American Dream Essay Guideline: Outline, Examples, Tips

Writing an American dream essay is one of the most common assignments in any college or university. Sometimes this task is assigned as a part of studying of Scott Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’, or it may be a separate theme for discussion, still, it is safe to say that no students will be able to avoid the American dream essay. This paper can be a real nightmare, that’s true. The discussion of this topic may lead you to the most unexpected conclusions, however, usually, students prefer to keep to the beaten track and talk about social life in America, freedom, and rights. But there is always something more than just covering a threadbare theme with the same words as in many other essays. Here we have gathered useful tips how to make this essay successful and find the most unexpected and creative ways to cover it.

How to start your American dream essay?

First and foremost, each paper, despite the field of study and topic, starts from planning.

• Brainstorm the ideas;
• Do some research;
• Create an outline.

It is necessary to select the direction of your thought as the answer to the question ‘What is the American dream essay?’ may change during the process of writing and be quite different from the initial one. So if you do not want to waste time define what you are going to talk about and what the goals of your text are.

Profound research of the topic is vital as it makes your paper sound more scientifically in-depth and convincing. Do not forget to use only relevant resources to be sure that the information you use is significant.

The American dream essay outline is another way to save time and efforts and make your work more productive. With its help, you can structure the text properly, hold that you cover the theme completely and always know what to write next.

The American dream essay outline sample

The following outline develops the theme to a greater or lesser extent so you can use it as a start point of your own text.

1. The introduction: the American dream as a driving force for the society of the United States
2. The body of the text: what comprises this dream? What are its values? How can it be achieved?
3. The conclusion: the concept of the American dream has a great impact on the history of the country

The hook for American dream essay

Any intro part of the academic paper should start with a hook sentence that grabs the attention of the reader and encourages further reading. One of the best ways to begin is to use a famous person’s quote, related to the theme. For example, the hook for American dream essay may be:

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. asserted the idea that the American dream was created by the words of the Declaration of Independence in his famous I have a dream speech”. As all men originate from God so we all are equal before the Creator and according to His intention all people are free and equal in their Rights, Liberty Life and the pursuit of Happiness.

The Second Bill of Rights states that people are meant for “something more than a mere survival”. Americans deserve a place where freedom and opportunity are in the air. However, the true ideals and dreams seem to be lost out of sight.

Next, you will have to brief the reader on the subject.

Any citizen of this country will describe the Dream differently, still, the common features are the success and prosperity. This dream is a motivation for millions of immigrants and seems to exist from the very beginning of the nation. This phenomenon evolves with society and reflects its expectation of success. It started from the simple wish of achieving everything that the parents weren’t able to attain. Thus, the children should receive better educational and career opportunities. Today everything is more complex.

The body of the American dream essay

This part of the text develops the theme providing arguments and supporting them with evidence. Bring into the notion, each idea you provide in the text requires a separate paragraph. This section of the text should look like this:

One of the main reasons for the appearance of the American dream is the support of the general idea of freedom at the country level. Any immigrant who has come here has a possibility to continue practicing the heritage and religion. So what notions have evolved out of the American dream:

• The potential for achieving any set goal
• The ability to make fast money
• The higher level of education
• Work hard and success is guaranteed

The American dream has developed some negative values also. The lifestyle, wealth, and prosperity, promised by it, attracts many immigrants and citizens, still, not all are ready to work hard to work for them. Thus, people lose the point of the concept that claims that the one must be willing to work to achieve success.  

The origin of the American dream is attributed to the founding fathers with the ideology that freedom, equality, and opportunity are available to every American. But, attaining the goal calls for deep knowledge, determination, and self-belief. No one can call the US a united family as the class distinction is too wide. However, the American dream is the factor that unifies society.

Still, the struggle of African Americans is a reminder of what happens when the rights and freedoms of one group become of the greater importance than of the other.

Today the American dream grants the opportunity to get an education, a job without barriers in terms of gender or race, and to engage in business activities without monopolies.

Today it is called a sub-culture within the general state culture. This is the feature that distinguishes America from the other countries as it creates an atmosphere full of opportunities. Some people pursue this dream, others live in it making it an inevitable part of life in this land.

The American dream essay conclusion

What are the most commonly used methods of ending the text? You can finish the American dream essay conclusion by highlighting the main concepts of the paper and put emphasis on the strong points of your thoughts. Thus, the example may be as follows:

The American dream had a reality check and proven that it is an inevitable part of the American culture. It had and has a great impact on the economic and cultural growth of the nation and influences the image of the country in the world.

Many people believe that the American dream will promise a big house, two cars and wealth to all who have worked hard. However, this dream offers equal opportunities to all, instead. In different generations and families, this dream means something special changing every century under the influence of the Great Depression, wars and conflicts.  Still, it is a determinant of the American culture and an inevitable part of it.

The American dream essay topics

There are plenty of options to choose from, so do not think that if your teacher has assigned you the American dream essay you will have to write only about equality or liberty. Here are the possible variants:

• The Great Gatsby American dream essay.
• Is the American dream achievable essay?
• Symbolism and the American dream in the Great Gatsby.
• American Myth: the Impossible American dream.
• Evolution of the American Dream throughout the centuries.
• Does the American dream still exist today essay

So what is the American dream essay?

No matter what topic you have chosen, there should be some distinctive features that define the essence of this notion.

1. It is necessary to show that the American dream is the most essential thing for any person who has decided to achieve it.
2. People will do anything no matter how much they’ve experienced suffering because of their dream.
3. The achievement of this dream may change people’s lives.
4. Americans are able to suffer lifetimes of hardships in hopes to achieve it.

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