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Derrick Peatross
Issue Exploration Essay
English 1010
April 7, 2015
Issue Exploration Essay

The American Dream as we know it has been morphed into something that many people
of older generations cannot relate to. There seems to be an ever changing view on the definition
of the sought after lifestyle. We live in a world today surrounded by media and people who have
achieved wealth through various different ways. There seems to be a pressure or an expectation
that one must obtain to see themselves as living the American Dream. People throughout the
world know about the American Dream and the wealth that can be found here in the United
States; and fathers seek to bring their families here in hopes for a better life. They search for a
life, of what they think, will be full of opportunity, happiness, and wealth. Unfortunately, when
they arrive in the United States, they find it just as hard, if not, harder to sustain life then it was
wherever they came from. They soon come to realize that time here equals money. Everyone is
on their own schedule, and no one seems to care about anyone else. Is that the American Dream
they were searching for? Is the American Dream we once knew still alive today, or has it
vanished before our eyes? Has the definition of the American Dream changed, or have we now
morphed it into something that it never was meant to be?
Now when asked about the term American Dream, it is hard to define it without talking
about material things that one has obtained as a reward for their success. However, has that
always been the definition of the nationally sought after lifestyle? Or is living the American
Dream simply having the opportunity to live in America, and being able to take advantage of all

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the future potential one can find here? Though those are both good questions to ponder, Daniel
Mitchell, author of an article found in the NY Times titled The American Dream Is Alive,
defines the American Dream on a much broader spectrum. He looks at it on a world wide scale
and starts to compare that advantages found here compared to those of other countries. He states:
The United States is not a perfect country, but the American Dream is still a reality. Even with
relatively sub-par economic performance in recent years, our economys overall level of output,
as well as the annual growth rate, is still the envy of the developed world. And regardless of how
people view President Obamas unilateral amnesty, it says something good about the United
States that millions of people from the developing world still want to come to America.
(Mitchell, 2015) Having spent time outside of the United States in a third world country where
most people make less than $2 a day, I can relate to the ideas and the viewpoints that Mr.
Mitchell addresses in his article.
Alike Mitchell, in an article written in 2013, Bob Miglani gives a better understanding of
what the outside world sees, or the way they view, life in America. It is hard to view the
American Dream as anything else but the material wealth shown by the media that we have been
exposed to our whole lives. While still at a young age, Bobs father moved them from India to
the United States in 1979 in hopes for a better life. Bob states that after growing up and
becoming part of the corporate world; he felt as if the American Dream he once knew was failing
him. He soon came to realize that it was not the American Dream that was failing him but his
view on the life in America was slowly changing. In his article he states: I came to the full
realization that there is no formula for life. And a perfect job, a house, a business or a spouse is
an illusion of our mind trying to bring order to a life that has none. Whether in India or America,
life is not a linear proposition but one full of ups, and downs and every way in between. I hadnt

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gotten here in a straight line and I wasnt going to move forward in a straight line. There are no
guarantees in America, only better chances. (Miglani, 2013) According to this article, we see
that there is no formula for living the American Dream or having that lifestyle that we so often
see portrayed on our televisions. It seems to be more a fiction of our minds versus something that
every American family can obtain.
Unlike Miglanis viewpoint, certain people such as Schoenherr still believe that achieving
the tradition American dream is quite possible for most American families. In an article written
by Neil Schoenherr titled The American dream sill possible, but more difficult to achieve,
students discover, we find the following quote: In 1931, James Truslow Adams first defined
the American Dream by writing that life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone,
with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social status or birth
circumstances. (Schoenherr, 2012) When speaking about the traditional elements of the
American dream, there are several things involved that many families have today. It is not so
much defined by the size of your home, or even if you own a home. As long as you were
working hard to provide a better future for your children, and keeping a positive outlook on life
no matter your circumstance, that was enough to be considered living the American dream.
Schoenherr speaks a little about a class taught by Professor Fazzari PhD, at Washington
University in St. Louis. He quotes Fazzari stating: He says his class has focused on three main
components the freedom to pursue what people want to do to reach their potential, the ability to
have secure and comfortable life, and a sense of hope and optimism about the future.
(Schoenherr, 2012) It seems that the original view of the American dream had more to do with
the mind set and the desire people had for a better life. Not only obtaining a better life for them
but also providing that, which they never had, for their children.

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Living in a world where obtaining a better way of living is important, it still is difficult to
be surrounded by media and the perfect lives that they all portray because of the sense of
decrease in ones self-worth that it brings. It must be hard to live in a world where everything
seems to be a game of material wealth. In a study held in 2014 consisting of 7,015 people
showed that a sizeable amount of Americans reported owning a home, receiving a good
education, finding a decent job and giving their children better lives than they themselves had.
These are all elements of the traditional American Dream, as we just discussed above. When
looking at and taking into consideration the traditional elements of the American Dream, most of
the people who took place in the study were actually living, what was traditionally known, as the
American Dream; but they did not believe they were. What could possibly be the cause of this?
How could one live such a lifestyle that attracts so many other people from around the world,
and not be aware of it? Here is a perfect quote from an article written by Everett Rosenfeld on
July 5, 2014. Denise Delahorne, SVP, Group Strategy Director, DDB Chicago states the
following: If youre new to this country, then life seems pretty good here, but for many people
who have lived here a long time, theyve started to think of the American Dream less as the
traditional elements, and more relative to wealth. (Rosenfeld, 2014) We find this to be a true
statement as we view the huge political issue today on immigration. Many people from suffering
countries do all they can to get their family to the United States, just to work in the farms and get
paid minimum wage. I imagine that most of those families, despite their living and work
circumstances, would still rather stay here, and then go back to where they call home.
Trying to view the American Dream from an immigrants point of view, such as the one
above can deem to be a challenge. However, it is a significant fact when trying to describe the
traditional meaning of the American Dream, and how we stand on not just a national level but

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more essentially internationally. The reason of this is because of the fact that people who have
lived here their whole lives seem to have a bias viewpoint and understanding of the topic. Why is
that? It is because we have become so used to seeing people in the media who have wealth that
most Americans will never reach. Regrettably, being surrounded by such an environment for too
long can change ones view and understanding of the subject. What used to be very rare today
becomes what we are now seeing as what we call the norm. People nowadays are becoming so
used to seeing celebrities and people of wealthy families flaunting their material things that they
almost give up on ever making it to that sought after level of society. In an article written by Cal
Thomas on November 23, 2010 titled Is the American Dream over? we find a very interesting
statement that seems to go along with what other research has shown. Cal states: The rules for
achieving the American dream may no longer be taught in and supported by culture, but that
doesnt mean they dont work. The rules are known to previous generations as: studying and
staying in school; achieving at least an undergraduate degree; avoiding drugs that harm your
mind and body; getting married before having children and working hard to stay married as an
example to those children and to benefit society, etc... (Thomas, 2010) Taking into consideration
all of the above rules or expectations, the American Dream is still very much alive in our society
today. The difference from then and the world we live in today are creativity and a want to be
different. In fact, people today are finding different needs that their society expresses interest in
and they fill it. Whether they have any type of school or not, there are many wealthy people that
do not have degrees. So people seem to be deviating from the original, tradition way of doing
things. Maybe even going against what they were taught by their own parents as they grew up.
Overall, the American dream is not yet over; it has only become victim of a world
engulfed in wealth and material things. Is it still possible to attain that American dream? I would

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argue that yes, it is in fact a very real and obtainable goal that most people should work towards.
In fact, according to the studies and information above, most people in the nation currently have
many if not all of the traditional elements included in living the traditional American dream. I
use the word traditional because today, if you were to ask a middle aged man to explain his
understanding of the American dream, I am sure that the majority of his response would be
about, or have something to do with, material items or social status. Unfortunately there is little
to say about the future views when it comes to the American dream and how it will be portrayed
for our future, upcoming generations. We live in a world of technology and improvement, people
come up with those new improvements therefore wealth and successes are always going to be a
surrounding factor of our lives.

References

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Is the American Dream Still Alive, Miglani B, 2013

Retrieved from: http://bigthink.com/experts-corner/is-the-american-dream-still-alive
The American Dream is Alive, Mitchell D, 2015
Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/01/01/is-the-modern-americandream-attainable/the-american-dream-is-alive
The American Dream is Dead, and Good Riddance, Goff K, 2014
Retrieved from: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/07/the-american-dream-isdead-and-good-riddance.html
American Dream is still alive, but unrecognized, Rosenfeld E, 2014
Retrieved from: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/07/05/american-dreamunrecognized/12047675/
Is the American Dream Over, Thomas C, 2010
Retrieved

from:

http://townhall.com/columnists/calthomas/2010/11/23/is_the_american_dream_over/p
age/full
The American dream still possible, but more difficult to achieve, students discover.
Schoenherr, N. Retrieved from: http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/23850.aspx