Will Massey

9/28/22

A Block

Is the American Dream in Danger?

The American Dream is a belief in which all people in America have an equal chance at

making a good living, regardless what class they were born in. It is believed that everyone should

be able to live a good and stable life if they work hard enough. Although it may seem easy, a lot

of people find that it is extremely hard to achieve. Some people end up believing that it is

completely unattainable. Some people may believe this, but it doesn't mean the American Dream

is in danger.

There are a lot of people that are working three jobs to support their family, and they are

just getting ends meet. Even though they are working extremely hard, they just can't make it to a

point where they are comfortable with the amount of money that they have. People that believe

in the American Dream and are striving to achieve it realize that it is a lot harder to achieve than

they thought. In the article “The American dream is even harder to achieve than we thought”,

Paul states, “In 2017, some 75% of people said the American Dream is in danger of extinction,

according to a survey from fintech startup Hearth, and 18% said it’s already “completely

unattainable” (Paul, Kari). According to Paul, many people believed that the American Dream is

in danger of extinction. Some Americans going in the wrong direction lose hope in the American

Dream, which causes them to lose hope in their success. In the song, “America in Four Minutes”

by Brandon Wellington, he states that the American Dream is “home of the green grass, the blue

shutters and the white picket fence that we talk about it’s also home of people with bad credit
that can't afford the American dream house in our America, a vast majority of us go into debt”

(Wellington, Brandon).Wellington shows how many people end up having a rough patch in their

lives. People talk about the American Dream, but don't actually put it into action. Instead of the

American Dream being a dream, it should be a mindset. Many people dream of success but dont

have the perseverance and the mindset to continue. In the poem “The House on Mango Street”,

by Sandra Cisneros, she explains how people have different perceptions of the American Dream

as she wrote, “There. I had to look to where she pointed- the third floor, the paint peeling,

wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so it wouldn't fall out. Do you live there? The way

she said it made me feel like nothing. There. I lived there. I nodded” (Cisneros, Sandra).

Cisneros shows that some people are proud even to know they live in a house that doesn't look

the greatest. Some people believe that the American Dream isn't about having a nice house, or

having a nice car, but about being happy and living a comfortable life. In the article “American

Dream”, the author states, “Ultimately, the American Dream maintains a core set of beliefs: the

right to certain freedoms that enable every individual to pursue a life of success and happiness”

(CFI). The author shows how everything has the freedom to pursue a life of happiness and

comfortability. Although it means different things for people, the author describes these as the

“core set of beliefs” that the American Dream maintains.

The American Dream has a different meaning for everyone, but the main meaning is to

pursue a life of success and happiness. Although it sounds simple, a lot of people believe that it

is completely unattainable. Most people think of the American Dream as a dream that they strive

to make a reality, but really it is a mindset and a belief that takes a lot of perseverance to achieve.

In conclusion, the American Dream isn't in danger, but people need to think of it as a mindset

and have the perseverance and to work hard to achieve.

 American Dream Essay Rubric

Skill Advanced Proficient Foundational Not

Yet
Thesis establishes a Appears in first Identifies a topic
complex claim paragraph

Thesis establishes a
topic and a claim

Comments:
Thesis

Includes specific, Includes multiple pieces Includes two or

meaningful, and well- of evidence (from 4 fewer sources
chosen evidence that sources) that clearly
relates to the thesis relate to the thesis Some evidence
relates to the thesis
Includes multiple pieces
of evidence in each body
Evidence paragraph

Comments:

Explains well-selected Explains how evidence Summarizes

points of comparison supports topic sentence sources
among sources and of individual paragraphs
evidence and their
connection to the Explains how evidence
thesis supports the thesis of
the essay
 Analysis
Comments:

Clearly explains Explains how the Little connection Not

relationships among texts/sources are between texts; Yet
texts (how they related, though points difficult for the
confirm or challenge could be more selective reader to see how
each other, build on or better developed the texts are
each other, provide related
Synthesis differing perspectives, Includes multiple
etc.) sources in each body
paragraph

Comments:

No errors in MLA format Heading is correctly Some elements Not

formatted missing or some yet
errors in MLA
Pages are numbered format

In-text citations are

correctly formatted

Works Cited format:

hanging indent, double-
MLA Format spaced, alphabetized,
starts on a new page

Works Cited: each source

entry is in correct MLA
format

Comments:

All quotes are correctly Most quotes are correctly Shows evidence of
integrated integrated basic proofreading
Conventions Shows evidence of Follows essay
careful proofreading organization

Shows evidence of
proofreading

Comments:

Will,

There are a lot of points of revision that you need to make. I think your best bet, if you choose to

do so, is to come see me. The biggest factor for this paper is that you do not have an

argumentative thesis that drives your paper. Additionally, while you have multiple sources,

you do not manage to synthesize them. If you want, we can workshop the ideas together.

Grade: C-

Revision Reflection

At this time, my writing was lacking skill and effort. I didn't have any quote integrations

and my synthesis was lacking. When I revised it, I had to fix the analysis parts of the essay, and I

also had to add several quote integrations that I had missed. My MLA Formatting in this essay

was also lacking. My indentations were inverted and the paragraphs were separated. The biggest

part that I missed in this essay was synthesizing the quotes together. Revising this essay took me

a while as there were many things that I had to change. Overall I think it was a very helpful

experience for me, because I got to look at my past writing and review my mistakes.