The American Dream: An American Constant As a newborn child lies in his mother’s arms in an American hospital following his birth, he doesn’t possess courtesy to be grateful for the gifts bestowed upon him; this baby hasn’t merely been given life. This infant has been given an opportunity that we have come to know as The American Dream. This ideal will be held constant in the mind of this moments old baby as soon as he is mature enough to yearn and desire the concept of gain.
America is widely believed to be a land of opportunity, so the concept of The American Dream is an ethos taken to heart in almost every being who respects America. Every day, people set out to achieve their full potential and succeed. Though, in America we are blessed with freedom, I feel the assumption that being free yields success and happiness is a false premise. I believe the only way to define true success of this ideal is unconditional happiness and success. To achieve this dream proves nearly impossible; as humans, we instinctively desire more. Success, like the concept of The American Dream, is truly subjective. We go to different colleges, have different majors, and surround ourselves with different people; how can success truly be defined? To me, The American Dream proves to be more hope and incentive to better yourself and your family for future generations to come. In respect to the subjectivity of the term, The American Dream will always mean different things to different people.
As a planned Marketing major, I understand my career and future life to revolve around the concept of desire. All of my life, I have worked in Public Relations understanding the wants and needs of various people. Something that satisfies one person bears no relevance to the satisfaction of another. Through my experience, I have realized the unique nature of every person on this Earth. With this, I have shaped my view of The American Dream, and what it takes to achieve this goal individually. From years spent working at my parent’s restaurant, to becoming close with others of different socioeconomic status, life has given me a plethora of examples to shape my beliefs over.
In Enrique’s Journey, the ultimate theme of the book is The American Dream. In fact, this ideal is the catalyst for every event in this story. Wanting to better their lives, Enrique’s mother leaves her son to go to America. Enrique soon follows to find her. Though, subjective as the term may be, I feel his mother truly did the right thing. To her, she was taking the only option she felt she possessed. This is a common practice among everyone in society. We use our discretion to dictate our lives and the lives of people around us. This same discretion determines our perception of The American Dream. Upon completion of the book, I feel they ultimately failed their goal of achieving The American Dream. So many events led up to the ending of the story, but ultimately they still face hardships ahead. They bettered their life in pursuit of the goal, but ultimately they did not succeed.
As someone who firmly stands against illegal immigration, accepting the Dream Act is honestly out of the question. I have so many inhibitions about the concept of exploiting America; I feel that college education and financial aid for higher education pertaining to illegal immigrants goes against everything America stands for. There are billions of people in this world; with this in mind, The American Dream is something not everyone is able to attempt. Every day, people die unnecessarily. As Americans, I acknowledge that we are truly privileged to have the opportunities we do. Coming into America illegally, though, should never be the first step in achieving the coveted ideal. Taking Enrique’s Journey as an example, we are given an opportunity to meet Enrique’s whole family. Throughout the book, his life as an illegal immigrant is depicted thoroughly. As a reader, we see the terrible troubles and conflicts