The American Dream - 1921 Words

The idea of the American dream has been ever-present, since the earliest days of American history. Escaping the corruption and persecution of their homelands, migrants held great hopes and expectations that America was their promised land full of freedom and opportunity, in which any man could call into being his own rags to riches tale. Despite America’s proclamation of freedom, liberty, and justice for all, these terms undeniably hold a very different meaning among different communities. So different in fact that it calls to question what the American dream actually is. To better understand the concept of American identity, in-depth analysis is imperative to differentiate the many dimensions of Americanism, and how the adaptive definition has been substantiated among different groups of people. Even before the thought of national revolution and separation from England, establishing an American identity separate from that of their English neighbors became a high priority for early residents of the colonies. Although the idea of â€Å"Americanism† was widely recognized even by the earliest settlers, in â€Å"Who is an American? The Imagined Community in American History†, Froner suggests that throughout history, the term has had a rather fluid definition that he identified most accurately as a â€Å"state of mind†, rather than a specific context or path of action (426). He also recognizes that throughout history, a single definition has never been capable of encompassing the entirety ofShow MoreRelatedImmigrants And The American Dream1362 Words   |  6 PagesImmigrants and the American Dream In the article â€Å"The American Dream†, by James Truslow Adams in The Sundance Reader book, he stated that the American dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and highRead MoreThe American Dream By Kimberly Amadeo1637 Words   |  7 PagesNowadays, a large number of people migrate to the United States to work and achieve the American Dream. According to the Article â€Å"What is the American Dream?† by Kimberly Amadeo, â€Å"The American Dream was first publicly defined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in Epic of America. Adam’s often-repeated quote is, ‘The American Dream is that dream of land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyon e, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.’† There are many peopleRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The American Dream 754 Words   |  4 Pages Nyreel Powell Ms. Jones American Literature 1 June 2015 The American dream in A Raisin in the Sun Have you ever had a dream and it didn’t come how you wanted it to be? Have you ever had accomplishments that you wanted to achieve but people were getting in the way of them? The four main characters in this book all have good dreams but there are people in the way of getting to those dreams or their dream is too high to accomplish. A Raisin in the Sun a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, andRead MoreSister Carrie and the American Dream1618 Words   |  7 PagesThe American Dream is surely based on the concept of â€Å"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness† but it is above all, a matter of ambition. James Truslow Adams, an American writer and historian, in 1931 states: life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement†, which not only points towards a better standard of living for Americans but also denounces a degree of greed in the US society. Ambition not only â€Å"killed the catâ₠¬  butRead MoreGrapes Of Wrath And The American Dream1644 Words   |  7 PagesThe idea of the American Dream is ever changing depending on the person and the time of life that person is in. Although the main ideas of the American Dream remain the same to be educated, economically sound, healthy, to have a family, and equal rights. Many great films and works of literature were created to show case all the different ideas people have for their American Dream. The film â€Å"Grapes of Wrath† directed by John Ford and the poem â€Å"I Will Fight No More Forever† by Chief Joseph, both depictRead More Destruction of the American Dream Essay2145 Words   |  9 PagesDestruction of the American Dream I’ve talked about it in the past, the destruction of the American Dream. Always, there have been papers, writings, and thoughts that quantify a particular section of its ultimate demise, be it due to money, education, or sexuality. Maybe the destruction cannot be viewed as a singular event or cause. Perhaps instead it must be examined as a whole process, the decay and ultimate elimination of a dream. Self destruction, if you will†¦ Mr. Self Destruct Read MoreSuccess As One Of The American Dream1137 Words   |  5 PagesApril 2015 Success as One of The American Dream When we hear the word â€Å"success†, we often think of wealth and money. To some people, the embodiment of being success is earning a lot of money. In fact, the concept of success is primarily based on how much money a person earns. However, each person views the definition of success differently. One way to define success is something that has more to do with flash than it does with substance. John Wooden, an American basketball player and coach viewRead MoreJim Cullen And The American Dream2081 Words   |  9 Pages The American Dream, as defined by Cullen, is starting your goal off with a little and ending with more; it s like a business, you invest in it in order to gain more money. Usually, people will define the American Dream as being able to achieve your goal because everyone is offered opportunities. Cullen does acknowledge that people are born with different opportunities, so he talks about the good life. The good life describes different factors that determine your opportunities. Throughout the otherRead MoreFactors Influencing The American Dream1834 Words   |  8 Pagesindividual to succumb or to not succumb to the seductions of crime. These three factors are brilliantly portrayed in the television show, Breaking Bad and the novel, The Stick Up Kids. The American Dream is what many American citizens strive for. However, not all of those citizens are able to achieve the American Dream through a legal pathway. The reason an indivudal may not being able to do so is because of his or her background factors. It is important to note that background factors are a fractionRead MoreShark Tank And The American Dream1755 Words   |  8 PagesShark Tank and The American Dream The TV show Shark tank embodies everything the American dream represents. The show obtains successful Entrepreneurs ready to invest their own money into other Americans wanting to be just like them, reaching the American dream and become a successful entrepreneur. The show presents entrepreneurs working towards the goal of creating a business to not only gain wealth but also change the way we live today. The show is to keep the American dream alive and well while

The Preamble Is The Opening Statement Of The Constitution

The preamble is the opening statement of the Unites States constitution adopted in September 17, 1787. The preamble outlines and explains the reasons why the framers of the constitution made the United States a republic, by doing this; the founding fathers replaced the articles of confederation. The preamble helped explain why the constitution was written. The preamble can be broken down into many important phrases, each of them is important to understand the purpose of the United States constitution. The opening phrase of the preamble â€Å"We the people of the United States, in order to form a form or more perfect union† portrays the idea that even though the constitution was written up by some of the most well-educated men of the new country, the rights given under the document were given to all American citizens. The previous government was based on the articles of confederation, which were limited. When the framers of the constitution wrote this phrase, they felt they were making a new government where there was no place for the king; hence this form of government had to be a better job governing a country. Later on, the preamble pretends to establish justice and domestic tranquility. Making sure to establish justice under the constitution was important for the American system, since this was one of the main reasons why th e Americans revolted against England was injustice. Insuring domestic tranquility was one of the main reasons why the constitutional convention was held,Show MoreRelatedRhetorical Analysis of The Gettysburg Address Essay776 Words   |  4 PagesUnion and Confederate soldiers. He creates juxtaposition in his final statement of a â€Å"new birth† and the obstruction of a â€Å"perished† nation. His patriotic address charms his audience into action. The usage of juxtaposition allows Lincoln to transfer the zeal in his speech into action by uniting the people of America. Repetition is the final key rhetorical device in the address. Two examples of repetition are in the opening statement of the Gettysburg Address which set the repetitious nature of theRead More China vs. North Korea: Communism Essay1234 Words   |  5 PagesThere are a number of similarities between North Korea, The United States and China. That statement could be said about certain aspects of the three countries when looking purely at what is written on paper. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Fact Book all three countries have the essential three branches of government; executive, legislative, and judicial (2012). But it takes little effort to peel away the first layer and see the vast differences between The United StatesRead MoreGettysburg Address Rhetorical Analysis Essay examples889 Words   |  4 Pagesbetween Union and Confederate soldiers. He creates juxtaposition in his final statement of a â€Å"new birth† and the obstruction of a â€Å" perished† nation. His patriotic address appeals his audience into action. The usage of juxtaposition allows Lincoln to transfer the zeal in his speech into action by uniting the people of America. Repetition is used in the address as well. Two examples of repetition are in the opening statement of the Gettysburg Address which set the repetitious nature of the whole speechRead MoreDeclaration of Independence9744 Words   |  39 Pagespower as a work designed to convince a candid world that the American colonies were justified in seeking to establish themselves as an independent nation.(2) The text of the Declaration can be divided into five sections--the introduction, the preamble, the indictment of George III, the denunciation of the British people, and the conclusion. Because space does not permit us to explicate each section in full detail, we shall select features from each that illustrate the stylistic artistry of theRead More366 JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED ARTICLE2959 Words   |  12 Pagesin mind the Preamble to the Indian constitution, interalia, declares that -- We the people of India having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, secular, Democratic Republic and to secure to all its citizens -- Justice, -- social, economic and political .... . But sixty years after Independence, we have endless laws but not enough justice. The founding fathers of our constitution placed Justice at the highest pedestal and our preamble to the constitution placed justiceRead More Faith Based Organizations vs. the Separation of Church and State2438 Words   |  10 Pagesthe United States of America and prevents the nation from affirming any particular religion. Therefore, the First Amendment to the Constitution that formulates a mandate for the separation of church and state was designed to alleviate problems. Based on citations from a website article the Christian Banner exchange, in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America states that, â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the freeRead MoreJudicial Review and Judicial Supremacy: a Paradigm of Constitutionalism in Nigeria.15519 Words   |  63 Pagesreview and judicial power in Nigeria under the 1999 Constitution in relation to the constitution itself and in relation to the political branches of government. This is essentially to locate where lays supremacy between the branches and the judiciary particularly the Supreme Court with its final appellate jurisdiction. Judicial review and supremacy of the judiciary had been of recurring academic discuss in some jurisdictions with written Constitutions, particula rly the United States from where NigeriaRead MoreNationalism and Transnationalism in the Context of the European Union28567 Words   |  115 Pages 3.1. International Relations perspectives 36 3.2. Nationalism and Transnationalism 40 4. The future of Europe: National debates 46 4.1. The EU: State of Nations or Nation-State? 47 4.2. The European Union and its Citizens 61 4.3. Constitution for the European Union? 67 Conclusions 72 Bibliography 76 APPENDIX 82 Introduction The twentieth century bears tragic scars left by the First and Second World Wars. Fifty million soldiers and civilians lost their lives in conflicts thatRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Legal Regime For The Better Future Of Children Essay6622 Words   |  27 Pagesthat no child is deprived of his/ her liberty arbitrarily or unlawfully. Overview of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 Article 15 of the Constitution of India (―Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth) allows for positive discrimination. Article 15 (3) of the Constitution of India states, ― Nothing in this article shall pre vent the State from making any special provision for women and children.† Article 39 (―Certain principlesRead MoreMy Personal Experience Of God7569 Words   |  31 Pagesthe Holy Ghost, be blessing and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, for ever and ever. Amen (Sermon). How do you interpret the statement â€Å"Jesus Christ is Lord†? As Paul stated in 1Corithians 12:3 †¦no one can say â€Å"Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.† Jesus Christ is Lord is a phrase or statement that every Christian holds in high esteem. This says, Jesus is in control of my life. Paul used this phrase in his letter to the Philippians, â€Å"So that at the name

Soho Case Study free essay sample

Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, two Chinese entrepreneurs, started a real estate development company called SOHO China that has used new, unique, and innovative concepts in order to become one of the largest in its market based on revenue. Pan began working as a staff worker in the Ministry of Petroleum when he decided to leave this comfortable government job for the newly developing private sector assuming great personal risk for the possibility of greater rewards. He started a real estate shareholding company named Vantone Group and oversaw development of a commercial property in Hong Kong where he gained experience and a positive reputation within the real estate industry. Zhang grew up in turbulent times working at a sweat shop at 15. She earned enough money to graduate from high school and left China for England. Over time she received a Masters in Economics from Cambridge and worked in the investment banking industry with Goldman Sachs and Travelers before meeting Pan and returning to China. Pan and Zhang were married and both quit their jobs to start a real estate development company called Redstone Industrie in 1995. Both Pan and Zhang believed in the freedom of open markets and believed that there was a huge opportunity for real estate development in China due to the repressive past of the housing market in the country. From the 1950’s until housing reform started in the early 1990’s most housing was distributed to people through government welfare programs. Housing was usually owned by the state and distributed by employers as part of their employment. The housing was either free or a nominal rent but individuals had no ownership rights and their ability to have a house was based on their employment status. The quality of housing was also dismal. Insulation was poor, heating systems were outdated, hot water was rarely available, and families had to share 500 square feet of living space. In the 1990’s, the government began to allow people to own property. However the commercial housing market did not develop due to the fact that the general public could not get mortgage loans. The largest banks in China were state owned and were very uncomfortable loaning money to people. It took them until the late 1990’s to offer personal mortgage loans. Pan and Zhang knew that there was huge number of people that would be interested in luxurious apartment space if they had access to it. The challenges that they have had from the beginning have been their ability to get financing. Without the ability to get financing from banks, Pan and Zhang were able to use their customer’s ability to get a mortgage by pre-selling the apartments to finance the building of them. This process has been successful and has given them the capital that they have needed for their developments up until now. However, due to increasing government regulations, they need the ability to get financing from other sources and are considering using international capital equity markets to get the additional funding that they need for their projects. Critical Issues and Key Facts There are a number of critical issues and key facts that are important to know about SOHO China. The first is that their business philosophy is based on the fact that they believe that there are a large number of people in the market that want to and are able to purchase luxury apartments. They believe that in order for them to be on top of the market, they need to offer space that is quality and innovative in design. They have shown their ability to be this way through their development of the idea of Small Office Home Office (SOHO) which integrated living and office space and had walls that moved in order to change the size of the room. They have also hired highly talented architects to create landmark developments that are creative and unique to the Chinese market. They believe that in order to stay on top they need to continue to be the leaders in innovation because there are large numbers of copycat competitors that are already following in their footsteps. A second critical issue that is important to know is that the Chinese government traditionally likes to have control of the country. Most of the development has previously been state owned and the government is only beginning to open up the market. They have been slow to allow for private ownership rights, they were slow to offer private home mortgages, and they tend to be quick to make new regulations that impact the market. An article by Barry Naughton dated June 22, 2010 from globalasia. org stated that after the recent global financial crisis the Chinese government took swift action to buffer the economy from the effects of the crisis. Some of the actions the Chinese government took was to restrict bank credit for people looking to purchase a home, implemented a property tax, and ordered the increase the supply of affordable housing. This has slowed down the real estate market for high end luxury apartments and prices have stopped increasing. The government believes that they must exert more control over economic decision making and control the bank loans more closely to control the rising cost of housing. This will affect the ability for real estate developers such as SOHO China to gain access to financing and will decrease the ability of customers to purchase apartments. Three Options The company has a need for capital for future financing and has thought about going on the stock exchange, so the first option is to move forward by going to the equity capital market to finance their future projects. Pro: The pro to getting equity capital money is that SOHO China would be able to access large amounts capital in order to increase their ability to advance new and innovative developments which would allow them to hire more people and contribute to the growing Chinese economy. Con: The immense pressure of being accountable to the public will be a new and an additional challenge to the organization. The shareholders are going to want to see the company growing and SOHO China will need to be very cautious about the decisions they make to continue growth. I am concerned that this oversight by the public will stifle their philosophy of innovation and creativity and will remove their current competitive edge. A second option would be to diversify their portfolio by also investing in low income housing using government backed money. Pro: The government has a vested interest in low income housing and will support SOHO China’s endeavors to invest in it. The company will also be able to weather storms that the government creates as it tries to control the immense growth of the housing market and put restrictions on the growth of high end housing. Con: The main negative is that there is not as much margin on low income housing and they would decrease their profits. They also would most likely not have enough capital to grow as much as they would like to and could be surpassed by their competition. Innovation could also be decreased because there would not be the room to be innovative and still be affordable. The third option would be to find money privately possibly from investment firms in other countries. Pro: This would decrease the control of the Chinese government and public shareholders which would allow them to continue their philosophy of innovation and unique architecture. Con: There may not be a private investment company in the world that is willing to invest in China due to the wayward behavior of their government and the young nature of the housing market. Private investment firms may also have restrictions or financing rates that are much higher than utilizing the capital equity market would. Decision The recommendation I would propose for Pan, Zhang, and their executive team is to take the risk that they would decrease their ability to be innovative and go on the stock exchange to gain capital. They would still have to deal with the fact that many potential homeowners could not get personal loans, but they may be able to help people finance loans with money from the equity capital market.

Plants In Extreme Conditions Essays - Plants, Plant Morphology

Plants In Extreme Conditions In many ways, plants are far more versatile and successful to life on earth than animals and have been here for far longer. They were the first to colonise this planet and without them we would not exist, for we are totally dependent on them. Even today with all our technology they continue to amaze us with their ability to inhabit places we humans could not survive, from the frozen Antarctic to the intensity of a volcanic spring, plants utilise their environments to their own advantage and evolve to survive the harshest of landscapes. A plant needs four basic things to survive, water, warmth, light and minerals and any place that can provide even a little of these essential needs, will be colonised by plants. The most important environmental factors to which plants must adapt themselves to are, water availability, temperature change, light, and soil conditions. For any species, each of these factors has a small or large value, and species that have adapted to extreme environments have undergone changes to adapt to their particular and often narrow ecological conditions. It's survival of the fittest and the plants that I shall discuss first in this essay, respond to their environment so well that they can live in a part of the world that denies them almost all of their four basic needs, the Antarctic. The immense Antarctic ice-cap holds three-quarters of the world's freshwater, this may seem ideal as plants need water, but plants can only use water in liquid form, and the frozen surfaces of the South Pole are inaccessible to them. Light is also a hard commodity to find here as the sun, even in summer never rises high in the sky, and in the autumn it sinks until it leaves the South Pole in darkness for half the year and as for warmth, it is the coldest place on earth. Yet three hundred miles from this place were no living thing could survive for any length of time, there are plants, algae, living together with fungi on the tips of mountains, which protrude through the snow. These hardy plants are mostly in a dormant state, the severe temperatures rising only a couple of days a year just enough to enable the Lichen to enliven their body chemistry and to photosynthesise. Some Lichen is black and this enables them to retain what little of the sun's heat they can to melt the snow aroun d them. Some grow on rocks that are frequented by birds as their droppings provide a rich source of nutrients. This activity however happens in the warmest part of the summer and as cold winter sets in they return to their dormant sleep. Other algae manages to survive in the snow itself, they live in between the individual flakes just below the surface and during the summer their chlorophyll is disguised with a red pigment to protect the algae from the ultra-violet rays of the sun, as they shine more strongly through the snow. As the sun shines however, it melts the snow and does give them the liquid water they need. In the winter, when the snow is below zero the algae manufacture a kind of anti-freeze which prevents their bodies from freezing and they are invisible below the surface, but when the summer arrives once more they launch themselves forward with microscopic beating hairs and move closer to the surface and the light. At the other end of the earth, The North Pole, the situation is different. After the Ice Age, as the ice retreated, plants began to colonise the land it revealed and as they did they evolved in to different forms, better equipped to grow in their new environment. A species of willow developed that grows not vertically but horizontally, restricted to the ground, less the fierce Arctic wind should level it. It may become as long as a European relative would grow high, but it never raises more than four inches of the ground. In the Arctic summer, the plants that live there have a moderate supply of the four requirements. The temperature is well above freezing, so there is plenty of water around and the sun is high in the sky for