Those who are blessed enough to be born in a life of wealth and comfortable livelihood may not be able to grasp the meaning of the American Dream, but others who struggle in life and are restrained by the opportunities that did not come their way, tend to understand what the American Dream is. Dinesh D’Souza, author of “Becoming American,” firmly grasps the meaning and idea behind the American Dream. Born in India, D’Souza is a witness and a victim of economic differences. Immigrating to America with his family, D’Souza is able to enjoy all the wonderful experiences the American Dream has to offer. Although D’Souza, Wright, and Cofer all have
D’Souza acknowledges that while there are many materialistic gains to be made in the American society the desire for immigration and the commonly held views of America has a more prominent reason, the American dream is a dream based on freedom. It is not necessarily a literal freedom from oppression but a freedom of choice, a freedom to create one’s own destiny. D’Souza’s most powerful and agreeable argument is that the Americans simply have a better standard of living in comparison to most countries. In many countries throughout the world living conditions cannot be changed. No amount of hard work or experience can change something that you were born into.
This also means that if you are poor or you could not find out to make some money it is your own problem. It is the opportunity and freedom for all citizens to achieve their goals and become famous and rich if only they work hard enough. Even though the American Dream is different from person to person it has changed through time. The first settlers from Europe hoped for freedom of religion. It was mostly the poor people who used all their money on getting to America because they wanted to start a new life – to start from scratch and to have a life with
This is the first thing you get as soon as you become an American. That for me is considered a dream for the persecuted. Now beyond this lies desire, which is what society thrives from because it is what our economy is based off of. It is said that you only need food, shelter, and clothing. Dreaming is what America is all about; the beautiful houses, the wealth, the power to control things at your fingertips.
The people in this community know that what really counts is who they are inside, hence opposing the media’s efforts and the publics misconception. Jane and finch is known for its high population in immigrants and by many(especially the media) it is automatically assumed to be a poor community. On the contrary, immigration is what accents the level of diversity which has proven to be the strength and development of the community. In other words, it is the multiculturalism that highlights the community and creates an atmosphere of belonging to all cultures, especially immigrants who are
Risks can and must be taken free of guilt, “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for (William Shedd).” It is equality that built this nation and it is that strong belief that runs this country today. The American dream has changed throughout the years it “has been tested and [it] has triumphed (Michael Bloomberg)” with one principle, equality and freedom. As time progressed more races and people have gained equality and everyone is put on a level playing field. The American dream is not defined with a specific image and common goal. But it is a principle that defines the American dream and that can be defined as equality and freedom, where everyone is on a level playing field.
Robb Chana English Miller When people arrive to America they expect to start a new life and pursue happiness. However, most of them will only find their lives to be harder as an individual living in America. America is made up to be a land that immigrants built a land of equal opportunity freedom and the pursuit for happiness. At least this is every immigrant’s perspective on America and American life. There is still a lot of unequal freedom for minorities and immigrants.
Throughout history America has been seen as the land of opportunities and freedom. Its society is structure so that everyone has the same opportunities and the same chance to achieve the American dream, but as we all know that’s really the idealistic theory. In reality how our society is truly structured is that people with abundance in social capital and economical capital get better opportunities; as oppose to the less gifted. When looking at who gets what in society we tend to focus on race, there is where we see the gaps that separate our social classes. The majority who belong to the lower class, are ethnics groups that have a history of immigrating to the US and having trouble conforming to society.
Almost every culture or race has a stereotype. America is a relatively young country, but nevertheless it managed to become a very powerful and respectful in the world. By the way people have made stereotypes about Americans and their way of life long ago. Americans themselves do not trust to the rest of the world and think that they are hated and neglected in every remote and not remote corner of it. Actually they feel comfortably and safe only within their own country.
Matt Moskowitz August 1st, 2011 Andrew Purrington A Greater Quality of Life Many refugees flee to the United States in order to receive freedoms and a superior quality of life that they did not have before. Is America truly the best place these refugees should be migrating to in order to receiver the best quality of life? Quite simply, it is not. The United States has always been viewed as “The land of the free and the home of the brave,” which is very attractive to a vast number of immigrants. In reality, the United States is all of these concepts but does not have the best quality of life.