9-30-03 The American Dream The Declaration of Independence states that, “America offers the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all people”(369). Every American has hopes and aspirations for themselves and their families, which contribute to their successes and failures in their lives. America has a diverse population, in which conveys the notion that no two people have the same exact desires or aspirations in life. With this in mind, the American Dream should be different for all people. In a narrow-minded view this would perceive to be accurate, but when envisioned from a broad-view, the American Dream is in some relation the same for all Americans. Americans ideally envision the same dream, but in most cases there are different aspects which contribute to them in choosing their particular dream as opposed to the ideal American Dream. Even though the two visions aren’t exactly similar, the particular dreams in which Americans strive to accomplish stem from the ideal American Dream. Wether you’re a child, teenager, adult, or an elderly person, we are all God’s Creatures, in which try to accomplish and live up to our notion of the American Dream. In a broad-view, the ideal American Dream is discovering new and better opportunities for success, achieving a great amount of wealth, having an ideal family, gaining unlimited power, and living in a nice home. These are all basic human dreams, which are the underlying principles that attribute to an incredible, luxurious life. One man that has had the privilege of achieving the ideal American Dream is Bill Gates. For the larger majority of the Americans, Bill Gates’s position is as likely to be obtained as finding dry sand in the ocean. It’s not impossible, but its also not a position most Americans will have a chance to obtain. Therefore Americans create other views of the American Dream in which are more conceivable to live up to. One certain distinct quality such as age, fathoms our notion of the American Dream and acts as a key role for what we feel is attainable. The American Dream in which I am striving to achieve is passing college with good marks, obtaining an excellent employment opportunity, and making my family proud of my success. These are all my expectations that are mainly contributed to my current position as a college student and also due to my age and current responsibilities. The goals that have manifested inside my head, are in some aspects segments from the ideal American Dream. My driven ambition to succeed in college and obtain an excellent employment opportunity, keys in with the main concept from the ideal American Dream, of discovering new and better opportunities of success in which will bring wealth. College education doesn’t always guarantee a well-paying job or a successful future, but without the will to try and see for yourself, you will never know. My cousin went to college and graduated last year from California University, and he still has not been able to obtain a job for his major as of today. For some, this may alter the view of their American Dream, in what is really attainable and what is just a figment of our imagination, but when I look at my cousins circumstance it just adds fuel for my driven ambition. When I fathom the idea of making my parents proud, it keys in with the ideal family. In the ideal family there is success and the family is notable and prestigious; the word failure doesn’t even begin to register to the families knowledge. Every family wants their children to become a success and as a young adult in college, this is the beginning of where my success can either begin or end. Plus the thought of failing is unbearable to even comprehend, because in doing so, I would be disgracing my families name. Furthermore, this would place a negative affect on my families reputation to some degree. Here you can clearly see how making my family proud of me stems from the ideal American Dream. Parents too have expectations and goals which contribute to their own concept of the American Dream. My mother and father’s American Dream is to become an authority figure in a job position, create an ideal family, live in an ideal home, and become financially settled. My parents American Dream is different than mine, but mainly due to their age and responsibilities. These goals are expected from parents. Being that I don’t have the responsibility of providing for children, and providing funds for a home, there is no need for me to set my goals around that specific area. Im sure if I would have a family of my own one day, I would make some changes in my hopes and ambitions of my particular American Dream, possibly one closely related to that of my parents. When I graduate from college, one aspect of my parents American Dream that might cause a damaging role in my own is the concept of the ideal family. My parents are divorced, and when perceiving this, I feel that I may never want to get married. Divorce rates are high in this century. When the ideal family comes to mind, there is a husband, a wife, children, and pets. The family is visioned to be inseparable, and the idea of divorce in inconceivable. Parents must not be blamed for unpredictable events which would disrupt the family, but their decisions creates mixed emotions and ideas on how the ideal family should appear to their children. Through a different light, however, both my parents are successful, financially settled, and both have helped me move into the right direction in accomplishing the American Dream in which I envision. There is no reason why I shouldn’t be able to achieve my dream, especially because of my parents devotion and time invested in me, unless I’m stopped by my own ability or will. Americans everywhere have their own individual American Dream, which stems from the ideal American Dream. When perceived, each vision relates to one another in some distinct way or form. The cherished desire in which you have chosen for yourself should be attainable and not too far-fetched. Family places an important role on their children in developing their own notion of the American Dream. The successes and failures which endures in your family leaves an everlasting impression on your view of a dream. Once a dream has been chosen it manifests itself inside you and creates a vision of insurmountable happiness. The American Dream is subjected to change through different ages of your life, but if you continue to work hard and never get lost on your path to success, then the ideal American Dream may just be right around the corner from your grasp. Works cited Jefferson, Thomas. “The Declaration of Independence”. Creating America: Reading and writing Arguments. 3rd ed. Eds. Joyce Moser and Ann Waters. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002. 369-75.