Summary:
This is an exploration of the meaning of the "American dream," and whether it is defined only in financial terms. The meaning of success is explored. Bill Gates' story and James Truslow Adams' definition of the American dream are discussed.
"The American Dream is really money"
The following text deals with the statement "The American Dream is really money." Is it really the strive for money? Isn´t it more than just the dream of getting rich"
One cannot deny that money and success are important parts of the American Dream. There are many famous examples people move "from rags to riches", and one of those is Bill Gates: He was born 1955 in Seattle, an average boy who was interested in computers, but out of his passion he built a company and is nowadays one of the richest men in the world The example of Bill Gates shows that even a young boy from nowhere is able to fulfill his dreams and that´s because he lives in the U.S where, as the americans believe, the unreachable becomes possible.. One could conclude that it is the belief of getting rich which lures hundrets of immigrants to the U.S., but moreover it is the chance to have equal opportunities as well as the dream of classlessness where everyone can fulfill his dream.
To understand the American Dream we have to refer to the history. The first immigrants did not have the dream of money when they settled in America. They were refugees who escaped from their strict govermnent to settle somewhere where they could live freely and without persecution. At this time the American Dream started to grow and it was a dream of liberty, classlessness and equality as the settlers wrote in the Declaration of Independence.
And even today the American Dream is defined as more than just money. James Truslow Adams, the first one who published a defintion of the American Dream, describes it as "a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman should be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position" (James Truslow Adams, The Epic of America). There is no mention of money. He describes it as the wish to be one community, where everyone has the same rights and moreover is recognized by the others for what they are, no matter where they come from or which position they have. Furthermore everyone has the same opportunities of attaining something in life according to his ability or achievement.
The American Dream is an important part of the american community. Believing in the same aims and having the same dream, they feel equal. It doesn´t matter if they are black or white, which job they have because having the same dream let them stick together. To summarize this one can say that the American Dream is on an spiritual level and money has no influence on it.
In regard to the listet arguments, one can conclude that the American Dream is really not just money, but the dream of an community with an higher spirit and moreover a dream of a classlessness society with equal chances and opportunities for everyone.
This is the complete article, containing 505 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
