by Joshua Amis

Created on: July 14, 2008

The American Dream' is said to be a belief that any person who can put in hard work and use initiative can achieve anything they want. The United States offers boundless possibilities and opportunities and many other rewards, and people can achieve their dream' regardless of their past and previous circumstances; anyone through enough commitment is able to unlock their potential.

In this essay I will be discussing the relevance of the dream in today's society and whether it is still achievable by anyone. I will also compare the status of the dream in the past to what it is like today.
On the other hand one could say that the dream is merely an idea and many people would never have a chance of achieving it. However the fact that it exists gives people something to aim and strive for and as a result they believe that they will become successful in life. This optimism would then result in people, in theory, leading better lives, and the idea of the American Dream' has been extremely successful in achieving its purpose to improve people's lives in America.

The American Dream was very different in the past, particularly in the 1920s. Up to the Wall Street crash in 1929, many people were able to make money on the stock market and many wealthy people were created in this period. People could achieve their dreams and buy many material goods including cars, fridges and radios. This massive boom led to many people becoming able to achieve their American Dream'.
Despite the Wall Street Crash and the depression of the 1930s, the idea of the dream has still survived and is a prominent feature in society today. It is clearly very resilient and powerful and many people in America believe it is still achievable.

In today's society one could say that the dream has become distorted from its original meaning and has merely become an obsession with wealth and possessions. Thus, in these circumstances, the dream is not accessible just by hard work and commitment, but requires access to wealth, power and connections. An example of this is Hilary Clinton who is running in the current presidential election. Through the status of her husband, Bill Clinton (president 1993-2001), she has been greatly aided in this election; with him providing wealth, power and certainly connections. However, Hilary Clinton is trying to accomplish something never before achieved becoming the first female president. This is a step towards the aspirations of women and in particular towards the equality between

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