American Dream - Essay

Alyssa Ragner 

U.S. History II

Carrie Jacobs

28 February 2012

My American Dream

           Just imagine. There are seven billion people on the earth right now. There have been 
numerous others that have lived and died on our planet. All of them have had at least one dream. How many of those people have been able to fulfill that dream? Not many, but no matter the circumstances in our world, dreaming will never cease. The value of dreams is priceless. Without dreams, the world would not be anywhere near the way it is today. Dreams started it all. From the beginning of Adam and Eve, when Eve and Adam were tempted by the fruit of the forbidden tree by the devil, they dreamed and believed that they would become like God if they ate the fruit. The idea of dreaming and trying to fulfill those dreams and accomplish those goals has been continued from there. From the building of the pyramids to the Orville Brothers to Steve Jobs, the amounts of dreams are endless. Society today suggests that we should try to live the “ideal life,” with the perfect job, the perfect family, and the perfect amount of numerous activities where we thrive astoundingly. But… since when have we been living in an “ideal” world? Well, it’s for sure that we aren’t living in one right now. This dream that the media wants us to accomplish is unachievable, but I believe that my dream is. Though it may seem cumbersome, my dream includes me becoming a musician and author, my future family to be involved and flourishing in the activities that we are a part of, and for my brothers and father to also follow their dreams.

           To begin with, my main dream for myself is to become a musician and author. I have always loved music. My mother got me into piano when I was almost four years old, and I have been going strongly from there. In fifth grade, I began playing the flute. Throughout my whole life, since I could begin talking, I have also enjoyed singing. I have been a part of Heartland Youth Choir as well as my church choir. Aside from getting numerous amounts of practice in, I have prepared myself for a professional life of music by playing in church several times, being a part of competitions, and being the main accompanist for two weddings. The other part of my dream for myself is to become a notable author. Writing, in general, is a thrill for me. I get to dig deep into my thoughts, emotions, and imagination to create children’s stories, ideas for a series, and poetry. The dream for myself is similar to the traditional American Dream because I want to be given the same opportunities to be successful as the kid down the block. Even though I am not extremely wealthy and may not come from a “privileged” family, I still want to be given the same opportunities to be great. But, how will I make this dream a reality? Alongside with going to college, I must put my all into being successful and forcing myself to practice my instruments. I must also acknowledge that I should take any spare time in my life and put that into my writing. I play the largest role into making my dream a reality. It is up to me to help create my fate.

           Provided that I will get married and have a family, the second part of the dream I have created for myself is to have my future family to be involved in many activities and be content with what we have. I have always been an overachiever. I hope that my family strives to be great in everything that they do, but I do not want to overburden them either. I want to find the happy medium where we can be busy but not too busy. This part of my dream is similar to the current American Dream. Society tells us that we should be living the “ideal” life where we are perfect in everything that we do, including the numerous activities that we are involved in. No one is perfect. And now that I think about it, where did hobbies go? Hobbies... When you can just do something because you love it. People nowadays are trying so hard to create this perfect, or ideal, life that they lose the simple, easy qualities in hobbies. My dream for my future family is to let my children do something they love and not try to push them to be the best. My dream also includes us being somewhat busy. We should be involved in our church, volunteering, music, art, sports… Not too much, but enough to let my children see the many elements that our world has to offer and provide them with a well-rounded lifestyle.

           Above all, the final part of my dream is to have my brothers and father also follow their dreams. They are a very large part of me, and if they are not successful and happy, then my life would feel like it’s crumbling as well. My dream for my father is that, after my brothers and I are out of the house, that he be able to do his real career, acting. My dream for Ethan, the eldest brother, is that he would become either a zoologist or a flourishing singer because he has a beautiful voice. My dreams for my other two brothers, Caleb and Grant, are a little fuzzy at the moment since they have a while until they have to decide which path to take. And though that is the case, I can generally dream that they thrive in everything they do. The most important dream that I have for all of them, which I am extremely confident that they will fulfill, is that they continue with our Lutheran faith and stay strong in going to church. I have faith that the Lord will guide us in the right direction to fulfill the dreams that we are meant to complete. My brothers and father complete me. Though that phrase is used quite often, it is doubtlessly true for me. My brothers, father, and numerous other people in my life play a role in helping my dream become a reality. My father pays for my music lessons, and him, loving to write, is a huge mentor for my love of writing as well. My music teachers strongly want me to continue with music for the rest of my life and make it my career. My brothers, especially the middle one, Caleb, help push me to continue to practice my instruments and complete my many other activities and chores in my life. I have this never-leaving feeling that I have to be the best role model for them and never let them down. After the many years of being sick and being absent from school too often, I feel that I have let them down, and I need to pick up the pieces from before I became sick and make sure that I don’t fall apart again. My grandparents, especially my father’s mother, are a huge element in my quest for fulfilling my dream. My grandmother plays piano, and her mother was a top-notch, concert pianist. My grandma regrets that she stopped playing obediently when she was younger, and now that I have the talent that she saw in her mother, she isn’t going to let me waste it. The people at my church also want the best for me, and knowing that I am a great musician and writer, they push me to play in church and continue practicing. In all, to fulfill my fantasy, my family must also follow their dreams in order for my personal dreams to be complete.

           So, is my American Dream attainable? Yes, I believe it is. In order for it to be fulfilled, though, I must become a musician and author, my future family will flourish in our busy lives, and my brothers and father will also follow their dreams. What is your American Dream? Is the American Dream still around? I believe the American Dream is alive, but it is just evolving. I think that it is alive and changing because the way we are living is changing. The American Dream will probably be alive for many, many more years. There is always that desire in a human being to become successful and do what we think will bring pleasure to us. I also believe that generations can have similar dreams. My father wants to be an actor. My brothers and I are also in the Fine Arts and maybe want to find a career in that. A common thread of dreams among all generations is to be able to find a good job and find a family even though we do not all come from the same background. I also want to have a successful job. A unique thing about my dream is that the two things that I want to be, musician and writer, seem like they have a sea of differences between each other. My dream may not happen at the same time, and it will be difficult to entirely achieve, but I intend to complete it.  …Will I get the opportunity?