The American Dream is known all over the world to people who believe the United States holds the American Dream. People who don’t live here in the United States are trying to reach for the American dream which is inclusive to attaining an upper to middle class lifestyle. My personal view of the American Dream includes attaining a nice job, family, and materialistic things that go with attaining the dream. I believe everyone wants to attain this, but everyone won’t have the opportunity. I will argue that the American Dream is unattainable because of lack of education,determination, and discrimination.
The universal American dream is defined as having personal freedoms, living comfortable and having equal opportunities among fellow citizens. In the research I’ve found the universal American dream includes material things, power and financial stability. It also includes family values and equal opportunities for everyone. Jay Gatsby displays some of these qualities in the book The Great Gatsby. Jay has financial stability and very lavish material things. In other research I have found certain immigrants trying to achieve their American Dream but it’s very hard to get there.
In other research I’ve found immigrants elocating from other countries have difficulty achieving their American dream with the way the government is structured. Education is attainable, but financial resources are challenging. In America people face many hardships and difficulties if you don’t fit into an upper middle class to wealthy demographic. In my research I have found that illegal immigrants have an extremely hard time reaching American goals. When illegal immigrants come to America whether it is through legal or illegal means some don’t have a support system in place to help them attain their goal.
Another challenge they have is lack of financial and medical enefits. State Legislative Bill 465 rejects any availability of government assistance to illegal immigrants. I have found that about 49% of American households live off of government assistance. Imagine if you came from another country with nothing and you can’t even live off of government benefits. This includes Medicaid programs, food stamps, unemployment assistance and numerous more favorable programs. United States citizens struggle day to day and depend on benefits. I can only imagine how people starting from absolutely nothing struggle without government assistance.
The average age of llegal immigrants is around 41 years old. I’ve learned that majority of illegal Mexican immigrants don’t have a solid high school or college education. The average salary of someone without a high school diploma in America is around $20,241. With this salary, I would argue that this is just barely making it. Illegal Mexican immigrants not only struggle with financial and educational hardships but discrimination as well. There are examples of this in the recent presidential debates that have taken place on cable television and broadcasted live online.
Presidential candidate Donald Trump presented inflammatory emarks about Mexican immigrants that upset the Hispanic community. Donald Trump made statements that he believes Mexican immigrants are rapist and criminals as well. The unfortunate circumstance around these comments that are made loom around the fact that there is a large public platform in which these comments can be heard. Presidential candidate Donald Trump has however shined a light on the fact that America still deals with discrimination in the workplace and also in the minds of other Americans.
These are only a few obstacles people may encounter when trying to stride for their American Dream. This country was built off of becoming a melting pot of people with different ethnicities and we have become a very integrated society but we still have challenges with illegal immigration. and the play Julius Caesar that all ties into the American dream. The most realistic material we read in my opinion was The Great Gatsby. Majority of the characters had money and nice cars and homes, but lacked the full circle of the American dream. Jay Gatsby was a very wealthy man.
He retained all of his wealth by being a bootlegger and working with Wolfshiem. “The idea staggered me. I remembered, of course, that the World’s Series ad been fixed in 1919, but if I had thought of it at all I would have thought of it as a thing that merely happened, the end of In class we read The Great Gatsby some inevitable chain. It never occurred to me that one man could start to play with the faith of fifty million people – with the single-mindedness of a burglar blowing a safe. ” (PG. 113) This quote is based off of Wolfsheim. Gatsby didn’t had the determination to go out and make honest money.
Jay Gatsby has some of his American dream established. He was able to get all material things but he wasn’t able to attain the family life. Gatsby and I in turn leaned down and took the small, reluctant hand. Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I don’t think he had ever really believed in its existence before”. (PG. 53) This quote is when Gatsby sees Daisy’s daughter for the first time. Even though Gatsby was never able to attain a family I think he viewed Daisy and her daughter as a ray of hope. In Play Julius Caesar was wanted to attain his dream by becoming a ruler over Rome.
In the previous paragraph I defined the universal American dream. This includes equal opportunities for everyone. ” Let me have men about me that re fat,Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep a-nights. Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous. (act 1 scene 2)” In this quote Caesar states that he wants people who agree with everything he wants. Even though it may have a negative effect on the people he wants to rule over. People who live in Rome wouldn’t have equal opportunities if Caesar did not view them in a favorable way.
The American dream also incorporates a healthy marriage. Julius and his wife had a conversation and she warned him but he didn’t listen. Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace onight. Thrice hath Calphurnia in her sleep cried out “Help, ho, they murder Caesar! “(act 2 scene 1) Caesar would have kept his life and marriage if he listened to his wife. Although Caesar had the wealth and some power he really couldn’t be an example of the universal American dream. My personal dream compares to the universal American dream.
I want to have equal opportunities as everyone else around me. The family and the material things as well. I understand that to attain the universal American dream thatI need to have drive. As I formulate this paper, it has made me think more in depth bout how I want to accomplish my personal goals. The universal American dream is something everyone strives for but does not always acquire. My personal dream involves furthering my education and getting a job that I absolutely love going to everyday, with this in mind I really need to have the motivation to get my dream job.
I want to become a dentist and also have my own office. The average salary of a dentist is around $164,570 a year. If I could work anywhere it would be in Atlanta, Georgia or the District of Columbia. In my future goals, I also see myself with a husband and three children. I want my husband to e a respectful, well rounded and God fearing man. I want our marriage to be structured around our religious beliefs. Before we have childrenI want to be married for at least 5 years. I want to make sure my marriage is strong before we introduce children in our lives.
When we do have children I want them to have the best education they can, so I plan to put the in private school. I want to spoil my kids as much as possible, but still implant in them that they have to determination to make it in this world. Inconsideration of these things for my future, I also want a few materialistic things for myself and family as well. When I attain my first job and save the appropriate moment of money I would love to buy my first home. My salary is around $162,570 a year, with this I plan on the first five years saving as much as possible and paying off student loans.
Once I have a husband the goal is to move to our dream home. Considering the amount of children I want to have my home needs about four or five bedrooms. I want a two story Georgian colonial home if I reside in Atlanta. If I live in the DC then a nice Townhome would probably be more feasible for my family. Since living up north is more expensive. With the money I saved nd the money my husband has acquired I think we would spend around $300,000 on our home. Wherever we decide to live we need cars. I want a X4 BMW that ranges between $55,000-60,10o.
If I could get another car it would be a Jeep Rubicon which ranges between $36,000-39000. I don’t expect to get all these things in the first few years on my career but they are defiantly my life goals. these things I will obviously have obstacles to conquer. Knowing myself I have spells of laziness from time to time. I have to have the determination to make it all the way through school and make good grades as well. Another obstacle I will have is trying to figure out how I will pay off my student loans or tuition.
If I get scholarships that will help tremendously, but I doubt that will cover all expenses. Not only will I face hardships of paying off debut but trying to find a job. I fall into the category of minorities and I don’t necessarily fit in a certain popular demographic in this country. Due to the global competition and Before I can obtain all the issues of discrimination that still exist in the United States it may be challenging to find a job in this workforce. Discrimination may not be something that people want to talk bout, but it’s definitely an obstacle I hope to overcome if presented to me.
Although getting to my dream will be challenging I have every intention of defeating any obstacles and I know it will be worth it in the end. this research paper I hope I displayed some reasons why the American Dream is unattainable. Explaining the lack of As I conclude educational resources and how that can hinder people. The lack of determination to make it to your American dream. Lastly the discrimination that is against people who are trying to make it. I will argue the American dream is unattainable by lack of education, determination, and discrimination.