Achieving the American Dream is the quintessential aspiration of Americans and immigrants alike. This universal concept is the opportunity for ambitious people to succeed through one’s hard work and determination; however, it is nowhere near establishment. The American Dream is a commonly held ideal that has not yet been achieved, because although we have improved greatly, the dream is still just that: a dream.
Not to mention that the difference between the wealthy and the poor not only contradicts the American Dream, but is unfavorable to us as a country. The inequality grows as the “income for the wealthiest Americans have recently increased while middle-class incomes have remained stagnant”(Graff, Birkenstein, and Durst). Our country may seem prosperous, but if a large body of the population is wallowing in poverty, upwards mobility becomes problematic. In this way, the expanding income gap mirrors the distance between us and the American Dream.
Furthermore, a significant constituent in the concept is the acquisition of wealth. However, many wealthy people in America have procured their commodities through exploitive means, as proven by Joseph E. Stiglitz who determined that “those at the top are enriched at the direct expense of those at the bottom” (“What Land of Opportunity”). This practice of taking advantage of the underprivileged widens the income gap between the haves and the have-nots. How the rich obtain their wealth further disproves the American Dream.
The inequality is also apparent when applying for a more advanced education. Kathleen Melville stated that “poverty is not something