What is the American Dream Essay

What is the American Dream Essay What is the American Dream? Essay The American Dream What is the â€Å"American Dream?† Is it a big lawn, a white picket fence, and 2 kids? Or is it what our ancestors came here for? They came here for a chance at a better life. They came here for a freedom that could not be found anywhere else. They came here for life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. Some 200 years after our country was founded, we are still striving for the â€Å"American Dream.† The question is, are our ideals of the American Dream still attainable for everyone in America today, or did they fade with our ancestors themselves? The original American Dream was written into our Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson. In this document he stated that all men had the right to â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness†. This mentality led our ancestors, from countries all over the world, to America. They came searching for all these things and certainly found them. They worked hard for what they had, and were very determined. Coming from a place where they were persecuted, really made them appreciate the raw freedom they found when they came to America. This is a mindset that everyone should strive for. Is the American Dream attainable for everybody? Some argue that people have rough lives, and that it is so much harder for someone nowadays. However I think that is ridiculous. Everyone has the chance at their â€Å"American Dream† no matter how hard you life is. Take Chris Gardner for example. Chris Gardner was a young man from New York City. He sold bone marrow scanners for a living while his wife worked at a cleaners. They had a very hard life and eventually his wife left him. At this point his life got harder and harder and eventually him and his very young son became homeless. At this point most would give up or just say he has had a hard life and he cannot reach his American Dream, but Chris didn’t give up. He lived in shelters, worked hard selling his bone marrow scanners , and also worked as a stock broker. Chris Gardner made a new life for himself. He may have had a â€Å"hard life† but he never gave up. Now Chris Gardner is a huge stock broker, motivational speaker, and donates to many charities. This man proved that no matter how hard someone’s lot in life is, there is always still a chance for the American Dream. Working hard, in my opinion, is the

3 Problems with Introducing Sayings and Questions

3 Problems with Introducing Sayings and Questions 3 Problems with Introducing Sayings and Questions 3 Problems with Introducing Sayings and Questions By Mark Nichol Often, an incorrect form of punctuation is deployed to set off the introduction of a saying or a question from the quoted material itself. The following sentences demonstrate various errors related to this issue, and discussions and revisions explain the problem and illustrate one or more solutions. 1. The old saying, â€Å"What gets rewarded gets done,† is as true with risk as with any other activity. Setting the quoted saying off with commas implies that it is equivalent to â€Å"the old saying,† meaning that it is the old saying- the only one in existence. However, that phrase and the quotation are appositives; they both describe the same thing (a saying- one of many), so no internal punctuation is required: â€Å"The old saying ‘What gets rewarded gets done’ is as true with risk as with any other activity.† 2. From that perspective, we should ask: Are executives looking at portfolio management? Do they understand how the budgeting process works? Do they understand how the capital-allocation process works? A colon should not be used here, because that punctuation mark serves as a sort of soft period, indicating the end of an independent clause and at the same time signaling that what follows will be some form of an extension of that clause. But what precedes the colon is not an independent clause, so that initial part of the sentence should be extended to become an independent clause: â€Å"From that perspective, we should ask the following questions: ‘Are executives looking at portfolio management?’ ‘Do they understand how the budgeting process works?’ ‘Do they understand how the capital-allocation process works?’† (Note, too, that because the questions are conjectural utterances, they should also be framed in quotation marks.) Alternatively, a comma can replace the colon: â€Å"From that perspective, we should ask, ‘Are executives looking at portfolio management?’ ‘Do they understand how the budgeting process works?’ ‘Do they understand how the capital-allocation process works?’† 3. When we speak to heads of audit of organizations in the health care sector, many ask the same question, Where do we start? This sentence illustrates a problem opposite to that discussed in the previous example. What precedes â€Å"Where do we start?† is a complete statement, so a colon should replace the final comma to set up the question: â€Å"When we speak to heads of audit of organizations in the health care sector, many ask the same question: ‘Where do we start?’† (Again, the question itself should be enclosed in quotation marks as well.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business Letter20 Pairs of One-Word and Two-Word Forms10 Tips About How to Write a Caption