Essay On The Effects Of The American Dream

“For many the “American Dream” has become a nightmare”(Sanders). Many American today believe that the American dream is dead an impossible to accomplish. “The American Dream” has become a widespread term to describe the American Way of life in general, but is big by far not that easy”(Michels). It is typically the idealization of all Americans, that governs their actions, introduces opportunity for success, and depicts how they chose to live their lives. Many Americans govern their actions based upon how they feel and what they believe. Today there are still many people who believe in the principles of the American Dream. “Between 1986 and 2011, around 50 percent of those polled by Pew consistently said they felt that the American dream was “somewhat alive”(Cooper). “However, over that same time period, the share who said it was “very alive” decreased by about half, and the share felt it was “not really alive” more than doubled”(Cooper). For those whom are still firm believers, they catch themselves living beyond or less than their means. The American Dream effects actions because it provides a horizon upon which Americans …show more content…
The reason for this is because the American Dream has such high standards. This makes Americans want to strive for the best and better themselves. “For example, majorities of Americans believe that hard work will lead to success”(Cooper). Being that the whole concept of the American Dream was said to be impossible to accomplish, a lot of citizens are out to prove this statement wrong. This causes people to try and obtain higher levels of education, and even go for higher paying jobs. “The American Dream has long been equated with moving up the class ladder and owning a home”(Cooper). Americans often see their peer citizens in “higher class-levels”, which makes them want better for themselves leading to more opportunities for