Work hard and you will obtain great success. That is what the traditional “American Dream” required: hard work and perseverance. Yet, it is hard to define what exactly the American Dream is to every individual in American, when each individual might have a different take on it. For some, it may be fast cars and a beautiful home. For others, it may not be about the money, but about family and happiness. My American Dream has always been to make myself and others around me happy through being kind, and doing the right thing.
"Money is Power"
Large homes are ideal
Expensive and flashy cars
A happy family
What does the "American Dream" look like?
The American Dream is different for every individual in society. Depending on values, goals, and experiences, everyone will have different images of what their "American Dream" will look like. When I think of an "American Dream," I break the statement down, beginning with the first word. American. When we think of the work "American," what first comes to mind is the founding fathers ideals and hopes for a free nation that supported life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. For hundreds of years, America has been recognized foremost for our governmental principals on a democracy, freedom, and equality among people. Not always do we see these principals executed in other parts of the world. Next, the word "dream." When I think of the word dream, I think of an ideal world that only our minds can take us. When we dream, we think of euphoric possibility's and unusual occurrences that may or may not come true in reality.
In terms of who "defines" the American dream, I tend to think of the Obama family. When just look at a single photograph of the family, such as the one above, a sense of happiness and optimism overwhelms me. The family seems so "perfect" together, with Barack as the head of the family, and Michelle is the neck that moves them. They have two beautiful, and what appears to be, very happy young girls, and they are beaming. This picture shows to me what the American Dream is trying to depict.
An Analysis of the American Dream
My American Dream
Growing up, I feel as though I have been living the “American Dream” all along. I may not have always had the nicest things, clothes, cars, or home, but I have grown up in a large and loving family. When I personally envision the “American Dream” I see family, love, support, closeness, and happiness before I envision any material possession. Through the years, I’ve always been a part of a family that has been built upon these characteristics.
Both of my parents grew up poor. My mom lived on a running dairy farm in Montgomery County with her four siblings. Each child in the family was responsible for rising at 4 a.m. each morning to milk the cows. From 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. they were all awake doing barn chores until the bus came for school. From then on, the day continued with a long school day, only to return home to do more. My mother and her twin sister, Michelle, were in charge of making sure the house was clean and dinner was ready to go before my grandmother, a secretary for the state, and my grandfather, a New York State trooper, came home. On various days throughout the week, my mom also held a part-time job at a local restaurant busing tables to save for college, which at the time was very discouraged by my grandparents. Many of those nights that she did work, she would stay until the restaurant closed. Somehow, my mother still managed to find time to do her homework and wake up a 4 a.m. with minimal sleep. At the end of her high school years, my mom ended up second in her class and a one way ticket to Cornell University. Despite the farm about to go bankrupt, and a nasty divorce between my grandparents, my mother managed to succeed and go to college although she was being pulled to stay home and help the family issues.
My father on the other hand, grew up in a rough area of Boston with five siblings. Soon after, my grandma and grandparents, both whom were educators, relocated the family to a more secure environment to raise a family of seven. They ended up in Scituate, Massachusetts, or the South Shore. There, my father grew up as a fat, red-headed boy that had a severe case of ADHD. Not to mention he had a learning disability. Throughout high school, my dad had no problem making friends or participating on sports teams. However, he did suffer academically. For all four years of high school my dad was in the resource room, or as his friends used to call it, the “retard room.” He spent many hours in that room to get help on his school work, which was often looked down upon by many of the teachers and students.
Senior year, his mother pushed him to apply to colleges, although she didn’t think he would get accepted to a single one. Surprisingly he was accepted to U MASS at Amherst as a business major. Years later, after thousands of hours of hard work, my father graduated in the top of his class and got a job immediately following college at Farm Credit Insurance where he met my mother. The rest that follows is history.
Of course, they got married and had three beautiful children, but how they got to that point in their lives often amazes me. Both of my parents speak frequently of their struggles, down slides, moments of defeat and discouragement, but they continued to prove those around them that they could be who they wanted to be, and that was all that mattered. Money, possessions, and tangible goods didn’t mean as much as their relationship, dedication, and successes that they earned.
Today, after moving from a poorer area in Amsterdam to a wealthy suburb of Guilderland, my parents are now blessed with financial success. When I look at my parents, I see my version of what the “American Dream” should look like.
It is through hard work, determination, struggle, and hope that we can achieve this “dream.” It isn’t through the amount of money we have, how large our home is, or who we associate ourselves with. It is about love, family, diligence, patience, and understanding that being a good person in society is what is most important.
Preston Plevretes was your average All-American guy: good-looking, smart, talented, and athletic. His dream was to one day go on an become a pro-football player in the NFL. Unfortunately his dreams were shattered after a "second impact" injury from a previous concussion that left him demobilized for many years. Preston, now 23, suffers many difficulties each day from walking, speaking, and writing. His brain injuries are severe, yet he is lucky to have survived. This young man was recognized by many as the "big man on campus," the "stud," or the "jock." He was popular in every regard and was expected to do great things. It is tragic to see what can happen in unexpected accidents.
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Work hard and you will obtain great success. That is what the traditional “American Dream” required: hard work and perseverance. Yet, it is hard to define what exactly the American Dream is to every individual in American, when each individual might have a different take on it. For some, it may be fast cars and a beautiful home. For others, it may not be about the money, but about family and happiness. My American Dream has always been to make myself and others around me happy through being kind, and doing the right thing.
What does the "American Dream" look like?
The American Dream is different for every individual in society. Depending on values, goals, and experiences, everyone will have different images of what their "American Dream" will look like. When I think of an "American Dream," I break the statement down, beginning with the first word. American. When we think of the work "American," what first comes to mind is the founding fathers ideals and hopes for a free nation that supported life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. For hundreds of years, America has been recognized foremost for our governmental principals on a democracy, freedom, and equality among people. Not always do we see these principals executed in other parts of the world. Next, the word "dream." When I think of the word dream, I think of an ideal world that only our minds can take us. When we dream, we think of euphoric possibility's and unusual occurrences that may or may not come true in reality.
In terms of who "defines" the American dream, I tend to think of the Obama family. When just look at a single photograph of the family, such as the one above, a sense of happiness and optimism overwhelms me. The family seems so "perfect" together, with Barack as the head of the family, and Michelle is the neck that moves them. They have two beautiful, and what appears to be, very happy young girls, and they are beaming. This picture shows to me what the American Dream is trying to depict.
An Analysis of the American Dream
My American Dream
Growing up, I feel as though I have been living the “American Dream” all along. I may not have always had the nicest things, clothes, cars, or home, but I have grown up in a large and loving family. When I personally envision the “American Dream” I see family, love, support, closeness, and happiness before I envision any material possession. Through the years, I’ve always been a part of a family that has been built upon these characteristics.
Both of my parents grew up poor. My mom lived on a running dairy farm in Montgomery County with her four siblings. Each child in the family was responsible for rising at 4 a.m. each morning to milk the cows. From 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. they were all awake doing barn chores until the bus came for school. From then on, the day continued with a long school day, only to return home to do more. My mother and her twin sister, Michelle, were in charge of making sure the house was clean and dinner was ready to go before my grandmother, a secretary for the state, and my grandfather, a New York State trooper, came home. On various days throughout the week, my mom also held a part-time job at a local restaurant busing tables to save for college, which at the time was very discouraged by my grandparents. Many of those nights that she did work, she would stay until the restaurant closed. Somehow, my mother still managed to find time to do her homework and wake up a 4 a.m. with minimal sleep. At the end of her high school years, my mom ended up second in her class and a one way ticket to Cornell University. Despite the farm about to go bankrupt, and a nasty divorce between my grandparents, my mother managed to succeed and go to college although she was being pulled to stay home and help the family issues.
My father on the other hand, grew up in a rough area of Boston with five siblings. Soon after, my grandma and grandparents, both whom were educators, relocated the family to a more secure environment to raise a family of seven. They ended up in Scituate, Massachusetts, or the South Shore. There, my father grew up as a fat, red-headed boy that had a severe case of ADHD. Not to mention he had a learning disability. Throughout high school, my dad had no problem making friends or participating on sports teams. However, he did suffer academically. For all four years of high school my dad was in the resource room, or as his friends used to call it, the “retard room.” He spent many hours in that room to get help on his school work, which was often looked down upon by many of the teachers and students.
Senior year, his mother pushed him to apply to colleges, although she didn’t think he would get accepted to a single one. Surprisingly he was accepted to U MASS at Amherst as a business major. Years later, after thousands of hours of hard work, my father graduated in the top of his class and got a job immediately following college at Farm Credit Insurance where he met my mother. The rest that follows is history.
Of course, they got married and had three beautiful children, but how they got to that point in their lives often amazes me. Both of my parents speak frequently of their struggles, down slides, moments of defeat and discouragement, but they continued to prove those around them that they could be who they wanted to be, and that was all that mattered. Money, possessions, and tangible goods didn’t mean as much as their relationship, dedication, and successes that they earned.
Today, after moving from a poorer area in Amsterdam to a wealthy suburb of Guilderland, my parents are now blessed with financial success. When I look at my parents, I see my version of what the “American Dream” should look like.
It is through hard work, determination, struggle, and hope that we can achieve this “dream.” It isn’t through the amount of money we have, how large our home is, or who we associate ourselves with. It is about love, family, diligence, patience, and understanding that being a good person in society is what is most important.
The American Dream comes face to face with death
Link to Video
Preston Plevretes was your average All-American guy: good-looking, smart, talented, and athletic. His dream was to one day go on an become a pro-football player in the NFL. Unfortunately his dreams were shattered after a "second impact" injury from a previous concussion that left him demobilized for many years. Preston, now 23, suffers many difficulties each day from walking, speaking, and writing. His brain injuries are severe, yet he is lucky to have survived. This young man was recognized by many as the "big man on campus," the "stud," or the "jock." He was popular in every regard and was expected to do great things. It is tragic to see what can happen in unexpected accidents.
What does the American Dream mean?