Essay Examples on American Dream

Is College Actually Worth It? Study of American Education System

Is College Actually Worth It. According to the National Centre for Education Statistics an estimated 20.4 million students are expected to attend American colleges and universities. David Leonhardt in his The New York Times article Is College Worth It. Clearly, New Data Say articulates the significance of college education through factual evidence. He introduces the readers to the increasing statistics which reflects the escalating value of college education. On the other hand, Michael Barone in a Washington Examiner article titled. Is college worth it. Increasing numbers say no points out the limitations of a college education. Barone through various examples powerfully illustrates the shortcoming of the college and university administrations. However, despite the plethora of limitations such as the crippling economy rapidly increasing, inequality and malign effects of college and university administrations reduce the success attainable through a college degree. First and foremost due to the rapidly declining economic situation and rising inequality of the country limits college graduates from attaining overall success. To begin with but from almost any individual's perspective, college is a no brainer. It's the most reliable ticket to the middle class and beyond Leonhardt 4. A college education is the heart of the Great American Dream which makes the achievement of a college education synonymous with overall financial success. Thus thousands of students flock to various educational institutions all over the country to achieve their ambition.

2 pages | 458 words
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Book Review of Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman is a tragicomedy centered on the events that take place at the end of Willy Loman's life. From the opening act, we learn that Willy and his family struggle to behave as a united front when they face financial pressures and strained familial bonds. This causes Willy to become desperate for success and validation. Death of a Salesman has commonly been interpreted as an analysis of the American dream. Within the ideal American society, citizens believe that the American dream allows each individual an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work determination and initiative. According to Willy Loman, the American dream is correlated to someone's likeability as opposed to someone's work ethic. The term American dream has become a phrase that is now attached to the play such that readers interpret it as Miller's only impactful theme. In fact, by saying that the play is solely explained by the American dream we create a blanket that covers up all of the other more concrete and narrowly focused themes within the story. This is not to say that the American dream is not somehow found within the play it's to say that there are more definite and fundamental aspects present within the story. At the core of Death of a Salesman, we see the themes of celebrity abandonment and altered reality arise all of which are more prominent and explanatory themes of the play as opposed to it being solely about the American dream.

2 pages | 500 words
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