Classic English Literature
For the longest time, the “American Dream” has always been described in a rather specific manner. The idea is that citizens in America are striving to obtain a way of life that is considered to be the best possible outcome and the closest to perfection there is. A husband and a wife, 2.5 children, a dog, a home and a successful job. This is viewed as the ideal way for a family to live. Yet as the years passed, it became evident that the “American Dream” is different for everyone. With the recent passing by the Supreme Court of Same-Sex marriage, that ideal is drastically different. Now people are expected to place two men or two women into this mold and be happy with it. Where the biggest issue stems though, is that there is no way of pleasing 100% of the people 100% of the time. There are those who do not wish to have children, there are those who do not wish to even get married. Their ideal, that is, their perfect image of the American Dream is one in which they are single and have a job, that’s all. People have a problem with change and with the changes in lifestyles over the recent years they believe that the American Dream is being twisted and distorted and that it shouldn’t be reinterpreted. The irony here stems from the fact that The American Dream is actually already being interpreted. In 1931, James Truslow Adams defined the American Dream as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fully for everyone” (Amadeo, 2015). This was interpreted to fit the times and its constantly being reinterpreted as time goes on. The American Dream is not in a state of turmoil, nor has it vanished. It simply has evolved and taken on a new form.
Works cited
Amadeo, Kimberly. "What Is the American Dream? Definition and History." About News. 2015. Web. 1 July 2015. <http://useconomy.about.com/od/grossdomesticproduct/a/What-Is-The-American-Dream.htm>.
