Is the American Dream Still Alive?

Since its formation, the United States has been viewed as the land of opportunity. Many people have flocked to the U.S. with an aspiration to experience the American Dream. In the beginning, the hope for many immigrants was very much still alive, but as time went on many of them realized the journey to financial success would be very long and difficult. Just like the immigrants of early America, many people in the U.S.today also realize that social mobility may not be as apparent as they had hoped. After reading the multiple sources provided, I have come to the conclusion that the idea of the American Dream is starting to become more of a figment of our imagination and less of a reality.
The United States has always been known for its American Dream as a result of its less prominent social classes when compared to other countries. Even though there may not be a clear line separating the social classes in America, we are ranked as one of the lowest for social mobility. One of the main reasons for the lack of social mobility in the U.S. is the increasing need for a high level of education in order to be economically successful. The article "No Rich Child Left Behind" also attributes the lack of social mobility to the emphasis on education. In the article they also emphasize the facts that in recent years children that come from rich families perform better in school, have higher test scores, are more likely to attend graduate school, and are more likely to enroll in a highly selective university compared to children that come from middle-class or poor families. I feel that there are many possible reasons and explanations for this data. The first reason for this gap is that students from rich families have more pressure to do well and live up to the expectations of their families. If their parents were hard-working and successful, then they will expect their children to use the tools they give them and also be hard-working and successful. When it comes to college, I think the reason for higher completion and attendance of graduate school for children from rich families is the affordability. With every generation, college is becoming even more competitive and expensive. A student who is from a poor family will have to work multiple jobs throughout college in order to pay for the tuition. Working so many hours and studying at the same time can become very difficult and stressful. On the other hand, a student whose family can afford to send them to college has much less to worry about and can simply focus on their grades and doing well in college. For this reason, students who come from rich families in a way have a head start and an advantage over students from poor or middle-class families.
In some ways, people may argue that the American Dream still exists because most of the people who are rich did not inherit their economic status, but achieved it through hard work or intelligence. This may be true, but it does not mean that the social mobility is equal for everyone. The article "Social Mobility in America: Repairing the Rungs" makes this point. One of the lines that I think properly explains how the definition of a rich person has changed is, "An aristocracy that gambled its money away on 'wine, women and song' has been replaced by a business-school-educated elite whose members marry one another and spend their money wisely on Mandarin lessons and Economist subscriptions for their children." This line shows that the smart and educated elite are becoming even richer by investing so much in their own children's education and only marrying other smart people. On the flip side, many of the people from poor families are marrying less and less, becoming single mothers, and continuing the cycle of endless work with little pay. It is a very difficult situation because receiving a good education has never been more important for success, but a good education also has never been more expensive. In many ways these poor families can't afford to help provide their children with the tools they need to succeed. Sadly, this may mean that the gap between the rich and poor will only increase as we look into the future.

While the majority of the United States may be experiencing a lack of social mobility, there are still a few people who have been able to have the opportunity to succeed or are able to look at a different perspective. I thought the woman from the article "Gatsby's Green Light Beckons a New Set of Strivers" had a very interesting and optimistic perspective on the American Dream. According to the woman in this article, the U.S. is a place where people strive to achieve something beyond their reach in life. From her viewpoint, the story "The Great Gatsby" speaks of possibility and aspiration. She realized that everyone might not meet the American Dream, but it is their interpretation that counts. In America, she feels that she can achieve her goal of receiving an education and living a comfortable life. I like her positive point of view, because living the American Dream doesn't necessarily mean you have to be rich, as long as you have reached your goals. The author of "This I Believe: The American Dream Lives On" also had an optimistic view of America, and believes that America is still a land of opportunity. The author pointed out the many famous people in America who were once immigrants or very poor and rose up to be very rich and economically successful. He feels that simply being born in America is an opportunity and a gift in itself. I appreciate the author's optimism, but I also feel that the stories of the few famous and successful people only represent a small portion of society. It may be true that a few people in the United States have been able to surpass the social mobility barrier, but the majority of the country does not have the ability to overcome this barrier. It is my hope that achieving a high level of education would become available to everyone and not just the rich; I know this will be very difficult but we can at least try.

Social Class

My own experiences with social class are in many ways both similar and different to the social class experiences of the rest of the U.S. Just like the majority of Americans who describe themselves as middle class Americans, I also associate myself as someone who is in the middle class. I don't feel as if I am scraping by or worrying about my next meal, but I also don't feel as if I can freely buy extravagant items without any worry.

According to the article "Shadowy Lines That Still Divide", the U.S. has supposedly become a society that is moving toward classlessness. I think this is true in the sense that it is increasingly difficult to tell what class someone is from, but I think that below the surface social classes are still a powerful force in the U.S. One reason that it may be more difficult to tell classes apart is because people are willing to go into debt in order to be accepted. They may have a nice car or a nice phone, but in reality they are not actually able to afford these items. On the flip side, the place where I see social class affecting Americans more than ever is in education. The article "Shadowy Lines That Still Divide" also raises this point by saying, "At a time when education matters more than ever, success in school remains tightly linked to social class." Throughout my experiences, I have realized the importance of parent involvement and having the proper resources in order to get into college. With the number of students furthering their education at its highest, it is harder than ever to get into college. In my own life I have seen that the students who do not have college resources, active parent involvement, or access to good education seem to be left behind in the race to college. I know that without my parents guidance with finding scholarships, or getting financial aid, I would not be able to afford the expense of college. This is where I see the largest gap in social class.

The documentary "People Like Us" also opened my eyes to many different aspects of social class. I did not realize how different the way of life is on the opposite ends of the social class spectrum. It was very interesting and surprising to hear that the "Silver Spoon" Americans even have certain phrases they use or topics of conversation that associate them with their class. They also emphasized the idea that you can't become one of them or learn how to be like them; you are simply born that way. This made me question if it really is possible to move up the social economic ladder, or if everyone is constricted to their previous way of life. The documentary "People Like Us" and the article "Shadowy Lines That Still Divide" both said that it is very difficult for someone to move up or down the economic ladder. They also pointed out that the only place where you see movement is in the middle class. As someone who is a part of the middle class, I feel that I would be able to move up the economic ladder, but it would be through education and hard work. I am very thankful that I have had the opportunities that I do, and I hope that these opportunities would one day be available to everyone no matter the social class in which they are born.