American Dream or American Nightmare?

Ask the average person what the American Dream is and you'll hear the typical, elementary response: a white picket fence and 2.5 kids -- maybe even a golden retriever thrown into the mix. You would have elicited the same response from me, too, just a few weeks ago. After reading The Great Gatsby and looking over all the evidence from the classroom debate, I have come to the conclusion that the American Dream has more to it then some white paneling and children running rampant. To me, the American Dream stems from the belief that in America, one who works hard and seizes every opportunity has the ability to rise up in society, to succeed, to prosper. This is why millions upon millions of people have staked their claim in the land of the free and the home of the brave -- to live the Dream. Some argue, however, that the Dream is dying -- or that has long been dead. Head honchos of colossal corporations are hogging America's wealth, they say, and making it extremely difficult -- almost impossible, even -- for the average Joe to be as successful as he should be. The poor are getting poorer while the rich are getting poorer -- and perhaps more corrupt, as Fitzgerald points out in Gatsby. I don't know all the facts and figures, and I'm certainly not an expert on the subject, but I think that we should not be so quick to declare the age-old Dream dead. Opportunity is still around every corner, whether it be in the form of scholarships, the growth of home businesses, or the explosion of Internet successes. The average American is far wealthier than their ancestors -- it is commonplace for a family to live in a comfortable house and own a computer, a TV, and at least two cars. Sure, corporate giants may be enjoying a larger slice of the pie, but it is only because they are slyly maximizing every opportunity they get to make more money, to push the envelope, to become more successful. It is them, ironically, who are making the Dream more lively than it has ever been before.