Meredith Buck – 14 years old

1st place student essay

The New American Dream

Upon seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time, all they felt was hope. It was

no surprise: they had made it this far and were ready to begin a new life—all over again.

When immigrants, including my own ancestors, arrived in America on Ellis Island, most

came with relatively nothing but the clothes on their backs and the dreams in their hearts.

Promised freedoms and dreams—mainly what some now call the American Dream—

were the most vital parcels they carried. Dreams had succeeded in luring millions of

people to America, and they continue to do so today. To define the new America Dream,

we must look at past generations to see what it meant to them.

My grandmother, who was born in Brazil in 1922, recalls her views of America as

a 13 year old girl. She moved to the United States at the age of 17 after the death of her

mother, but most of her adolescent life was spent dreaming of places other than Brazil.

My grandma incorporates her Brazilian background into her everyday life, although she

has not lived there for sixty-some years. I have been privileged enough to travel to Brazil

with her. Because of this, I feel I understand my grandmother better. Recently, I asked

her what she felt about the American Dream at my age, and she stood quiet for a few

moments. I wondered at first if she understood my question. “Grandma? Avo?” She

loves it when I call her this name—Grandma—in Portuguese. It invokes images of her

homeland, the bright and wild colors, wild music, and fast-paced talk. She turned to me

and looked quite serious. “My dream was to finish high school and do well in piano

studying with one of the greatest piano teachers at the time. I dreamt of college in the
States at a time when most women didn’t even dare to dream of college, and later I came

to Michigan to fulfill this dream. But what is the American Dream? At the time, I

thought that to fulfill the American Dream, one needed to do everything to the best of

their abilities. Apply yourself and use your time well. Through hard work, one can

succeed in their dreams, and this, my crianca, my child, is, well, at least it was, the

American Dream.” “Obrigada, grandma.” I whispered. Thank you.

My mother was born in the baby boomer’s generation of 1949, grew up in a time

of extreme change. I would define her generation and the ones who took chances and

experienced new technologies. At my age, she would have defined the American Dream

as: “Everyone has access to all kinds of opportunities, and if we set goals and work

extremely hard, we can accomplish anything. (At the time, this was especially for the

American white male).”

For every generation of Americans and immigrants, the American Dream has

been redefined. It was built on personal freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, and

traditionally stems from immigration—in which people came to America seeking a better

life. They dreamed of a good living, and having religious and social freedoms. I think it

is important to look to past generations for ideas about the new American Dream,

because they have laid down the building blocks. The meaning of the American Dream

jus continues to grow. We add new ingredients to the melting pot everyday.

The American Dream means many things to many people. Common themes

include Americans being confident in values as individuals and wanting to have control

over their aspirations and destinies. Through optimism, self reliance, and hard work,

success will come. Americans can thrive; there is a relatively equal opportunity for each
person according to his or her abilities and level in society to succeed. We have a self-

determined success and the freedom to choose it. Here is a promise that with hard work,

we can be better off than out parents and grandparents before us. The American Dream

is a life-long goal. It supports statements such as “progress is always possible”, “freedom

of choice”, “creating ones own version and happiness”, and “the future is limitless”.

“Has the American Dream changed over the generations?” you ask. It has a little,

I think. Recently, entirely materialistic ideals have been introduced and added to it. The

materialistic friction over “being better off than your neighbor” has risen. At the same

time, Americans must realize that to gain social standing and more possessions, hard

work and money are typically needed. Education has also become very important to me

over the years. To get a better job, one must be successful in their schooling, be hard

working, and persevere.

I think that each generation of Americans have added something to the melting

pot of the American Dream. My ancestors knew the dream. At my age—13—years—

my grandmother and mother had the realization of the American Dream. They did not all

agree specially on it, but that did not mean their version of the American Dream was

wrong.

“What is the New American Dream?” you ask. More than anything, this essay

has helped me realize what the New American Dream is to me. In like, I have taken my

time, but I believe I will not add a new ingredient to the melting pot of American

Dreams. I believe that through education and hard work, one can still accomplish their

dreams. As Americans, we are granted lenience to shoot for the stars, because if we miss,

we’re still in space, and that’s a lot further than others ever go. Each of us can dream,
work hard to fulfill our dreams, and therefore succeed in life. This is the American

Dream to me.