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Thread: The American Dream

  1. #1
    HB Forum Owner MrBranchAPLit's Avatar
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    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?

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    Inactive Member dainkelly's Avatar
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    I believe that the american dream is that of a humble man making it big in the world, of exceeding probabilities. I think that many times people also interpret it with a little imperialistic attittude, as if it sends the message of do whatever you want, but in reality the american dream is not only doing what you want, but succeeding in it, failing to do so doesnt really fit in with the americaan dream, or at least it seems so to me. The american dream also involves freedom beyond normal laws, like defying the law of gravity by sending a man to the moon is a perfect example of the american dream.

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    HB Forum Owner MrBranchAPLit's Avatar
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    Dain, you fail to address the other parts - do you think it's still alive now in 2007, and how does a school like ASA fit into that dream?

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    Inactive Member dainkelly's Avatar
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    I think that it really depends on the person, but yes it is alive in some people, a lot less than before, but its alive in the sense that there still are some people who follow their dreams, they do what they want and succeed. I think that this has trikled down to our shool asa, because of the encouragement we get from the school to study what we want, and have the freedom to choose our profession. I tthink that the american dream has become part of globalization, in that because the world is getting richer, it is already normal for a person to do what they want in life, because there are so many open possibilities to everyone. The american dream i think came from the 1700 to the 1800, when many people where born into their profession, and except in the united states, where it was possible, through hard work, to persue the proffesion you desired.

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    Inactive Member alberto_dacosta's Avatar
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    I would define the American Dream as an idyllic perception that there is a land of opportunity out there -- one where any individual can accumulate wealth and fame through the sweat of his brow and the wit of his mind. This definition does not preclude that an "American Dream" can occur in countries other than the United States, despite the nominal contradiction; it is most often associated with the United States, but I wouldn't say that it is restricted to it. The term was born in the United States, but I think it's pertinent on a global scale nowadays.

    I do think that the fact that we attend an American school has some bearing on our attitudes towards the "American Dream". There is a clear-cut emphasis on academic or athletic success and a general philosophy that stresses that everyone will reap the benefits of the efforts they sow. In that sense, the American school that we attend does inculcate a sense of personal advancement through personal effort and a vision of honest success as desirable and worthy. Hard work by the part of the student will earn him future success; American schools imbue their students with a long-term perception of the "American Dream" as a pathway for personal improvement.

    The "American Dream" is still very much alive, since its roots tap on the human conception of improvement. The United States is a prosperous and developed country; it is all but natural that thousands of individuals throughout the world would see the country as a path for the improvement of their lifestyles. It is a very individualistic perception of personal advancement that places the individual at the forefront of the amelioration of this economic situation through hard work an effort. As long as there is a prosperous country out there and someone seeking to improve his or her lifestyle, then there will still be an "American Dream"; not in the United States, perhaps, but the essence of the underlying concept will be the same.

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    Inactive Member rcln's Avatar
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    From my perspective, the American Dream is the prospect of an existing land of boundless wealth and hope. It?s a heaven where people can have a better life and a race where everyone starts at the same point and has the same opportunity to succeed. It emphasizes equality regardless of ethnicity, religion, sex, and social class.

    As poet Archibald MacLeish states it, the American Dream is ?the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind.?

    In fact, the American Dream is present here at the American School in Paraguay. The students are constantly encouraged by the environment around them to strive for success. We seniors are stimulated to go to college, where we?ll be a step closer to our ambition. However, such conditions aren?t restricted to ASA: it happens all around the world. As long as people don?t stop fantasizing, the American Dream will live on.

  7. #7
    Inactive Member mariecburt's Avatar
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    The American Dream is the dream of immigrants, the dream that America is the land of opportunity and anyone can make it. This is why the United States has such a big problem with immigration, because they are desperately longing a better future for their kids and for themselves. I believe the American Schools have somewhat to do with the American Dream, and with the idea that an American/English education is the best one in the world. I believe the dream is still alive to the all the people that risk their lives to run across the Mexican/USA border everyday, even though today the dream is much harder I believe it is still alive and still possible.

  8. #8
    Inactive Member mrodriguez's Avatar
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    The American Dream is the success of a person through his own work and hardship. The man who has lived the American Dream is the self-made man who is successful. This "success" is usually associated with wealth and good living conditions. The term, "The American Dream" started from the fact that America had many opportunities for people from other countries to improve their standard of living because of the abundance of jobs and natural resources.

    I have the American Dream in me because I believe that through sweat, anyone can improve themselves, and their situation. In some countries and situations this is easier than others, but to a certain degree it is quite possible everywhere.

    Being in the American School in Paraguay, the dream is passed on to us in the sense that our instructors and the staff encourage us to seek the best for ourselves, by doing things like going to college. Unfortunately, the majority of the population of Paraguay is so hopeless, that they do not share this view and are conformists.

    The dream is still alive in 2007, but not as strongly as before. Right now, the United States is going through tough economic times. Additionally, this dream is not shared by much of the world.

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    Inactive Member cjkb90's Avatar
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    In my opinion, the "American Dream" is the ambition of an average man to succeed in industrial America, being able to afford trends and penchant your heart may desire. It can be most clearly observed in 1920's U.S., in the minds and hearts of immigrants arriving to Ellis Island. My personal "American Dream", and the way in which it is still alive today, would be my yearning to study in the U.S. and perhaps achieve economic prosperity by living in corporate America.

  10. #10
    Inactive Member montanaro.g's Avatar
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    The American Dream... It was a dream that all people had (and still have) in achieving personal wealth at any cost. And by any cost I don't mean stealing or killing for money, but starting from the bottom to reach the top. The American Dream was "created" by the immigrants that came into the United States in search of a better life and pay. They were in search of that "superficial happiness" as some might say. All their energy was dedicated to achieving success and wealth, which is very honorable in my opinion. One that gives everything for a goal is someone who deserves y admiration. Most of the times, those that were in search of the American Dream failed miserably, but they still continued struggling with a tiny ray of hope. Admirable!
    Being in the American School of Asuncion might help us foster a type of "American Dream" because we are in search of a better life than what Paraguay could possibly offer us. Although Paraguay is our home (for most of us), we need to detach from it in order to grow. The American Dream is not all about money and power, etc. but about growing and getting to know yourself. I have an American Dream. I want to become a lawyer, a firm lawyer that works in NYC.
    The American Dream is still alive now. Although we are not in search of gold in the west coast or in search of diamonds in the northeast of Africa, we are constantly fighting towards a six-digit salary and entering to a prestigious university.
    In my opinion, all humans strive towards the denominated "American Dream." We all seek happiness in the material, that is why there are no people that can live a material-less life. We are greedy, what can we do about it? We want more, and we will not rest until we get that extra thing. It is an ongoing process.

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