The Epic of America - Essay Example

Work, American dream/ myth, society and psychological perspectives The American Dream, which refers to the freedom enjoyed by all the citizens and most residents of the United States in pursuing the goals of their lives through hard work and free choice, has been one of the most established myths or themes of the modern world. Significantly, the meaning of the concept 'the American Dream' has been the result of a long process of evolvement over the course of American history and today there have been multiple opinions on the validity of the concept. One of the most pertaining debates concerning the topic has been whether the concept of the American Dream is myth or a reality. It is essential to realize that the American Dream has often been correlated with immigration and the dream of prosperity and freedom has, for several decades, been attracting numerous immigrants from all over the world to the US. To these millions of immigrants, America has been a land of opportunity which offers a fresh star and a new life for them. The promise of the American Dream began to attract, by the 1990s, large number of immigrants seeking work in large cities and they hoped to escape the limitations of class boundaries and racial restraints of their home countries with hard work and determination. The immigrants realized that a willingness to work hard would help them attain a successful life in the US and the 'Rags to Riches' stories of business tycoons in the nation inspired them. "The Industrial Revolution helped shape the American Dream by creating thousands of jobs. The development of big business, the Transcontinental Railroad, and the increase in oil production improved the American standard of living... When people think of the American Dream they think of a successful and satisfying life. The term usually implies financial security and material comfort, but can also mean living a successful life." (The American Dream, 4) Therefore, the American Dream is closely associated with immigration, work, and prosperity, and the Americans have traditionally attempted to attain the American dream of success, fame and wealth through frugality and hard work. However, a more challenging task to undertake has been the psychological effects of the American dream on American society in relation to how work, American dream/myth, society and psychological perspectives affect each other with reference to social status, race, and illegal immigrants in America pursuing the American Dream. It is also essential to realize how it plays part in the economical aspect of the nation. Therefore, this paper undertakes a cause-and-effect analysis of work, American dream, society and psychological perspectives with regard to today's economy and society in general. One of the fundamental aspects of this analysis is a clear understanding of the term the American Dream and it was James Truslow Adams who coined the term in his celebrated book The Epic of America. According to him, the American Dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." (Adams, 404) Therefore, the original definition of the term had a wider meaning and it has acquired different types of meaning to different classes of society today. The original meaning of the term referred to the opportunity to accomplish greater material prosperity than what was possible in other nations. It was also realized by groups of immigrants as the opening for their children to mature, obtain education and career opportunities. Therefore, the definite meaning of the term American Dream provides the immigrants the opportunity to formulate individual choices without the constraints of religion, caste, class, race, and ethnic group. The American Dream which started as a dream of a nation for good life, upward mobility, equality, and social progress has reached a new situation today where it is generally agreed that the dream of prosperity is becoming far more difficult to attain. Once known as the land of opportunity for all citizens, America has changed a lot through the history. It was a land where an impoverished individual with a great will to work hard could pursue his dreams including home ownership, a standard of living, and upward mobility and this dream was called the American dream. The immigrants have long come to America to live the American Dream. "But in America today, that dream is being eroded. For the first time in our nation's history, many young Americans realize that they will not be able to match or exceed the economic levels achieved by their parents Serious problems can be seen in several areas: jobs are disappearing; the value of money is shrinking; families need two incomes just to keep pace; government power continues to grow; and the nation's praiseworthy cultural base has been eroded." (McManus, 4) Therefore, a clear understanding of America today confirms that there is serious threat to the concept of the American Dream in the modern social situation in the nation and it has been reported that the Americans are no more dreaming of a better life for their children. The young generation of the nation is afraid of being forced into a lower standard of living and a lower quality of life. The standard of living has reduced tremendously for the young men of the day, compared to that of the previous generation. "The American Dream is long gone. The expectation of rising living standards for each generation of workers has given way to a low-wage economy in which young workers will struggle just to match their parents' income -- and are increasingly likely to end up worse off." (Sustar) It is greatly essential, today, to realize this issue and move in the right direction to resolve the crisis. Here, the relationship among immigration, work, American dream, and society becomes lucid. An understanding of the psychological perspectives of the impact of the American Dream on American society becomes essential to comprehend the issue just around the corner. Immigration, work, American dream, and society are aspects that affect one another with reference to social status, race, and illegal immigrants in America pursuing the American Dream. The citizens of America have not achieved the American Dream and the standard of living of the day can no more equal that of yesterday. The psychological influence of immigration, work, and social relations has resulted in the current situation. The decrease in the standard of living of the people of the nation has been caused by several factors including immigration, work issues, etc and it has resulted in subsequent issues such as inequality in social relations. "The tendency of incomes to rise over the course of people's careers helps explain recent changes in the distribution of income in the United States. Often, the contention that living standards are falling is combined with an argument that inequality is on the rise During the past two decades the portions of the population consisting of young adults and the elderly -- groups that tend to earn relatively low incomes -- grew quickly, while the relatively high-earning middle-aged group shrank to a smaller percentage of the population." (Silber, 6) Among the various factors that contributed to the decay of the American Dream is the fact there has been a constant illegal immigration to the United States due to the characteristics of the American Dream. There have been several instances of the act of overseas nationals violating U.S. immigration policies and national laws and these illegal immigrants immigrate to the nation without appropriate permission from the United States government. The illegal immigration to the United States can be realized as a result of the opportunity and freedom to pursue what became known as the American dream. Today, according to various estimations, around 11 million people comprise illegal immigrant population to the United States which is down from a momentous peak of 12.5 million people in 2007. This is one of the basic social issues in the United States. A serious impact of the liberal immigrant policy of the nation has been that there are several groups of immigrants in the US and this affects the social balance of the nation. The social and economic gap among different races and classes has widened and a blind chase of the promises of the American Dream resulted in social and economic disparity in the nation. "Some 40 years after the height of the civil rights movement, 34 percent of Black workers still earn poverty wages, as do 41.8 percent of Latino workers. Women, whose mass entry into the workforce since the 1960s seemed to be an unstoppable trend, have suffered a decline in workforce participation of 1.8 percent as a result of anemic job creation in the 2000s." (Sustar) Therefore, the particular social and economic situation in the US today requires essential changes in the liberal policies of immigration etc. The same psychological effects of the American dream on American society and the economical aspect of the situation, along with the current social status, race, and illegal immigrants in America pursuing the American dream make one consider a rethinking of the liberal aspects of the American policy. In conclusion, a cause-and-effect analysis of the American Dream drives one to comprehend the essential issues related with work, immigration, social status, and race. In the modern American situation, where the hope of rising living standards for each generation of workers has given way to a low-wage economy and where people have little trust in the promises of the American Dream, the issues of work, immigration, social disparity, and economic worries become easily comprehensible. In short, the American Dream, which attracted millions of immigrants to the US for several decades, is being eroded and the American society as well as economy has enormously been influenced by the causes and effects of the American Dream. Works Cited Adams, James Truslow. The Epic of America. Boston: Little, Brown, 1932, P 404. McManus, John F. "Understanding America Today: Immigrants Have Long Come to America to Live 'The American Dream.' Now, That Dream Is Becoming More Difficult to Attain. To Reinvigorate America, We Must Understand the Problem." The New American. Vol. 23. Iss. 21. 2007. P 4. Silber, Kenneth. The Rising American Dream. Insight on the News. Vol. 9. Iss. 40. 1993. P 6. Sustar, Lee. Working Harder to Fall Behind: The American Dream Is Dead." AlterNet. 2008. 10 Mar, 2009. . "The American Dream." Read & Think English. Think English! Magazine. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. 2007. P 4 Read More