evolved. An article from The New York Times called “The Transformation

of the American Dream” written by Robert J. Shiller gives quotes from many public figures that

the American Dream is stronger than ever. Though it has somewhat transformed as a definition

of homeownership rather than values set in place to uphold the beliefs of the people. Another

account from Pelosi tells of Jeetesh Khemani. He is an immigrant born in India. His ultimate

goal is to protect American soldiers. He claims that he is here to be a citizen and that America is

his country. He has high beliefs that his goal to work for NASA will be achieved and he takes

pride in what his own American Dream can give him (Pelosi, 8-9).

In retrospect, to be able to achieve the American Dream it does not weigh as heavily on

monetary values as most assume. Instead, the major factor is do the American people have the

ambition and drive to pursue their own American Dream. Without that, the downfall of values

and beliefs that our Founding Fathers set up for us will disappear. Civilians must take into

account their own responsibility in order for their dream to become a reality. Although these are

valid points, the ones who have achieved the American Dream and their definition of it is not the

only definitions.
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Secondly, the definition of the American Dream from the point of view of the ones who

have not achieved it contrasts very much from the ones who have. The ones who have not

achieved it either has not had the opportunity, has had the opportunity but not the ambition, or

are simply hindered by laws set in place from the governmental society. In the short film, The

American Dream,--copyrighted by the Provocateur Network in 2010-- it explains in a very

comical way that the American Dream is harder to attain because we are essentially being

scammed by the government. It focuses mainly on how money essentially runs our way of life

and even those who might not necessarily need it are scammed into thinking they do in order for

the government to get more money from the people. This animated film, while may be seen as a

joke considering the vulgar language and actions used in the film, highlights important subjects

that Americans often ignore in hope to still have faith that the American Dream is still alive for

them; whereas in reality, it is their own government that is working against them.

In the short 30 film, it follows the struggles of a man that takes what he offered but he

does not need. It shows as he loses all he owns only because the world around him said he

deserved more and they could help him achieve it. Going back through history, it breaks down

the trading of goods; how gold came into play and how essentially it become everyone owning

an IOU. Essentially, the whole system must owe something to someone otherwise it would

collapse.

As quoted from Hedrick Smith’s Who Stole the American Dream?:

“We are today a sharply divided country--divided by power, money, and ideology. Our

politics have become rancorous and polarized. Our political leaders unable to resolve the most

basic problems. Constant conflict has replaced a sense of common purpose and the pursuit of the

common welfare.” (Smith, 5)

In a sense, Smith is basically calling the American government useless and essentially the

American Dream as dying if it is not already dead. Going back to Shiller’s article, although he

quotes the political figures that support the uprising of the American Dream, his thoughts on the

subject are quite different. He believes that not only has the American Dream been changed for

the worse but that it also, “...based on seven statistical measures of material prosperity:

bankruptcies, building permits, entrepreneurship, goods-producing employment, labor

participation rate, layoffs, and unemployment claims. This kind of characterization is

commonplace today, and very different from the original spirit of the American Dream” (Shiller,

Robert). It can be argued that the American Dream is still in place, the question which dream

takes precedent or better yet whose?

The famous film The Great Gatsby (2013) shows the wealthy side of the Dream and how

it can be achieved immorally. It goes against the placeholders set before us by our Forefathers.

Though the characters such as Jay Gatsby may have essentially achieved his ‘American Dream’

it was not without lies, deceit, or consequences down the line. The concept of the American

Dream was not meant to be something that could be attained through corruption and wealth, but

unfortunately as times changed and became harder for people of lesser stature to advance

through life. Even the wealthy had a hard time advancing again after the stock market crash and

the Great Depression. Another quote from Smith says, “Americans, more than people in other

countries, accept some inequality as part of our way of life, as inevitable and even desirable--a

reward of talent and hard work, an incentive to produce and excel.” (Smith, 6).

Finally, it comes to the question of which American Dream is the right Dream. Some will

say the ones who have achieved it should be an inspiration to us all that they had the ability to

reach the goal so should everyone else. Whereas, the people who have not reached it may believe
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the American Dream to be dead. That the passing of time has faded it into non existence. For

those who have not achieved it could be that the government or some semblance of the

government is hindering the growth of that individual, but it also puts the factor of do the

American people even want the American Dream anymore? Do they have the ambition to pursue

it themselves? Those questions can only be answered by the individual asking themselves those

exact questions.

In addition to the American Dream, it is important to know what the word ‘American’

actually means. Simply put it means to belong to this country whether born or moved and

claimed citizenship. A fellow citizen by the name Joey Hicks gave this quote when asked how he

felt to be an American, “ I don’t like the feeling of being an American because we have no

common morals or practices. Being an American to me means the acceptance of everyone's life

and working hard.” Most Americans feel the same as Mr. Hicks, while others take an entirely

different view.

Firstly, Some Americans would describe the word as meaning a base of hope and

privilege. Looking to The Atlantic, an article written by Frenchman Raoul De Roussy De Sales

explains that the base of Americans is built on the foundation of Nationalism. He says that it is

“...the only common denominator accepted by all people today should be the one which most

assuredly prevents them from living in peace with one another” (De Sales, Raoul de Roussy). De

Sales describes nationalism as the motive which inspires the action of modern men. Before

beginning research, the thought of being an American was of someone that was brought up in

the USA. While doing some examination about the theme of what an American dream it had

revealed that simply being born in a country does not give an appropriate meaning. Generally, it

states that being an American an be a fantasy that implies a cheerful consummation and a glad
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result. The Americans has withstood the trial of time for far too long to be known as a fantasy. It

is presently an extreme dream on account of its effect all inclusive not exclusively to Americans

yet in addition to a few other individuals from a few nationalities. The data that individuals are

absent about this point is that the over a significant time span still remind individuals that

american dreams incorporate a major inspiration of coming to America and see what life can

offer.

As the good parts of the meaning of Americans is stated, the undesirable traits are also

revealed. A shown testament is in Senator John Edwards’ Ending Poverty in America. In the

book, Senator Edwards brings to light how America is doing nothing to fight against the rising

poverty among Americans. He works with a renowned anti-poverty details in order to discuss

how things must change for the better. The only problem that is cause by the american dream is

that fact that we are not all equal. Inequality plays a big role into this topic. In order to change

how we think about the American Dream, we have to change how we think about our jobs, and

be thankful for what be have compared to other people through the country.

Being an American is a positive goal in life that everyone should be able to look forward

to one day and be excited about. It gives people a motive to work towards while working or

going to school. Most people want to disrespect America because it's not exactly how they want

it but do not acknowledge all the positives it has to offer. It's important to recognize that

Americans have much more freedoms and rights than a lot of other countries. Americans appear

to trust that the right to speak freely innately concedes the privilege to corrupt others. Appearing

to trust that living in America, everything ought to be given to Americans with a royal flair. As a

country, Americans appear to have overlooked the men who swore their lives, their fortunes, and

their consecrated respect in return for this fantasy, and the obligation that, as Americans, has to
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regard and value the open doors that have been given; to be specific the privilege to opportunity,

opportunity, and the quest for joy.

In conclusion, in order to define an exact American Dream there cannot be only one

outlook as American is not made up of one type of people. It must be taken into account the

many perspectives and thoughts of the American people. To be an American, whether born or

granted citizenship takes on different meanings. It can bring pride to certain people while

bringing retribution to others. All it takes is the thought of the American and what they

themselves will bring to the table.

WORKS CITED

Amadeo, Kimberly. “What Is the American Dream? Quotes and History?” February 19, 2019.

https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-the-american-dream-quotes-and-history-3306009

Brice, Alicia. “Basic Beliefs and Values Linked to the American Dream.” August, 30, 2016.

https://prezi.com/jaiigwyb7crc/basic-beliefs-and-values-linked-to-the-american-dream/

Edwards, John; Crain, Marion; Ralleberg, Anne L. Ending Poverty in America. University of
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North Carolina. May 10, 2011. ISBN: 9781595587329

Hicks, Joey. Personal Interview. March 2019.

Kingsley, James. “The American Dream Film.” January 11, 2011. Copyright by the Provocateur

Network.

http://theamericandreamfilm.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaDt9T7BF38&t=231s

Luhrmann, Baz. The Great Gatsby (2013) film. May 1, 2013.

Pelosi, Alexander. Citizen U.S.A: A 50 State Road. June 7, 2011. 375 Hudson Street, New York,

New York 10014, USA published by New American Library, a division of Penguin

Publishing Group. ISBN:9781101546154

De Sales, Raoul de Roussy. “What Makes an American?” March 1939. The Atlantic.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1939/03/what-makes-an-

american/309021/

Shiller, Robert. “The Transformation of the ‘American Dream’”. August 4, 2017. The

New York Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/04/upshot/the-transformation-of-the-american-

dream.html

Smith, Hedrick. Who Stole the American Dream? 2004. Library of Congress Cataloging in

Publication. ISBN: 9780679604648

Visual-

New Dream. June 29, 2014.

https://newdream.org/resources/poll-2014