The American Dream

[juanmax]

The American Dream can be described as a pursuit that many have to find a better life characterized by freedom, success, and overall happiness. I have no idea why it is called the AMERICAN dream(maybe its got something to do with history) because it is a notion well alive all around the world. Everyone wants to be free, succesful, and happy! For example, Paraguayans that are deserting the country and going to Spain in search of jobs are being driven by the so called "American dream". The American Dream is clearly conspicuous in the modern world. Most people in the world are motivated by the American Dream to take the burden of life and try to make the best of it. Freedom is not a big concern in the modern American dream as is the notion of success and prosperity.

[lucas89a]

The American Dream has its central theme in opportunity. The chance to be a succesfull self-made man while giving somehting back to society. Like Ben Loman, you enter the wild with nothing and come out rich. Wether it is a true dream or wether it is another commercial-invented dream to stir some hope in the masses, the American Dream will live as long as the US is a capitalist, competitive country and as long as there are suckers to buy the dream.

[lucas89a]

i forgot...the American Dream may change its contexts as ages pass by, but the idea and essence of it will always be the same. For example, in the 1890s we had Horatio Alger as the "chronicler" for the AD, in the 1930s Fitzgerald, in the 70s Thompson and others. Different writers with different stories and ideas for the Dream, but always the same concept.

[hcaceres]

In my opinion, the American dream is the belief that everyone is equal and has the same opportunity to obtain wealth. What I find most interesting is that it is based in the materialistic and monetary condition of the people. The American Dream developed in the U.S because of the absence of strong cultural traditions and a social stratum that otherwise would prohibit economic mobility. I believe that it is more of a ?free for all? were the emphasis is the financial condition of someone instead of its cultural or social origin. This way, the American dream is not superficial or merely an illusion, but it is not an idealistic idea completely untainted of any moral deficit.
ASA is too bicultural to be remotely considered completely American, but a trace of the American Dream clearly exists. The whole concept of effort, hard work resulting in grades, SATs and other is all the essence of such dream. Excessive competition, the stress, tests, high-stake tests, is all part of the American Culture.
I think the American Dream is more alive than ever, but the most interesting part is that it does not only exist in the U.S. Globalization has deeply affected the labor markets, opportunities, and the exchange of information. Now, more people around the world are aware of the conditions that the most developed nations in the world are. Also, more trade centers develop as a combination of globalization and specialization occurs, and the new arising markets and industries give opportunities to entrepreneurs whom have enough will to fight for wealth.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ November 05, 2007 08:28 PM: Message edited by: hcaceres ]</font>

[mariaceleste]

Here?s what, to me, the phrase ?American Dream? elicits: the image of a family of four (two kids- a girl and boy) living in a nice suburban house with a fence painted white. In addition to a tan-colored golden retriever, the family owns a car and nice boat they use during the summers when they vacation in Cape Cod. I think the American Dream is the ideal life so many struggle to attain. Beyond the economic factor, the notion of the American Dream encompasses a particular way of living. I think that, although people still yearn for the American Dream, a lot have come to regard it as impossible to attain. And that?s why I think that frustration is often associated with the American Dream; because often it is left unrealized.

[RodrigoCC]

I think the American Dream was something that was far more advertised 50 years ago than it is now. Even though it is not as explicitly shown now it is still present in our everyday lives. The American Dream is the real need to be that family with a nice house in the suburbs, a good American car, a great and perfect family, and a white picket-fence. This dream is something that people can achieve materialistically but they can't really live. The thing is that from the beginning they are already attempting to be something else. You can't pretend that you are happy and that you truly appreciate your family. Previously, the American Dream was advertised much more, but people still have the same goals and want to get to the same places as they did before. The American School of Asunci?n is supposedly one of the best schools in Paraguay. People put their children in such a school only so they can live out their portion of the American Dream when they are older. By getting the best education, a person can infer that you will far more successful than in inferior learning institutions (it is not necessarily true).

[alexiacalo]

How do you define the "American Dream"? In your definition, incorporate any personal stories or anecdotes to help illuminate your definition. Within this, you may also want to touch on the fact that you attend an American School in Paraguay (quite a long ways from the United States) which, it seems to me, may somehow be some trickle down effect of this dream. Finally, do you think the dream is still alive in 2007? If yes, in what form(s)? If no, what happened to it?

The American Dream is a perception of opportunity. It is tied to the idea of a "land of opportunity" in which any person can reach prosperity through hard work. That individual achieves this regardless of his/her humble situation and manages to better himself/herself. The most common perception is that the individual starts at the very bottom and works himself to the top. Although the term "American Dream" is generally tied to the U.S, I dont think the idea is limited to the coountry. The term was a lot more advertised in the U.S therefore it is linked to it but the idea is not only thought of in the U.S alone.

Being in an American school does make us more familiar to the term. We are encouraged to be successful and the basics of the "American Dream" do trickle down. Maybe the dream is not so evident nowadays but it is present. I think that now, the fact that people strive for it is simply taken for granted. It is a common goal so we dont really realize it is there. Prosperity and improvement is something most people want so there it is not advertised as it was back then.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ November 10, 2007 08:55 AM: Message edited by: alexiacalo ]</font>

[sofiastaburuaga]

The American Dream is an idea that one's well-being depends on one's hard work and its the perception that a person has that they will triumph in the United States and be better than in their country of origin. Its taking advantage of the opportunities that are given to one in a first world country like education, health care, and no class or race distinctions. The American Dream is still alive today because people still go to the U.S trying to find a better lifestyle than in their own countries. The mexicans risk their lives everyday passing the Texas border to enter the U.S illegally to make money and make it "big" to take care of their families who they left in Mexico. The same happens in Paraguay today. Paraguayans are going off to Spain because they think that they will work hard there, earn money, and come back to their families here in Paraguay again. As students in the American School here in Paraguay I think that many of us are living the American Dream right now in the sense that we have a very good social and economical status and that our parents do "make it big" here and they work hard to succeed. Most of us are living the opportunity of a lifetime that not many other paraguayans will be able to experience.