The American Dream The Myth Of The American Dream

The Myth of The American Dream Over the years immigrants have come to America in hopes of achieving their dreams and finding success. But is America really what it’s thought to be? Can their American dream become a reality? Everyone in America has the dream of achieving success and wealth through their own hard work and determination. But due to the vicious cycle of poverty most are unable to achieve their American Dream. The cycle of poverty in America is affected by many factors including racism, high cost of living, education, and mental disability/illness. Inequality in America, has existed since the creation of this nation. We have seen examples of inequality in great literary works like John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and†¦show more content†¦The unemployment statistic for African Americans during the same period was 8.4% significantly higher than caucasians (Bureau). The high cost of living in the United States contributes to why the poor in America canà ¢â‚¬â„¢t ever seem to escape their financial predicament. The United States government has compiled statistics that reveal that the average family of four in the United States need a minimum of $65,000 a year to pay their bills and â€Å"make ends meet†. This is difficult to obtain for many people especially those who make minimum wage and earn only about $20,000 a year. The high cost of living is compounded by where people live. People who live in major cities like Washington D.C. where the average family of four needs $106,000 a year to stay above the poverty line (Imbert). Even with two parents working minimum wage jobs most working poor can not escape the vicious cycle of poverty as each year the cost of living increases faster than do their wages. The vicious cycle of poverty has been an ongoing struggle but this struggle seems to affect minorities in the United States even more. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce over 67 million people in the United States receive government assistance. That statistic means that over 22% of the U.S population is being assisted in some way to â€Å"make ends meet†. In 2016 the Commerce Department states that 16.8% of those on public assistance where white, while 39.6% ofShow MoreRelatedThe Myth of the American Dream1269 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN DREAM A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry in the period following the Second World War. It is divided into three acts and explores the circumstances of the Younger family, a colored family living in the ghettos of southern Chicago. In particular, the play deals with the efforts of Walter Lee, the scion of the family to bring his family out of poverty and into riches by entering into a business venture. 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