What is the American dream?
By rappeter13
@rappeter13 (8608)
Romania
November 8, 2010 4:22pm CST
I have heard many times that a person is living the American dream. I am not an American, so I have made myself many thoughts about this, and tried to find out what does this mean. And where does this saying come from.
Do you know anything about this? please let me know.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@peavey (16936)
• United States
8 Nov 10
The American Dream used to be to buy a house of one's own, but now I think it refers more to being able to live comfortably, have a good job and a nice family, however one wants to define that. The American Dream refers more to material success, I would say.
@rappeter13 (8608)
• Romania
9 Nov 10
I have also heard the same, that material fulfillment is the main goal of Americans. But I have also heard that a person who starts from the bottom and reaches the top is told to be living the American dream.
@HADDOWZ (1469)
•
8 Nov 10
Hello rappeter13,
The original saying comes from...
The term was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America which was written in 1931. He states "The American Dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustfull of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position."
Life must have been alot easier in 1931, for some..
There is no such thing as the American Dream, EVERYONE has dreams of what they want, what they want to be, and how they live their life.
Each to their own , I would say.
Enjoy..
@rappeter13 (8608)
• Romania
9 Nov 10
I didn't know that, that is why I made this topic. Thank you, you were very useful. I once heard that the American dream refers to having a house, a car and a woman. I think that this means the personal fulfillment. But I also heard that people who started from bottom and reached the top are living the American dream. If this is true, then the American dream is also the Hungarian dream. In most of our traditional stories, it is the main character who is a poor person in the start, and because of his/her intelligence at the end of the story becomes a queen or a king. So I think this dreams are the same, at a certain point of view.
@rappeter13 (8608)
• Romania
9 Nov 10
I don't know if this expression, "the American dream" refers to peace. I think it is more related to material wealth and health, than hoping for world peace.
