An American Dream Essay, Research Paper

This nation of ours is unique. You may not realize it and most of us surely take it for granted. We may complain about the economy. We may complain about our government or our President but in how many other countries is the press free to report the leaders indiscretions. We have so much and yet we complain so much… actually I think it is the ability to complain that makes America great. It is the freedom to dissent, to rail against the powers. This freedom to disagree is what makes us so special and it is this very freedom that is the very essence of America. What is the American dream? Surely it is different for everyone. How has this nation been able to provide these things… we shall see. People has discovered many of the mysteries of the universe, and with everyday comes progress in their everlasting quest for success, advancement, and control. The American dream is a goal for the majority of people who live in the realms of the Americanized world. Which has spread since the end of World War II, because since then the United States has risen to become the world s most powerful nation. Countries which have been Americanized include most of Europe and Japan. These countries who have been exposed to the American Way or some may call it the American Dream. The American Dream is success, freedom, freedom of choice, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, liberty. Vehicles of this dream are things like television, automobiles, supermarkets, malls, planes, trains, etc. What they allow us to do is practically whatever we desire, if we are successful in finding the dream. Most people think that the American dream is just that, a dream, with no meaning or tangibility. They believe that the American dream is an empty and selfish dream only for the foolhardy and greedy. I disagree, the world shows us all around that this dream surrounds us in all directions, and is only natural for humans to want. People like Bill Gates, Michael Jordan, and Phil Knight, are only some of those who represent the modern American dream. This Dream is a dream of success, of power, wealth, control, convenience, and opportunity. These men are living the dream but to some extent all of us live this American Dream. We all have the opportunity, the convenience, the freedom, and the potential for anything we want, our dream is in all senses tangible. The American Dream is for real.

The reality of the American dream is so common and everyday that most of us do not and cannot even recognize, appreciate, or fulfill it. Everyday we drive our cars wherever we want, whenever we want. We can buy anything we like at the mall or the supermarket; we can even travel around the world at a low cost, and with the blink of an eye our food is prepared or our clothes clean, our lives our complete; we live the dream everyday, even those who now cannot afford to buy things can too work hard to realize the dream. Just take a look at the people I mentioned before. Rising from the bottom to the top can be done in this society, it is not easy, but it is tangible. I can eat the food I buy at the supermarket, I can watch and use the television in my house with my own discretion, I sleep in the bed I own, and listen to the stereo. All of these things are the result of a realized dream. These things confirm the validity, they are the tangible support of the American Dream. Our modern society is free and our future is bright. America has spread the dream across the globe. Democracy has been proven successful. The average citizen today has attained a certain amount of luxury, freedom, and individuality, a piece of the dream. As we continue into the next millennium, the dream is more alive now than ever. The world is in our hands, we can take advantage of it, or we can let it spoil; the choice is ours. With the consumer attitude, individualism, an opportunistic mind set, and a drive for control and success, we all can make the dream a reality. Democracy, freedom, and progress are America s gift to the world, people must accept and join this universal dream for success and progress.