America: United States and American Dream Essay

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The American dream is the reason why thousands of people come to America in order to achieve their dreams of a better life and success. In America people can become success or never reach their goals this is the reality of the American dream, which most people do not reach their goal. The dream is supposed to be fair for everyone but certain circumstances make it uneven for most people and give advantages to a few. This belief of anyone can become successful make American appealing to many people because in American people make their dreams of reality. The American dream is to become successful and prosperous in whatever a person wants to achieve however race is a major factor because it makes it difficult for people trying to achieve their own American dream.

The American dream is difficult to achieve because some people discriminate other races and make it harder for people of a different color or ethnicity to achieve their goals. This is shown in novels such as the Passing because it says, “When I could pass for white I knew my life would be better then before”(Larsen 26). This shows how Clare, the main character in the story, feels that its better to be a person who society says is prefect or ideal. However since Clare is a colored person she believes that she wouldn’t be treated fairly by society because of who she is so she pretends to be white and lives in a white

neighborhood with her husband. This ties to the American dream because she believes she can only be happy as a white woman in society then who she really is a woman of color. She wouldn’t be able to achieve her American Dream because of how people would have treated her if they had known who she really was. When a man Jack found out that Clare was black he said, "So you're a Nigger, a Damned Dirty Nigger!” (Larsen 204). This shows how white people would have been towards others who were colored, also when most people believed Clare was white because she had a daughter who looked white and it was similar to the Dick and Jane story about what the ideal American life is for a family. Clare is consumed by fear about how she would be treated by her neighbors, husband, and society so she does not risk having another child. She doesn’t want another child because she fears that the child would have more black features and then she would be exposed as a person of color, therefore she says, "I nearly died of terror the whole nine months before Margery was born for fear that she might be dark. Thank goodness she turned out all right" (Larson 168). She was afraid that people would have treated her poorly if they had found out she was mixed and her chance of reaching her American Dream would be difficult. Clare’s American Dream is similar to the Dick and Jane story connects since Clare feels what is ideal for her to be a woman in a white society. This story was influenced by what was and many will argue still is apart of the American dream, therefore the American Dream is was people strive to achieve because they believe it is should have in order to feel successful in the American Society.

The American dream is different then what is truly means to be an American because the American dream is what is ideal and to be American is the reality, which is less likely to be ideal for everyone. According to the Huffington Post it says, “Being in the United States without authorization is not a crime but a civil offense for a country with 12 million undocumented residents” (Huffington 3). This shows how America was founded on the belief that anyone can make something of themselves out of nothing, however in modern times Americans are against illegal aliens coming to America to take jobs from Americans. This is negatively affecting the American dream because it makes it difficult for people who want to come to America to make their goals become a reality difficult by people who would be against them. In Robert Frost
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