American Dream
The American Dream is different for everyone, though it is most commonly associated with success, freedom, and happiness. The concept of the American Dream seems to have dwindled from where it was in the past few generations. It has gone from success, freedom, and happiness to having lots of money and the nicest possessions. It has been said that Americans are no longer trying to keep up with the Joneses, and instead looking at celebrities and the characters they portray in films or on television and therefore expect to have greater, more expensive possessions. Americans today do in fact look at celebrities and the characters they portray and expect more possessions, but also still do try and keep up with the Joneses. Ever look at your neighbor's new car and want one of your own? It is still very common to see your neighbor pull in their driveway with a new Porsche Boxster, then look at your Honda Accord LX and think of going and getting a nice new car that is comparable to the Porsche. There is no standardized description of being rich. Some people see money as the only way of measuring how rich someone is, whereas some don't even see money as a factor in the equation. How to measure wealth is up to each individual.
When it is said that someone is rich, what exactly does that mean? Is someone rich if they have lots of money? Is someone rich if they have a healthy, happy family? Is someone rich if they are always in the social spotlight? It all depends on each individual's point of view. Having lots of money, having a healthy, happy family, and always being in the social spotlight are all different examples of how someone can be rich. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a very successful writer, and made a large amount of money in his lifetime. He had a lot of money, but he wasn't very happy with his life. He didn't have a happy family of his own. He didn't have someone to love, or even someone to love him. His most famous remark about money and success was, "'Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me'" (192). In response to Fitzgerald's comment, Ernest Hemingway answered, "'Yes, they have more money'" (192). That is the personal opinion of Ernest Hemingway. Not everyone has the same thoughts, that's why it is an opinion. Money is not a matter to many people. Fitzgerald's remark reflected his life, and how he had all the money in the world, but didn't have anyone special in his life. The American Dream is still alive though it is not what it used to be. One can be successful, have freedom, and be happy, and fulfill their version of the American Dream. Keeping up with the Joneses is still part of our everyday life. Some of us may take it to further extremes than others, but there will always be the desire to have something better than everyone else. Society today tells us that we should have the best of everything and if we don't, we are part of a lower class of people. We are sucked in by these beliefs because we as Americans do not want to be shown up, and want to be part of the higher class. You don't have to have lots of money to be rich. You can have a billion dollars and have no one to share it with, and not feel rich. If you don't have anyone special in your life, that doesn't mean that you aren't rich. There are many fac
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1398
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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