To discuss, research and develop an argument which talks about the The American Dream - Essay Example

On the other hand, King’s version of the American dream entailed freedom and equality between African Americans and whites. The following essay attempts to determine what it means moving to the United States today in an effort to achieve the American dream, as well as the myth surrounding its true benefits (Smith 71). The American dream is not an illusion but a reality that is subject to different interpretations because of influence from the government, the media, and academia. Recent academic literature touches on the American Dream (Smith 44).

Nearly all Americans are familiar with the concept by the time they finish high school. At the same time, familiarity with the concept does not help determine if the American Dream is achievable or an individual’s misplaced idea of reality. What schools do not teach is that working hard to achieve the American Dream is the only way to overcome success barriers. Some literary works show how barriers can stop one’s progress. Other literary works show that accomplishing anything is possible through persistent desire and ambition.

As a result, one only sees barriers for accomplishing the America Dream as an expected reality if one chooses influence from positive or negative literary works. Every generation has seen a multitude of immigrants in the United States full of hopes of achieving the American Dream (Smith 71). Many immigrants desire jobs with suitable incomes and benefits that can lead to a successful life. A successful life can then see their families properly fed, roofed, and educated. Other immigrants seek to set up businesses in the United States, which they hope will grow to a multimillion-dollar empire and live amongst the white elite of America.

These are two of the most common perceptions of the American Dream shared amongst immigrants. Stories of a handful of immigrants who came to the United States nearly decades ago with the same vision and