“The American Dream is central to the national ethos, reflecting people’s optimism that all who are willing to work hard can achieve a better life than their parents” (Wolak and Peterson 968). I believe that every person has different interpretations of the American Dream. However, one of the common definitions states that the main American Dream includes achieving individuals goals and becoming successful in American society. Creating a specific American Dream is crucial to setting direct objectives and working hard to meet personal and surrounding expectations. People pursue diverse goals, and according to their personal wants, the definition of the American Dream varies.
Moreover, if people had the same interpretation of the concept, there would be fewer opportunities to become successful in a popular industry, and unemployment could increase. My American Dream is finding a stable job, buying a house, finding true love, and having children. The paper will show the interpretation close to many Americans, show the importance of the concept, and explain how people can create their American Dreams on specific examples.
The key aspects of my American Dream are finding a job, marrying, and buying a house for the whole family. I strive to find a job in the IT industry as it attracts me the most, and I have a significant interest in modern technologies. The first several years after graduation might be complicated, and the salary might not be satisfying. Moreover, by communicating with diverse people, I will be able to find true love. Consequently, we will start saving money to purchase the personal property. My American Dream is unique, as not all people are ready to spend a lot of time studying IT languages. This particular Dream makes me feel stable in life, and I understand what goal I should achieve. My vision is crucial as it might help surrounding people find their way of understanding their American Dream. I want readers to understand that typical dreams are also valuable, and it is important to set individual goals without comparing them with others. To summarize, the uniqueness of the concept allows individuals and their surroundings to have a clearer vision of their lives.
The development of the American dream usually comes from the family’s experience as parents often become role models for their children. My parents have always worked hard to make my childhood bright and remarkable. Most of my relatives are immigrants, and it was more complicated to legalize in the USA and become real Americans. Their experience means a lot to me as it taught me to stay confident in the beginning and always be prepared for breakdowns. This lesson is important for other people as when they grow up; it becomes easier to adjust to this difficult world. The main Dream of my family is to be prepared for crises. Consequently, this lesson taken from my parents made me more prepared for unusual problems that sometimes appear in adulthood. Moreover, this knowledge helped me to understand life objectives more clearer. Some professionals have explained this point of view using valuable evidence.
Thi Bui is a Vietnamese immigrant who has been describing the development of the American Dream in families who were not formed in the USA. She states that the concept is not abstract, and people usually strive for material things that may make their lives better (210). The author explains in her article called The Best We Could Do the discrimination raised in the USA when the war in Vietnam started and the financial difficulty that did not allow them to form an American Dream. Moreover, according to the article provided by Gusain and Jha, Thi Bui shows how her mother had to give up her gorgeous and fashionable status to immigrate and start her life from the beginning (879). From this specific case, the alternative ideas of the concept can be created as some people might believe that their American Dream is to stay safe when terrible things happen in their countries. In summary, Thi Bui teaches her readers that the American dream should not always be typical, and American society will accept every interpretation.
The vision of the American Dream can be different for individuals, and people create their interpretations according to their specific experiences. Some people might have a typical American definition of the concept, but others might strive to achieve different goals. Individuals might have difficulty finding their American Dreams because of society’s pressure. This might happen because of the surrounding factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced people to stay alone with their thoughts. Focusing on individual achievements and seeking help from professionals, in this case, is crucial. There should be no difference between people’s backgrounds, and they might not be Americans who were born in the USA to build their dreams. Immigrants can also build the American Dream to accomplish in life. The support of psychologists might become popular in the future and their help might change the way people think about the American Dream in a positive way. This will allow more people to define their American Dream correctly and logically. With the fight against discrimination, immigrants might become more confident in creating their dreams and the interpretation of the concept may be changed in several years.
Works Cited
Bui, Thi. The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir. Abrams ComicArts, 2018.
Gusain, Abhilasha, and Jha, Smita. “Trauma, Memory, History and its Counter Narration in Thi Bui’s Graphic Memoir The Best We Could Do.” Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, vol. 1, no. 5, 2021, pp. 873-884.
Wolak, Jennifer, and Peterson, David. “The Dynamic American Dream.” American Journal of Political Science, vol. 64, no. 4, 2020, pp. 968-981.