American Dream Essay

Kassandra Medina

Ms.Brannon

Language

07 March 2017

Attainable or Not Attainable

        In the Epic of America, Adams defines the American Dream as one  that is better, richer, fuller with opportunities for everyone, no matter the background of a person, according to one's abilities and efforts. Based on this definition, The American dream is not attainable today because of the inequalities between class and race, which has caused the dream to become unrealistic to many. However, like Adam's, others may say that the dream is attainable because of the many opportunities America offers for every person who strives for a better life no matter where they come from.

    The inequalities in the social class that a person lives in is a big factor to the success of the American Dream, and many people have found it extremely hard or even impossible to gain the financial benefits they need to fulfill this dream. Millions of Americans are giving up this success all because they simply do not have any way to get past the inequalities that occur between each class. Robert H. Frank represents this inequality by describing it as an “income ladder” that is made primarily by the rich class who spend more than necessary, which later “shapes the demand of those under them”. This second group also spends more than necessary and only makes it harder for those below them as well. This process continues so forth until it is extremely expensive for lower classes to “achieve basic financial goals”. Not only is it harder to achieve financial goals, but many people are finding it extremely hard to find a stable job that will allow them to go forward with their dreams. An essential part of the American Dream is having a job that will allow families to live comfortably and  provide for their families in every way possible, but today that alone is becoming impossible. The American dream promises a better life through hard work and dedication, however many people are finding this dream to be broken because so much work is being put in and there is still no improvements made in their daily life, “despite their middle-class identification and aspirations [they] now fall beneath the established poverty line”.  The American dream is now becoming more about how high your class is, rather than on what your talents are, “..inherited class..usually trumps talent”. (Paul Krugman,591). The only people who can say they achieved the American dream are the rich because of their better finances and easier way of living due to their income.

It is no surprise that race is also a reason why the American dream is unrealistic or unattainable for certain groups of people, primarily people of color. America is supposed to be the land that offers peace and rest  for those who are lost, poor, and yearning for freedom, but recently America has done everything but that. Apart from the economic inequalities America lives by, the social inequalities between every race has caused many people to also take a step away from trying to achieve the American Dream just  because it seems too unrealistic. A huge reason to this is because Hispanics and Blacks are the vast majority of the population in prison making up 60% of its population, while whites only make up 40%. Due to the discrimination against people of color, white people will always find a smoother way out of being in prison, especially because they have enough money for bail. The wage gap between white and black male prove that on average   “whites earn..$19.62 an hour and blacks earn$16.07 an hour”. This inequality between the two race easily depict how unrealistic it is for people of color to reach the American Dream. It is impossible for someone to reach this American Dream if people are going to constantly view them as a criminal all because there were false accusations made due to the tone of their skin. This is an issue that has constantly occurred throughout America and is a huge barrier to many people achieving the American Dream.

Although some may say that the American Dream is not achievable today, however, there are many examples of people who contradict this notion because they achieved what Adam describes as the dream through their hard work, dedication, and by being unmoved by any barriers that their background brought. In Barack Obama’s American Dream speech he tells of the struggle each of his family members went through to achieve their dreams. As Obama gives his speech he speaks of how none of them came from a rich background, or a life filled with easy solutions, instead each anecdote he gave told of person working hard daily just so they may reach their goals. It was through their hard work and dedication that Obama was able to go to school and eventually become as we know him today, the 44th President of the United States. This only confirms Adams definition of the American Dream, but the inequalities  between class and race is still too great for the American Dream to be attainable or even realistic for everyone in America.

    There are many controversies to the American dream  on whether a person is able to attain it or not. The dream itself has been lost over the years because of the immense inequalities that continue to rise as time goes on and things continue to change. The only way people are going to achieve the American Dream for the future is if there are no longer biases towards any race or class, instead everyone should be viewed as having the same capabilities and opportunities no matter the background.

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Adams, James Truslow. The Epic of America. New York City: Blue Ribbon, 1931. Print

Barack Obama American Dream Speech

Confronting Inequality,  Paul Krugman

Fulwood 111, Sam. "Continuing Inequalities Blur American Dream." Center for American Progress. N.p., 23 June 2016. Web. 6 Mar. 2017.

Income Inequality: Too Big to Ignore, Robert H. Frank

Smiley, Travis, and Cornel West. "Promise of the American Dream Is Broken." CNN. N.p., 27 Apr. 2012. Web. 6 Mar. 2017.

Vega, Tanzina. "Wage Gap between Blacks and Whites Is Worst in Early 40 Years."CNNMoney. N.p., 20 Sept. 2016. Web. 6 Mar. 2017.