a thesis statement for american dream

American Dream Essay: Structure, Outline, Sample, and Topics

11 December 2023

last updated

The American Dream is a recurring controversial topic in modern society. Individuals have developed different arguments to deconstruct what is the American Dream essay in the context of day-to-day life. In the academic setting, learners that engage in this discourse hold the weight of the proper expression of their arguments. A structured essay is analyzed with a focus on the introduction, main body, and conclusion of the five-paragraph essay. The process of topic selection, outline development, and structured writing is exemplified using an essay titled, “The Promise of the American Dream.” Recommendations for narrow scoped topics for exploring the concept are provided as a starting point for students.

In contemporary discourse, there is much controversy over the meaning of the American Dream. Basically, people hold different positions on multiple aspects of the concept in their essays and research papers. During the schooling years, it is important to acquire knowledge. Also, young minds benefit significantly from reflecting on the influence of their recently acquired knowledge on their position regarding controversial topics. Upon completing the reflection essay process, the expression of one’s newly defined position is the next step. An essay on the American Dream is presented to introduce the readers to the basic principles behind the concept. Moreover, the structure of a five-paragraph essay is explored with the support of an outline and a sample essay.

What Is the American Dream Essay?

1. general description.

The American Dream is a widely known concept, but there is no definition that can be identified as a correct, comprehensive, and precise. Basically, freedom and opportunity are the most critical aspects of the essay on the American Dream. In this case, freedoms are essential to the idea of achieving goals. It because these freedoms provide an individual with the space to live freely without any oppression from their peers or the government. Moreover, equal access to opportunity allows each individual to pursue happiness and prosperity regardless of the social class, gender, race, and other social or cultural factors that stratify society. Therefore, this concept may be defined as a set of beliefs that explain the experience of life that many people are expected to have in an ideal situation, where their freedoms are protected, and no opportunity barriers exist.

2. Unique Experiences

People are born into families that provide them with a unique starting point for their pursuit of desired goals. For example, the financial capability, level of education, and cultural beliefs of an individual’s parents define the foundation on which a person begins to achieve desired goals. As a result, all people may be pursuing the same ideas when writing essays. In turn, it is not a level playing field because some individuals may find themselves in better circumstances than others. Furthermore, it is differentiated at a personal level because individuals with relatively similar starting points may have distinct outcomes. Based on this perspective, it is highly unlikely that any two individuals can attest to going through identical experiences when writing an essay.

3. Belief Systems

Besides the circumstances of the starting points, an individual’s belief system plays a significant role in their strategy of achieving desired goals. For instance, happiness and prosperity are broad terms that have contrasting meanings for individuals because there is no standardized scale for measuring happiness or prosperity. Moreover, one person may consider owning a car and house to be a sign of prosperity. In contrast, another person may believe that providing his or her children with a college education to be prosperity. Hence, these beliefs are imposed on desires goals, which results in variations in the meaning of the concept for each individual to be covered in an essay. In turn, desires goals affected to a large extent by an individual’s beliefs regarding the things that make them happy or prosperous.

Topic Selection for American Dream Essays

1. challenges of topic selection.

The American Dream is a concept that people can examine from a variety of perspectives, which makes the selection of an essay topic for an American Dream paper quite challenging. During the selection of an essay topic, it is essential to remember that no point of view is more superior or correct than another. In this case, the weight of the claim proposed in the American Dream argumentative essay is dependent on the writer’s ability to explain a position logically and convincingly. Moreover, in the presentation of the argument in the essay, it is important to adequately consider competing counterarguments that may arise in the audience’s minds when writing essays. In turn, the failure to evaluate counterarguments critically may undercut the authority of the author, especially when writing for an academic audience.

2. Solution

Equally important, writers should select a topic that has a link with their personal experiences. For instance, an argument concerning the essay about the American Dream gains a sense of authenticity when writers discuss an issue that resonates with their beliefs. It is essential because some passion is embedded in the essay. In this case, as a starting point for identifying the essay topic, writers may identify a “main concept” under review, for example, equal opportunity. Based on the main concept, writers can think through their life experiences and single out events that they consider invaluable in the position taken concerning the main concept (see the example of a simple brainstorming template). Finally, writers should settle on the essay topic that is specific and can be argued out entirely within the constraints of the essay requirements.

3. Example of a Simple Brainstorming Template

• State the main concept.
• How has it affected you?
• How has it affected other people in your life?
• Do you think the events mentioned above are in line with the American Dream?
• Specify the issue.
• Describe the ideal situation.
• Can the situation be improved?

American Dream Essay Outline

Introduction (approximately 10% of the word count).

• It is the first statement in the introductory paragraph.
• The statement should capture the attention of the reader, for example, a unique fact about the topic.

2. Overview of the Topic

• It comprises of two or more sentences.
• The statements should contain adequate detail for the reader to understand the thesis statement.

3. Thesis Statement

• It is a single statement that appears at the end of the introductory paragraph.
• The statement provides an answer to the essay prompt in the form of a single argument, which summarises the main evidence or rationale presented in the main body.

Main Body (Approximately 80% of the Word Count)

The creation of paragraphs in this section is based on the separation of ideas to ensure that each paragraph presents one original idea. In this case, each paragraph in this section must follow the sandwich rule, which dictates the organization of paragraph elements:

• Topic sentence – States the main idea for that paragraph.
• Evidence – Provides the information that is crucial to the paragraph’s idea.
• Evaluation of evidence – Explains the relevance of the evidence and offers an interpretation of the evidence.
• Transition statement – Summarises the paragraph and links it to the thesis statement or the next paragraph.

Conclusion (Approximately 10% of the Word Count)

1. Restating the Main Argument

• The first statement in the paragraph should repeat the main argument presented in the thesis statement.
• It should not contain the same words as the thesis statement, but keywords can be reused.
• Provide a detailed overview of the main points of the essay logically.
• Demonstrate the value of the main points in answering the essay prompt.

Five-Paragraph American Dream Essay Outline Sample

Introduction/Paragraph 1

Hook: Besides the differences in the American populations, they are similar because they pursue the same dream.

Overview of the topic: Outline some of the differences in the American population.

Thesis statement: Creating equal opportunities allows individuals to achieve upward mobility.

Paragraph 2 :

Topic sentence: Breaking down social mobility and its quantification.

Evidence: Definition and measures of social mobility.

Evaluation of evidence: Illustrate how upward social mobility is achieved while referring to the measures.

Transition statement: Introduces the need for self-improvement for social mobility to occur.

Paragraph 3 :

Topic sentence: Opportunity is a requirement for social mobility.

Evidence: The role of education in equipping an individual to utilize opportunities.

Evaluation of evidence: Demonstrate the link between education, access to jobs, and the ability to improve an individual’s quality of life.

Transition statement: Recognise that there are socially constructed limitations on the accessibility of opportunities.

Paragraph 4 :

Topic sentence: Discriminative practices affect an individual’s access to opportunities for social mobility.

Evidence: Identify some forms of discrimination and explain the occurrence of discriminative practices.

Evaluation of evidence: Describe the value of government and organization’s role in managing discriminative practices using policies that uphold equality.

Transition statement: Stress the centrality of equality in the argument for opportunity access and upward mobility.

Conclusion/Paragraph 5 :

Restating the main argument: Emphasise the importance of equality in securing opportunities for upward mobility and the attainment of the American Dream.

Summary: Allude to the measures of social mobility, the interaction between discriminative practices and opportunities, and the relief provided by policies on equality.

Sample of Five-Paragraph American Dream Essay

Topic: The Promise of the American Dream

Introduction

Although we are different, we share a single dream. In this case, the American population is composed of people of different genders, races, education levels, religions, and disability statuses. Nonetheless, each American is entitled to the opportunity to make themselves better regardless of the underlying differences. Thus, the American Dream thesis statement is that it is founded on the promise of equal opportunity for upward social mobility.

Social Mobility

Social mobility is a multidimensional concept. It can be assessed using a variety of measures that attempt to quantify the change occurring in an individual’s life. For example, the ability of an individual to move along the social hierarchy may be described as social mobility. In turn, there are different measures of social mobility. However, each one is focused on a specific aspect of average Americans’ livelihood:

• health status – the susceptibility of an individual to diseases,
• education – an individual’s highest level of education,
• homeownership – the capability of an individual to acquire permanent housing.

Upward social mobility implies that an individual can improve their position in the social hierarchy through improving their performance on any of the measures of social mobility. Therefore, upward social mobility is the desired outcome of a successful pursuit of desired goals because it suggests some form of self-improvement.

Opportunity

The opportunity for upward mobility is vital in pursuing the desired goals. Basically, access to opportunity is facilitated by some factors, for example, access to quality education. In this case, an individual that has attended school and acquired the necessary skills has a higher likelihood of securing a job. If individuals acquire jobs, it becomes easier to secure health insurance, buy homes, and improve the quality of life for their families. Moreover, individuals can only attain what they want if they are provided access to basic education, which prepares them to maximize any opportunities. However, it is difficult for an average individual to pursue opportunities without the government’s efforts to increase the ease of access to basic needs.

Equality Policies

Many barriers affect an average American’s ability to access positive opportunities, and it manifests in the form of discriminative practices in society. In this case, discrimination in society may occur based on a variety of issues, for example, gender, disability, religion, and race. Basically, personal biases create ideological differences regarding superiority in the social hierarchy. It pushes individuals to deny others access to opportunities and the necessary skills to exploit those opportunities. Moreover, state and organizational policies against discrimination are created and enforced to maintain equality among Americans. These laws serve to eliminate the barriers that exist between hardworking people and the American Dream. Consequently, equality among individuals ensures that all individuals can take advantage of opportunities regardless of their gender, disability status, religion, race, and other social differences that tend to create boundaries between social groups.

Equality is crucial in the pursuit of the American Dream because it provides each individual with the opportunity to move up the social hierarchy. In this case, people can access upward social mobility by using various measures, which quantify an individual’s quality of life. Moreover, opportunities may exist, but individuals need to be assisted in developing themselves to a level where they can utilize the available opportunities. Hence, equality policies are useful in curtailing the power of discriminative practices in reinforcing social mobility barriers.

American Dream Essay Topics

• The origin of the American Dream.
• Intergenerational differences in the definition of the American Dream.
• The American Dream in contemporary music.
• Does society still believe in the American Dream?
• Defining the American Dream through the racial lens.
• Individualism and the American Dream.
• The influence of unrestricted surveillance on the American Dream.
• Health care policies and the American Dream.
• The impacts of globalization on the American Dream.
• The rise of right-wing populism and the future of the American Dream.

Summing up on the American Dream Essay

The capacity of a person to participate in the discourse on the controversial essay topic nurtured through the continuous practice of structured essay writing. Basically, the concept may be approached from a different perspective, depending on the individual’s beliefs and personal experiences. Nonetheless, the written presentation of these points of view is achieved through the use of structured essays. The five-paragraph American Dream essay examined in this paper is a useful tool for the expression of any argument on the topic.

To Learn More, Read Relevant Articles

Essay example of the great gatsby book review, how to write a well-developed poem analysis essay.

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The American Dream in the 21st Century Research Paper

Introduction.

• “I Too” and the Dark Side of American History
• The American Dream in the 21st Century

The King is Dead… Long Live the King

• Conclusions

Works Cited

Annotation page, gathering research, thesis statement.

The United States of America have always been considered the land of the free. What drew many migrants to abandon their homes and seek fortune thousands of miles away was the promise of a place where race, nationality, and religious views did not matter. The US was the place where anyone could make their own future. This idyllic picture was described by numerous (predominantly white) poets and writers, such as Walt Whitman. His poem, titled “I Hear America Singing” celebrates democracy, the sense of community, and individuality of every person in the country. However, the simple ideal of living a self-sufficient and independent life was always built at someone else’s expense. After the first decade of the 21st century, the situation is different. As a small minority is accumulating power and riches, even fewer people are allowed access to the vaunted ideal of an age gone by. The United States of America never did provide a chance to access the American Dream, as throughout its history, that dream was being achieved through suffering of the oppressed and enslaved.

“ I Too” and the Dark Side of American History

If we investigate Walt Whitman’s poem, we could see many people being occupied and doing their jobs to sustain themselves: the carpenter, as he “measures his plank or beam,” the mason, as he “makes ready for work,” the boatman as he praises “what belongs to him and his boat,” the woodcutter, the mother, the young girl. All seem to be present in this idyllic picture (Whitman). However, there are no farmers, and for a very good reason. The song was written and published in 1860, one year before the outbreak of the American civil war. During that time period, cotton farming was the main driving force behind the US economy. It brought money into the economy and kept it going. Whitman’s praise to the individualistic and self-sufficient culture of white people in America excludes the black slaves, whose labor enabled all these carpenters, masons, boatmen, and others to pursue their vocations and earn their “American Dream.” This feeling was emphasized in a poem by Langston Hughes, titled “I, Too.” It can be read as a follow-up and an accusation towards Whitman’s piece, as it adds to why there are no black people in the picture: “I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes” (Hughes)

The poem highlights the plight of the black people in an unjust society, where the fruits of their labor are claimed by the owners in order to fuel the economy and provide other white people, even those who do not own slaves, with employment and upkeep. The 1860 US census states that out of 31.5 million Americans, over 4 million were black slaves, and that the total amount of people occupied in the farming sector was over 10% (Lindert and Williamson 278). It is the labor of these people that allowed the country to afford to build its industry and set up a base for fulfilling the American Dream. To reach that dream, however, you had to be trained in a craft, you had to be educated, and you had to be white.

One could argue that things have changed much in the 21st century. America just had its first black president, and there are numerous projects and initiatives in place to help out black people get better education, opportunities, and chances of living the American Dream. This is not the case, however, as the dynamics of the economy shifted. The blacks are still an underprivileged minority, as 50 years of relative political compassion could not undo the effects of 300 years of oppression (Lindert and Williamson 283). This time, however, a good portion of the working white population is suffering too. Unable to exploit the population domestically, many companies have turned overseas, forcing the employment rates and wages to plummet. According to Henderson, over a half of American teens say that the American Dream, for them, represents the ability to provide for themselves and their family as well as owning a house and a car (Henderson). The majority of young Americans do not own these items, instead being stuck in a perpetual debt starting from college. At the same time, companies and corporations utilize the labor of migrants or allocate overseas, to report staggering rates of growth. As always, the American dream has to come at someone’s expense.

Seeing that only 1 in 8 Americans is currently capable of attaining the American Dream, contemporary pundits tried to question the legitimacy of demands made by people who were denied it (Jenkins). The article published by the Daily Beast states that a good portion of young Americans are living alone, are child-free, or do not pursue successful career paths in search of a deeper meaning (Goff). Therefore, they should not be entitled to the “American Dream” of having a house, a car, a family, and two children.

However, this logic is based on the fact that the modern generation does not have the desire to fit into a traditional narrative. In modern America, having a car is often necessary just to get to work, and having a family with children while renting an apartment is difficult and expensive (Morello et al.). In other words, young Americans avoid starting families because they cannot support them, and not because they do not want to support them (Pinkster). “The American Dream” is not a desire for pointless consumerism but rather a need for the very basics for creating and sustaining a family. There is nothing “excessive” in wanting a job that pays well, a car to drive to that job, and to own a roof under one’s head.

The American Dream was never meant to be for everyone. The idyllic picture of the past is forever smeared by injustices that were dealt to the black population of the US left a terrible mark that will be felt for many generations to come in the form of crime, violence, lower living standards, unemployment, and shorter lifespans. Many years have passed since Langston Hughes wrote his poem about being an American, too. There has been progress, but the police, the country, and the state are still treating the majority of black individuals as second-class citizens. Modern generations, on the other hand, are suffering from issues that were not directly their fault, and are being blamed by older generations for not standing up to the task. Nowadays, the economy is based on offshore companies using Chinese and Indian workers, underpaid migrant labor, and the military complex. The truth of the world remains the same: for the majority to prosper, someone else has to pay for it.

Goff, Keli. “The American Dream is Dead, and Good Riddance.” The Daily Beast, 2014, Web.

Henderson, Samantha. “American Dreaming.” Scholastic Math, vol. 26, no. 1, 2005, p. 6.

Hughes, Langston. “I, Too.” Poets.org, Web.

Jenkins, Chris L. “Clinging to Dreams of a Better Life.” Washington Post, 2008, Web.

Lindert, Peter H., and Jeffrey G. Williamson. “Unequal gains: American growth and inequality since 1700.” Juncture, vol. 22, no. 4, 2016, pp. 276-283.

Morello, Carol, et al. “Achieving American Dream Fades as Certainty for Many.” The Washington Post, 2013, Web.

Pinkster, Joe. “Teenagers are Losing Confidence in the American Dream.” The Atlantic, 2015, Web.

Whitman, Walt. “I Hear America Singing.” Poets.org, Web.

The United States of America never did provide a chance to access the American Dream, as throughout its history, that dream was being achieved through suffering of the oppressed and enslaved.

Planning Page

• Opening Paragraph

Thesis: The United States of America never did provide a chance to access the American Dream, as throughout its history, that dream was being achieved through suffering of the oppressed and enslaved.

• Whitman describes an idyllic picture of America.
• The picture involves only whites.
• Hughes adds the portion not shown in Whitman’s song to America.
• Black people did work without payment or recognition.
• Black people still have trouble achieving the American Dream.
• 300 years of oppression cannot be undone by a few decades of support.
• White working class is suffering too.
• Teens lose hope in the American Dream.
• The King is Dead … Long Live the King.
• Only 1 out of 8 Americans can achieve the American Dream
• Contemporary pundits blame generational laziness rather than generational poverty.
• The American Dream contains the necessities needed for a healthy family structure.
• Teens adapt their expectations to realities, rather than have the realities adapt to their expectations.
• America never provided the American Dream for everyone.
• Exploitation moved overseas.
• Good life always is paid for by someone else.
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, March 22). The American Dream in the 21st Century. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-american-dream-in-the-21st-century/

"The American Dream in the 21st Century." IvyPanda , 22 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/the-american-dream-in-the-21st-century/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'The American Dream in the 21st Century'. 22 March.

IvyPanda . 2024. "The American Dream in the 21st Century." March 22, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-american-dream-in-the-21st-century/.

1. IvyPanda . "The American Dream in the 21st Century." March 22, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-american-dream-in-the-21st-century/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The American Dream in the 21st Century." March 22, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-american-dream-in-the-21st-century/.

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Home — Essay Samples — Economics — American Dream — Is the American Dream Still Alive?

Is The American Dream Still Alive?

• Categories: American Dream

About this sample

Words: 712 |

Published: Jan 30, 2024

Words: 712 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, history of the american dream, economic perspective on the american dream, social perspective on the american dream, cultural perspective on the american dream, personal perspective on the american dream, counterarguments to the american dream, references:.

• Kelly, P. (2020). The American Dream. Forbes.
• Gallup. (2020). Americans Still Believe in the American Dream.
• Kochhar, R. (2016). The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold? Pew Research Center.
• Wilhelm, H. & Schulte, B. (2020). Is the American Dream Dead? Global Young Voices.
• Delgado, R. & Stefancic, J. (2001). Understanding Words That Wound.

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Student Opinion

Do You Think the American Dream Is Real?

By Jeremy Engle

• Feb. 12, 2019

What does the American dream mean to you? A house with a white picket fence? Lavish wealth? A life better than your parents’?

Do you think you will be able to achieve the American dream?

In “ The American Dream Is Alive and Well ,” Samuel J. Abrams writes:

I am pleased to report that the American dream is alive and well for an overwhelming majority of Americans. This claim might sound far-fetched given the cultural climate in the United States today. Especially since President Trump took office, hardly a day goes by without a fresh tale of economic anxiety, political disunity or social struggle. Opportunities to achieve material success and social mobility through hard, honest work — which many people, including me, have assumed to be the core idea of the American dream — appear to be diminishing. But Americans, it turns out, have something else in mind when they talk about the American dream. And they believe that they are living it. Last year the American Enterprise Institute and I joined forces with the research center NORC at the University of Chicago and surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,411 Americans about their attitudes toward community and society. The center is renowned for offering “deep” samples of Americans, not just random ones, so that researchers can be confident that they are reaching Americans in all walks of life: rural, urban, exurban and so on. Our findings were released on Tuesday as an American Enterprise Institute report.

What our survey found about the American dream came as a surprise to me. When Americans were asked what makes the American dream a reality, they did not select as essential factors becoming wealthy, owning a home or having a successful career. Instead, 85 percent indicated that “to have freedom of choice in how to live” was essential to achieving the American dream. In addition, 83 percent indicated that “a good family life” was essential. The “traditional” factors (at least as I had understood them) were seen as less important. Only 16 percent said that to achieve the American dream, they believed it was essential to “become wealthy,” only 45 percent said it was essential “to have a better quality of life than your parents,” and just 49 percent said that “having a successful career” was key.

The Opinion piece continues:

The data also show that most Americans believe themselves to be achieving this version of the American dream, with 41 percent reporting that their families are already living the American dream and another 41 percent reporting that they are well on the way to doing so. Only 18 percent took the position that the American dream was out of reach for them

Collectively, 82 percent of Americans said they were optimistic about their future, and there was a fairly uniform positive outlook across the nation. Factors such as region, urbanity, partisanship and housing type (such as a single‐family detached home versus an apartment) barely affected these patterns, with all groups hovering around 80 percent. Even race and ethnicity, which are regularly cited as key factors in thwarting upward mobility, corresponded to no real differences in outlook: Eighty-one percent of non‐Hispanic whites; 80 percent of blacks, Hispanics and those of mixed race; and 85 percent of those with Asian heritage said that they had achieved or were on their way to achieving the American dream.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

— What does the American dream mean to you? Did reading this article change your definition? Do you think your own dreams are different from those of your parents at your age? Your grandparents?

— Do you believe your family has achieved, or is on the way to achieving, the American dream? Why or why not? Do you think you will be able to achieve the American dream when you are older? What leads you to believe this?

— Do you think the American dream is available to all Americans or are there boundaries and obstacles for some? If yes, what are they?

— The article concludes:

What conclusions should we draw from this research? I think the findings suggest that Americans would be well served to focus less intently on the nastiness of our partisan politics and the material temptations of our consumer culture, and to focus more on the communities they are part of and exercising their freedom to live as they wish. After all, that is what most of us seem to think is what really matters — and it’s in reach for almost all of us.

Do you agree? What other conclusions might be drawn? Does this article make you more optimistic about this country and your future?

— Is the American dream a useful concept? Is it helpful in measuring our own or our country’s health and success? Do you believe it is, or has ever been, an ideal worth striving for? Is there any drawback to continuing to use the concept even as its meaning evolves?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Is the American dream really dead?

Subscribe to global connection, carol graham carol graham senior fellow - economic studies @cgbrookings.

June 20, 2017

This piece was originally published on The Guardian on June 20, 2017.

T he United States has a long-held reputation for exceptional tolerance of income inequality, explained by its high levels of social mobility. This combination underpins the American dream – initially conceived of by Thomas Jefferson as each citizen’s right to the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

This dream is not about guaranteed outcomes, of course, but the  pursuit  of opportunities. The dream found a persona in the fictional characters of the 19th-century writer  Horatio Alger Jr  – in which young working-class protagonists go from from rags to riches (or at least become middle class) in part due to entrepreneurial spirit and hard work.

Yet the opportunity to live the American dream is much less widely shared today than it was several decades ago. While 90% of the children born in 1940 ended up in higher ranks of the income distribution than their parents,  only 40% of those born in 1980 have done so .

Attitudes about inequality have also changed. In 2001, a study found the only Americans who reported lower levels of happiness amid greater inequality were left-leaning rich people – with  the poor seeing inequality as a sign of future opportunity . Such optimism has since been substantially tempered: in 2016, only 38% of Americans thought their children would be better off than they are.

In the meantime, the public discussion about inequality has completely by-passed a critical element of the American dream:  luck .

Just as in many of Alger’s stories the main character benefits from the assistance of a generous philanthropist, there are countless real examples of success in the US where different forms of luck have played a major role. And yet, social support for the unlucky – in particular, the poor who cannot stay in full-time employment – has been falling substantially in recent years, and is facing even more threats today. 

In short, from  new research  based on some novel metrics of wellbeing, I find strong evidence that the American dream is in tatters, at least.

White despair, minority hope

My research began by comparing mobility attitudes in the US with those in Latin America, a region long known for high levels of poverty and inequality (although with progress in the past decades). I explored a question in the Gallup world poll, which asks respondents a classic American dream question: “Can an individual who works hard in this country get ahead?”

I found very large gaps between the responses of ‘the rich’ and ‘the poor’ in the US (represented by the top and bottom 20% income distributions of the Gallup respondents). This was in stark contrast to Latin America, where there was no significant difference in attitudes across income groups. Poor people in the US were 20 times less likely to believe hard work would get them ahead than were the poor in Latin America, even though the latter are significantly worse off in material terms.

Another question in the poll explores whether or not respondents experience stress on a daily basis. Stress is a marker of poor health, and the kind of stress typically experienced by the poor – usually due to negative shocks that are beyond their control (“bad stress”) – is significantly worse for well being than “good stress”: that which is associated with goal achievement, for those who feel able to focus on their future.

In general, Latin Americans experience significantly less stress – and also smile more – on a daily basis than Americans. The gaps between the poor and rich in the US were significantly wider (by 1.5 times on a 0–1 score) than those in Latin America, with the poor in the US experiencing more stress than either the rich or poor in Latin America.

The gaps between the expectations and sentiments of rich and poor in the US are also greater than in many other countries in east Asia and Europe (the other regions studied). It seems that being poor in a very wealthy and unequal country – which prides itself on being a meritocracy, and eschews social support for those who fall behind – results in especially high levels of stress and desperation.

But my research also yielded some surprises. With the low levels of belief in the value of hard work and high levels of stress among poor respondents in the US as a starting point, I compared optimism about the future across poor respondents of different races. This was based on a question in the US Gallup daily poll that asks respondents where they think they will be five years from now on a 0-10 step life satisfaction ladder.

I found that poor minorities – and particularly black people – were much more optimistic about the future than poor white people. Indeed, poor black respondents were three times as likely to be a point higher up on the optimism ladder than were poor whites, while poor Hispanic people were one and a half times more optimistic than whites. Poor black people were also half as likely as poor whites to experience stress the previous day, while poor Hispanics were only two-thirds as likely as poor whites.

What explains the higher levels of optimism among minorities, who have traditionally faced discrimination and associated challenges? There is no simple answer.

One factor is that poor minorities have stronger informal safety nets and social support, such as families and churches, than do their white counterparts. Psychologists also find that minorities are more resilient and much less likely to report depression or commit suicide than are whites in the face of negative shocks, perhaps due to a longer trajectory of dealing with negative shocks and challenges.

Another critical issue is the threat and reality of downward mobility for blue-collar whites, particularly in the heartland of the country where manufacturing, mining, and other jobs have hollowed out. Andrew Cherlin of Johns Hopkins University finds that poor black and Hispanic people are  much more likely than poor white people  to report that they live better than their parents did. Poor whites are more likely to say they live worse than their parents did; they, in particular, seem to be living the erosion of the American dream.

The American problem

Why does this matter? My research from a decade ago – since confirmed by other studies – found that individuals who were optimistic about their futures tended to have better health and employment outcomes. Those who believe in their futures tend to invest in those futures, while those who are consumed with stress, daily struggles and a lack of hope, not only have less means to make such investments, but also have much less confidence that they will pay off.

The starkest marker of lack of hope in the US is a significant increase in premature mortality in the past decade – driven by an increase in suicides and drug and alcohol poisoning and a stalling of progress against heart disease and lung cancer – primarily but not only among middle-aged uneducated white people. Mortality rates for black and Hispanic people, while higher on average than those for whites, continued to fall during the same time period.

The reasons for this trend are multi-faceted. One is the coincidence of an all-too-readily-available supply of drugs such as opioids, heroin and fentanyl, with the shrinking of blue-collar jobs – and identities – primarily due to technological change. Fifteen per cent of prime age males are out of the labour force today; with that figure projected to increase to 25% by 2050. The identity of the blue-collar worker seems to be stronger for white people than for minorities, meanwhile. While there are now increased employment opportunities in services such as health, white males are far less likely to take them up than are their minority counterparts.

Lack of hope also contributes to rising mortality rates, as evidenced in  my latest research with Sergio Pinto . On average, individuals with lower optimism for the future are more likely to live in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with higher mortality rates for 45- to 54-year-olds.

Desperate people are more likely to die prematurely, but living with a lot of premature death can also erode hope. Higher average levels of optimism in metropolitan areas are also associated with lower premature mortality rates. These same places tend to be more racially diverse, healthier (as gauged by fewer respondents who smoke and more who exercise), and more likely to be urban and economically vibrant.

Technology-driven growth is not unique to the US, and low-skilled workers face challenges in many OECD countries. Yet by contrast, away from the US, they have not had a similar increase in premature mortality. One reason may be stronger social welfare systems – and stronger norms of collective social responsibility for those who fall behind – in Europe.

Ironically, part of the problem may actually  be  the American dream. Blue-collar white people – whose parents lived the American dream and who expected their children to do so as well – are the ones who seem most devastated by its erosion and yet, on average, tend to vote against government programmes. In contrast, minorities, who have been struggling for years and have more experience multi-tasking on the employment front and relying on family and community support when needed – are more resilient and hopeful, precisely because they still see a chance for moving up the ladder.

There are high costs to being poor in America, where winners win big but losers fall hard. Indeed, the dream, with its focus on individual initiative in a meritocracy, has resulted in far less public support than there is in other countries for safety nets, vocational training, and community support for those with disadvantage or bad luck. Such strategies are woefully necessary now, particularly in the heartland where some of Alger’s characters might have come from, but their kind have long since run out of luck.

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The Tortilla Curtain

T. coraghessan boyle, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Through his exploration of the four protagonists’ desires, Boyle presents a unique picture of the frequently invoked “American Dream.” In Boyle’s view, there is a depth to this dream that tends to go unacknowledged. On the surface, the “American Dream” is one of economic prosperity, social mobility, and overall self-sufficiency—goals all firmly rooted in an ideology of individualism. Both of the novel’s main couples desire these aspects of the Dream for themselves. But Boyle shows that underneath these more practical desires, there exists a deeper desire to feel that one has found one’s place within a community. In this way, The Tortilla Curtain shows that an oft-overlooked aspect of the American Dream is the dream of belonging.

As Cándido reflects on his home country of Mexico, he thinks that everybody there wanted, as he did, “a house, a yard, maybe a TV and a car too—nothing fancy, no palaces like the gringos built—just four walls and a roof. Was that so much to ask?” Cándido and América both hope for economic stability in the States, but América also articulates a more complex, emotional aspect of this dream. While in the neighborhood of Canoga Park, waiting alone for her husband, América reflects on how badly she “wanted to belong in one of those houses.” She thinks of how the people who live in those houses “were home, in their own private space, safe from the world.” On the one hand, the desire América expresses here is consistent with the more individualistic and materialistic aspects of the American Dream: she wants privacy, ownership, autonomy. But on a more nuanced level, América’s desire to feel that she belongs speaks to her yearning to feel at home in the United States itself, to not feel like an outsider.

Boyle shows that even Delaney and Kyra , who have ostensibly achieved the Dream, given their affluent lifestyles, experience this deeper longer for a sense of belonging. At a neighborhood meeting that Delaney attends in order to speak about the death of his wife’s dog Sacheverell , he realizes that he doesn’t recognize many of the people in attendance. He experiences a “faint uneasy stirring of guilt” and tells himself “he should be more rigorous about attending these meetings […] he really should.” The only character Delaney claims as a friend is Jack Jardine , whom he initially dislikes due to his openly racist views. These details speak to Delaney’s loneliness and his unspoken yearning to feel that he is actually part of a community, but they further suggest that perhaps his desire to feel a greater sense of belonging fuels the bigotry he increasingly exhibits over the course of the novel. Meanwhile, Kyra’s attachment to the Da Ros house (a property she is attempting to sell) represents a similar need for belonging; Kyra feels more at home at the Da Ros house, it would seem, than anywhere in Arroyo Blanco, as evidenced by the fact that she finds herself daydreaming about never leaving the Da Ros house, “not ever again.” Thus, even the characters who have already attained the superficial aspects of the American Dream hunger for this deeper aspect of it.

Boyle’s depiction of the American Dream exposes the deeper drives and desires that animate what might otherwise seem to be a purely material striving. He suggests that beyond desiring “four walls and a roof” and economic self-sufficiency, Americans of all races and economic classes wish to feel that they belong in their communities, in their families, and in their country.

Belonging and the American Dream ThemeTracker

Belonging and the American Dream Quotes in The Tortilla Curtain

He thought of the development he’d grown up in, the fenceless expanse of lawns, the shared space, the deep lush marshy woods where he’d first discovered ferns, frogs, garter snakes, the whole shining envelope of creation. There was nothing like that anymore. Now there were fences. Now there were gates.

He sat up and railed […] he told her his fears, outlined the wickedness of the gabacho world and the perfidy of his fellow braceros at the labor exchange, tried to work the kind of apprehension into her heart that would make her stay here with him, where it was safe, but she wouldn’t listen. Or rather, she listened—“I’m afraid,” she told him, “afraid of this place and the people in it, afraid to walk out on the street”—but it had no effect.

His skin was light, so light he could almost have passed for one of them, but it was his eyes that gave him away, hard burnished unblinking eyes the color of calf’s liver. He’d been damaged somehow, she could see that, damaged in the way of a man who has to scrape and grovel and kiss the hind end of some irrecusable yankee boss, and his eyes showed it, jabbing out at the world like two weapons. He was Mexican, all right.

A moment ago she’d been out there on the road, exposed and vulnerable—frightened, always frightened—and now she was safe. But the thought of that frightened her too: what kind of life was it when you felt safe in the bushes, crouching to piss in the dirt like a dog? Was that what she’d left Tepoztlán for?

What he wanted to tell her was how angry he was, how he hadn’t wanted a new car […] how he felt depressed, disheartened, as if his luck had turned back and he was sinking into an imperceptible hole that deepened centimeter by centimeter each hour of the day. There’d been a moment there, handing over the keys to the young Latino, when he felt a deep shameful stab of racist resentment—did they all have to be Mexican?—that went against everything he’d believed in all his life. He wanted to tell her about that, that above all else, but he couldn’t.

She looked at that coyote so long and so hard that she began to hallucinate, to imagine herself inside those eyes looking out, to know that men were her enemies—men in uniform, men with their hats reversed, men with fat bloated hands and fat bloated necks, men with traps and guns and poisoned bait—and she saw the den full of pups and the hills shrunk to nothing under the hot quick quadrupedal gait. She never moved. Never blinked. But finally, no matter how hard she stared, she realized the animal was no longer there.

The baby moved inside her and her stomach dipped and fluttered. All she wanted was to belong in one of those houses, any of them, even for a night. The people who lived in those houses had beds to stretch out on, they had toilets that flushed and hot and cold running water, and most important of all, they were home, in their own private space, safe from the world.

He felt exultant, infused with a strength and joy that made a mockery of his poverty, his hurts and wants and even the holocaust that had leapt out of his poor cookfire in the depths of the canyon. He had a son, the first of his line, the new generation born on American soil, a son who would have all the gabachos had and more.

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• Knowledge Base
• How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

• Start with a question
• Write your initial answer
• Develop your answer
• Refine your thesis statement

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Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

• Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
• Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
• Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

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The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

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Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

• Why you hold this position
• What they’ll learn from your essay
• The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

• In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
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• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

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McCombes, S. (2023, August 15). How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/thesis-statement/

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American Dream Thesis Statement

The american dream essay thesis: expectations, harsh reality and hope in vain.

First of all, let’s clarify the term “American Dream” that should rather be “American dream” because that’s where everything is simplified.

It is the opportunity to achieve more wealth than they could have in their countries of origin; for others, it is the opportunity for their children to grow up with a good education and great opportunities; Finally, some people see it as the opportunity to be an individual without restrictions imposed because of race, class, religion, etc.

Throughout time we can realize that the American dream thesis is just a US propaganda so that more people come and do more work of labor and thus increase the production of their markets and products, we have realized that this affects immigrants because there is a lot of racism between different races in the US and actually every time more people are going to get the “American dream” only a small percentage gets it and the others are left in misery. The problem is within the Mexican borders, but that is not the reason why human rights violations committed unjustly against our countrymen must be allowed. It is unfair that an undocumented person receives the treatment of a criminal, perhaps the United States forgets the famous phrase of the Declaration of Independence: “All men are created equal”. There are few who achieve a professional career in the United States that are not Americans.

Besides that it is a lie you do not win as you wish in the future, there are better places to earn more or in the place of origin you can earn a lot of money, a serious example that a Mexican would go to the US would earn 2000 dollars a month and a Latino will earn 22000 pesos per month is a very large difference of money and balance per month. The image of the gringo that comes to Mexico spending dollars is inaccurate: Almost all these tourists leave in two weeks what they were gathering laboriously all year.

And they go back to work to pay for the debt they took to go to “Mexico “.

The reality is that the standard of living in the United States can be good, if one knows how to manage. Most, unfortunately, we do not know.

According to the American dream thesis statement, the American dream is only a product for the globalization of the US to be able to transport products and increase labor.

Young people do not find opportunities in Mexico; they do not find them neither to work nor to study. Only 9% of Mexicans in the US have a professional career, others do not even have completed secondary school.

Now, how does this apply in the life of a person whose only desire is to be able to work and live well, but his country does not allow it and decides to go to work in the United States. One can be killed by working for an “x” company but the salary should be enough to pay off a university debt, or the current expenses of maintenance and to be able to save. However, reality is not like that.

Thesis statement about the American dream

Today we all resent the economic recession in the United States and the current generation has never experienced economic prosperity, so it is natural that young people feel hopeless in the harsh economic situation they face after finishing their careers.

In the third world things are not different, many made a great effort to pay for the race and in the end they did not get a job, so, where is that hard work will be what takes us out of poverty?

The reality of an economic depression is what deprives in the social bases of our economic systems. Which is fine for those who lead these systems, but not for the bases, that is what has to be highlighted.

Then, the situation will depend on the glass with which you look, if you go and ask the person who lives in a luxurious apartment in Manhattan, he will surely tell you that his hard work is what has reported everything he has. But if you go and ask someone who lives in the darkest of the slums, he will tell you that no matter how hard he works, he does not see the exit to the hole.

All American dream thesis will have its anti-thesis, however much you want to show the reality, it will not be possible if you only see one side of the coin, it is the general norm of the whole society, that, a few manage a lot of money and power, This does not change and I pitifully doubt that it does. The capitalist model works like this. I do not say that it is bad or good, because that will depend on the perspective where it is appreciated.

In conclusion, everyone has their way of seeing this phenomenon of the American dream. Perhaps for the majority it is simply the desire to live in consumerism to the fullest, or to give a better life to their families. The end justifies the means for those who wish to fulfill this dream.

Thesis statement about dreams: the fundamental thesis of the American dream

“Public opinion continues to be deceived,” they say, “regarding the causes and consequences of the crisis and political solutions. People are led to believe that the economy has its own logic, insisting on the free interaction of market forces with powerful financial actors, who “pull the strings” in the halls of corporations.

“The incessant and fraudulent appropriation of wealth, an integral part of the American dream,” says Michael Hudson, one of the researchers of the compilation, confirms the myth: “without wealth at the top there would be nothing to drip down.”

“Media disinformation serves the interests of a handful of global banks and institutional speculators, who use their control of the financial and merchandise markets to amass enormous wealth in money,” they add, adding that “the upper echelons of the state are controlled by the corporate ruling class, including speculators … Rushing the collapse of the competitor and wreaking havoc in economies of poor countries, are consequences of manipulation, an integral part of the financial architecture, inserted into the system.

“In practice, there is no region of the planet, in which the economic recession is not deeply rooted. Its effects are devastating in bringing countries and regions to: generalized unemployment, collapse of social welfare programs and sequential impoverishment of millions of people. ”

An interesting reflection of the authors, in line with American dream definition essay, is their appreciation that the economic profession, particularly in universities, rarely addresses the real world of markets: “There is no distinction between workers, consumers or corporations; they are all “individual operators”. No single individual has the power or capacity to influence the market. There is no conflict between workers and capitalists … Market fraud and manipulation processes are overlooked, while university and other research centers do not go to the bottom of the problem.

The Great Gatsby American Dream Essay, with Outline

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Great Gatsby American Dream Essay Outline

Introduction .

Thesis: The American dream entails more than just garnering wealth, the ways of amassing wealth are similarly important. It is impossible to live the American dream without other aspects of life such as love, health, and happiness.

Paragraph 1:

Many people have the wrong perception of the American dream.

• The American dream does not imply being wealthy.
• It entails realizing one’s goals in life supplemented with happiness.
• Living the American dream with materialistic things only is impossible.
• The American dream can only be achieved through hard work.

Paragraph 2:

Knowledge is essential in realizing the American dream.

• People in the 1920s did not know what the American dream entailed.
• They believed being wealthy translated to living the American dream.
• Gatsby, Myrtle, and Daisy failed to live the American dream due to lack of knowledge.

Paragraph 3:

The wrong factors motivate most people in search of the American dream.

• Myrtle was driven by the desire to lead a wealthy and luxurious life.
• These desires drove her to become Tom’s mistress, who devalued and mistreated her.

Paragraph 4:

Wealth, health and happiness define the American dream.

• Myrtle’s life was devoid of happiness.
• Her relationship with Tom, contributed to Daisy killing her.
• The American dream requires one to rise from a poor background to riches through legal ways and hard work.

Paragraph 5:

To live the American dream one must set their priorities right.

• Gatsby prioritized wealth over love and happiness.
• Gatsby used illegal economic undertakings to amass wealth.
• Unfulfilled desires drove his entire life.
• His relationship with Daisy contributed to his death.

Paragraph 6:

Daisy Buchanan hails from Louisville in Kentucky and Jay Gatsby is interested in her.

• In order to win over Daisy, Gatsby lies about his family background by claiming that his is a very rich family.
• In addition, he put up an outwardly positive character and personality.

Gatsby and Myrtle lived short lives owing to their desire for rich and luxurious experiences. They wasted their lives in the company of Tom and Daisy, who later reunited. Knowledge is of essential for one to realize the American dream. The only way to live the American dream is through hard work.  

The Great Gatsby Essay: The Pursuit of the American Dream

(A major theme in  The Great Gatsby  is the pursuit of what can be termed the American dream. Do you agree? By choosing a major character or a situation in Fitzgerald’s novel, discuss how or whether Fitzgerald is successful in exposing the underside of the American dream)

Among the themes portrayed in the novel  The Great Gatsby by by Scott Fitzgerald is the corruption of the American dream. The American Dream is defined as someone starting low economically or socially and then working hard towards wealth and prosperity.

In this sample essay of the Great Gatsby we expose the negative effects of the American Dream.

The Great Gatsby and the American Dream

The American dream is an idealistic perception that people have about life. Most people view the American dream as a life characterized by wealth and fame. Other supposed components of the American dream include a happy family and access to everything that can be purchased by money. It is possible to live the American dream, but one must dedicate themselves to hard work and perseverance. Achieving the dream is highly probable but living it is difficult. The novel “The American Dream” written by Scott Fitzgerald portrays the image of the American dream in the years of 1920s.

Many people have the perception that living the American dream is being wealthy. However, the exact definition of the American dream is to accomplish one’s goals in life and supplement them with happiness (Hartshell 1). It is unrealistic to argue that one is living the American dream if they have poor health, no friends, and no family, even if they are endowed with materialistic things. Giving an individual a big mansion and an expensive car would only give them temporary contentment after which they would feel even emptier (Hartshell 1). One of the things that characterize the American dream is hard work; it is impossible to live a good life in America without hard work.

Another critical factor towards living the American dream is knowledge. When one is aware that wealth will not translate to happiness, he or she will incorporate aspects of joy to supplement their wealth. People in the 1920s were devoid of this knowledge and would therefore risk every aspect of their lives to amass wealth (Hartshell 2). According to them, being wealthy, powerful, and famous translated to living the American dream. Gatsby, Myrtle, and Daisy involved themselves in corruption and devastation in efforts to realize the American dream. However, the mechanisms they used to achieve what they perceived as the American dream finally caught up with them ending their wealthy and unhappy lives.

Most people are aware that the American dream indeed exists. However, the factors that motivate them to chase after the goal push them away from experiencing the good things attached to the American dream. In the book “Great Gatsby,” Myrtle had the desire of living the American dream, but just like other characters in the book, her definition of the American dream was wealth and luxurious life. When she met her husband George, she overestimated his wealth and found herself getting married to a mechanic (Wullick 2). Her desire for the American dream was so big that she was willing to sacrifice everything to realize it. She even contemplates having a divorce, but in the early years, such processes were highly discouraged. In efforts to live the American dream, Myrtle ends up becoming Tom’s mistress (Wullick 2). Tom is a wealthy man who was born into a wealthy family and leads a very luxurious life with his wife, Daisy. Myrtle is so blinded by her desire to lead a prosperous life that she fails to realize that Tom neither values nor respects her. At one time, Tom hits Myrtle’s face, breaking her nose for repeatedly mentioning Daisy’s name.

In reality, the American dream should be defined by wealth, health, and happiness. In “The Great Gatsby” however, Myrtle leads a wealthy and luxurious life devoid of any pleasure. Her luxurious life is however short-lived as Tom’s wife later kills her by use of Gatsby’s car. Daisy uses Gatsby’s car to hit Myrtle, who she found at a gas station close to where the latter lived with her husband, George (Wullick 2). There is a stipulated way of living the American dream, and it involves using legal and socially acceptable methods to rise from poor financial grounds to the high-end life of the rich. Myrtle failed to adhere to these stipulated ways and ended up living a short and unhappy life.

To live the American dream, one must set their priorities right. Most people end up missing on the American dream owing to their failure to prioritize the essential things in life. Gatsby, unlike Tom, was born into a low-income family, but his desire to live the American dream was to get the attention of Daisy, who she first saw as a wealthy and young luxurious woman (Falth 7). To rise from his poor financial grounds to the high-end life of the wealthy, Gatsby had to use illegal economic undertakings to make money. He involved himself in the distribution of unlawful alcohol (Fitzgerald 13). To protect his relationship with Daisy, he lied about owning a chain of drug stores. Gatsby’s goal after garnering wealth was to take Daisy away from Tom, a task that proved impossible. At one time, he had to force Daisy to confess that she never loved Tom, which she did but later denied (Fitzgerald 13). Gatsby’s life was full of discontentment despite all his wealth. His entire life was controlled by the desire for love, sex, and luxurious experiences. He even had to purchase a mansion close to where Tom and Daisy lived so he could be able to see Daisy. But just like Myrtle, his luxurious life was short-lived because he was later shot by George, Myrtle’s husband as a reaction to the death of his wife which was caused by Gatsby’s car.

The plot of the book goes that a young beautiful woman, Daisy Buchanan hails from Louisville in Kentucky. Jay Gatsby is interested in Daisy; he wants her to be his soul mate. Gatsby is a military officer stationed in Daisy’ home area. In order to win over Daisy, Gatsby lies about his family background by claiming that his is a very rich family. In addition, he put up an outwardly positive character and personality. “He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor” (“The Great Gatsby”).  Daisy’s heart is eventually won by Gatsby and they go on to make love.

Both Gatsby and Myrtle lived short but luxurious lives, which they deemed to be the American dream. Their decision to use wicked ways to amass wealth in chase of the American dream contributed significantly to their unexpected deaths. The most ironic thing is that both Tom and Daisy are portrayed as being united in their marriage at the end of the book despite the fact they were the cause of Gatsby and Myrtle’s death. The overall theme of the book is that the American dream can only be realized through hard work.

Works Cited

Fälth, Sebastian. “Social class and status in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.” (2013).

Fitzgerald, Francis Scott.  The Great Gatsby (1925) . na, 1991.

Hartshell, Wallace. “The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald the American dream.” Free Book Summary, 2018, https://freebooksummary.com/the-great-gatsby-by-f-scott-fitzgerald-the-american-dream-4234 .

“ The Great Gatsby”. [film] Hollywood: Jack Clayton, 1974.  

Wulick, Anna. “Best analysis: love and relationships in The Great Gatsby.”  SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips , 2018, blog.prepscholar.com/the-great-gatsby-theme-love-relationships .

Example of Macbeth essay, with outline that you can use ideas from to form the focus of your writing.

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Charging elephant kills an American woman on 'bucket list trip' in Zambia

An American woman who was on what she had called her "last big trip" was killed when a charging elephant flipped over the car she was traveling in at a national park in Zambia .

The “aggressive” creature buffeted the vehicle carrying six tourists and a guide, tour operator Wilderness said in a statement Tuesday. It said the 79-year-old victim died after Saturday's incident on a game drive at the Kafue National Park in western Zambia.

The company did not name the victim but Rona Wells, her daughter, identified her as Gail Mattson in a post on Facebook. She said her mother died in a “tragic accident while on her dream adventure.”

A video circulating on social media apparently showing the incident shows a large elephant running toward a car, which slows down as the animal approaches its left side. The elephant then flips the vehicle over and the passengers can be heard gasping as the car rolls over.

NBC News does not know the condition or identity of the person who filmed the video.

Photos shared online of the car, which is emblazoned with the logo of the tour operator, show it tipped onto its side after the incident, with a deep dent in two of its side doors.

Wilderness, which describes itself as a “leading conservation and hospitality company” operating in eight African countries, including Zambia, did not respond to NBC News when asked to confirm the authenticity of the video and the photos.

But the tour operator’s CEO, Keith Vincent, said in the statement that the company’s “guides are all extremely well trained and experienced.”

"Sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide’s route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harm’s way quickly enough,” he added.

Another woman was also injured in the incident and taken to a medical facility in South Africa, the Wilderness statement said, adding that four others were treated for minor injuries.

“It’s extremely rare to see an elephant that irate,” Marlon du Toit, a wildlife photographer and safari guide, told the “TODAY” show Thursday. “Across Africa, there are thousands and thousands of guests on safari on a daily basis with no negative consequences.”

The exact cause of Mattson’s death was unclear, but the company said her body would be repatriated to her family in the United States with the support of local Zambian authorities and the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Lusaka.

“This is a tragic event and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the guest who died,” the statement added.

NBC News has reached out to Mattson's family for further comment.

Kafue National Park is Zambia’s largest and oldest national park, according to its website, and spans an area of more than 8,000 square miles. Vast regions of the park remain unexplored and the website says it is home to a variety of untamed wildlife.

A 'bucket list trip'

Mattson spent her winters in Sun City West, Arizona, playing bridge and cards, but during the rest of the year, she "travels all over the world," her friend Brenda Biggs told NBC News. Biggs and her husband, John Longabauth, became friends with Mattson when they moved to the area 6 ½ years ago.

Longabauth said Mattson spoke to the couple about her upcoming safari trip about two weeks ago, and called it "one of her bucket list trips." He said she was very excited for the adventure.

Before she left, she gave the couple concert tickets for a show that would happen while she was traveling, telling them to enjoy the concert and "I'll see you when I get back," Longabauth recalled of the conversation.

Biggs said Mattson, who was almost 80 years old, told her that the African safari was her "my last big trip." She said Mattson was "super excited because it was like the culmination of all the trips that she had gone on."

An avid traveler, Mattson took to trips to Europe and Asia, Longabauth recalled, noting that she might have been to South America, too.

Biggs called her friend "flamboyant," "friendly" and "fabulous" and said she loved bright colors. Mattson had taken over Biggs’ job as the event planner for their 200-member bridge club, she said.

"Gail was one of the more up people you'd ever want to meet," Longabauth said. "She was always up. She was always optimistic. She was always seeing the good side of everybody."

Yuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.

Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.