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My understanding of the American Dream is that it can be obtained by everyone, with it being reinvented in millions of ways. People all have different perceptions of the American Dream, such as wishes or dreams for themselves or the world. To my understanding, many think about their American Dream daily, with their dreams not being entitled to one certain thing. These American dreams may be getting a job or accomplishing a life goal. My American Dream is to live a prosperous life and finish my graduate college, pursue happiness and start a family.

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Graduating college is part of my American dream, as to me, it will show the hard work and the effort I put into my education. It will serve as a reminder that all the work I have done and the effort was not taken for granted, giving me confidence and motivation in the future.

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Happiness is definitely part of my American Dream. The pursuit of happiness is important to me, as feeling sad or negative is not what I would like to be in the future. Spreading joy and happiness through my own happiness is what I hope for.

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Having a family is part of my American Dream, as it's always been a dream to fall in love with someone and take care of children. I'm the type of person to show affection to others, so I would hope that I am able to show and give love to a family of my own in the future.

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I interviewed my mother on what the American Dream is and what it meant to her. She believed that the American Dream is the opportunity for everyone, regardless of where you came from to attain success. Her own American Dream was to have a loving family and work as a nurse in a prestigious hospital, which have come true. My mother believes that the American dream is realistic to achieve, and even if someone falls short, their will always be more opportunities to attain it as long as they have motivation and are well determined. As I interviewed her, she gave me good advice, and explained how her parents advice to her was to always believe in herself. She was told that she should not put any limitations on what she can dream, and the advice she gave me was to never give up and always seek the will of the lord for his plan is always perfect.

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First Generations Talking About The American Dream

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First Generations Talking About The American Dream

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The video clip I decided to use is titled "First-Generation Americans Talk About The American Dream." This video is mainly about children sharing the experiences of their family members who may or may not have immigrated here, and their experiences in America. It then leads to them explaining their view on the American Dream, with all of them having different ones. This definitely supports my thesis statement, as in the past, we mainly had one universal American Dream. However, this video demonstrates how it has been reinvented in a variety of ways. Different American dreams stated in this video were opportunity, or the rights to life, liberty and property. This really emphasizes the idea that we control our American Dream, and we control whether or not we decide to seek it.

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First-Generation Americans Talk About The American Dream

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What Students Say About The American Dream

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What Students Say About The American Dream

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This article was written by The Learning Network of New York Times, and talks about students' views on The American Dream. It explains how through recent studies, the American dream has been changing and has been alive. Through a variety of different perspectives states throughout the article, it demonstrates this idea that no matter how many people may deny that this dream is dead, it really is not, through many personal experiences. One response that really caught my eye and what I believe supports my source is by Ona Stocovaz, who states that "The American Dream can happen, but only if you work hard and try to reach that goal." This statement really reflects how I personally feel about this American Dream and my thesis, given the fact that people who are willing too reach out for it may be able to achieve it. There is no universal American Dream as of today, many dreaming different things. The idea of this dream is now being used as a way to motivate people into reaching for their goals, no matter the difficulties they have been through,

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What Students Are Saying About: The American Dream, Mindfulness in Schools and How to Define ‘Family’ (Published 2019)

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The best recent teenage comments in response to our writing prompts — and an invitation to join the ongoing conversation.

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The song Man in The Mirror is about showing how making a change within this world starts by making a chance within yourself. Specifically, this song tackles the issue of homelessness, with lyrics such as "I see the kids in the street, with not enough to eat, who am I to be blind pretending not to see their needs." This lyric emphasizes the fact that there are people who are not given the same opportunity as others to really reach for their own personal dreams. However, we can make a change by taking action on these problems ourselves instead of ignoring them and being "blind." One main verse of this song is "If you wanna make a world a better place, Take a look at yourself and make a change." If you want to pursue your dream in some way, whether that be for yourself or the world, you need to be the one to reach for it.

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The Distance Between us is a story about Reyna Grande's journey towards America and her experience being an illegal immigrant. She describes the hardships and struggles her siblings have gone through across the book, and she herself as well as her siblings support my thesis. Specifically, chapter 24 of The Distance Between Us supports my thesis of the American Dream being alive and well, but has changed throughout the years. In Chapter 24, Reyna finally leaves for UCSC, after all of the difficulties that she has faced. She is finally able to make her dreams a reality, compared to her siblings who did not have the drive as she did. This shows how a person's motivation in achieving their own personal American Dream has to come from them, and shows how it's always possible to achieve it as long as you personally are driven to reach it.