American Dreams And The American Dream Essay - 2288 Words

From a young age, children all over the world are taught that America is the Land of Opportunity. Their parents and their parents parents have experienced some type of fulfillment from the American Dream which prompts them to relay belief in it to the newest generation of Americans. However, nowadays, populations of Americans have become increasingly critical of the American Dream and what that dream entails. That particular group claims that the American Dream is now dead due to many different facets of society. Is it possible to demand the death of an ideal that is essentially the backbone of a powerful country such as American? There are people who argue strongly both for and against the death of the American Dream with the for side focusing individualism and the against side focusing on declining conditions in America. The passionate arguments from both sides make it clear to see that the Dream is unlike what it used to mean, possibly requiring it to evolve to fit a changing nat ion. The American Dream is a vision that has been integrated into American society, one way or another, since America s founding, and it is necessary to understand the basis and definition of this vision that has a secured place in almost all aspects of American culture. In 1931, James Truslow Adams, author of Epic of America, was the first to coin the phrase the American Dream. 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