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Essay / Is the American dream more accessible to everyone today than in the past
In today's society, the American dream is much more accessible than it was when the news "Winter Dreams” and “The Story of an Hour” were published. written, respectively, by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Kate Chopin. The idea of the American dream is alive and well in these two works, but it has not always been accessible to the majority of the population. For some, it was impossible. Today, this American dream is within reach of most, if not all, American citizens. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the Original EssayIn 1933, historian James Truslow Adams coined the phrase “The American Dream” as we all know it today today. He described it as "the dream of a country in which life should be better, richer and more fulfilling for everyone, with opportunities for each according to their abilities or achievements" (404). This dream was not about money or material wealth, but about a better quality of life, and everyone's chances of achieving this should be equal. This idea is well represented in Fitzgerald's "Winter Dreams", where Dexter took the cards he was dealt and transformed his life into something he saw as just as, or even superior to, the people he observed. Although he was not born wealthy like many around him, he had a stable income and was an eligible bachelor. He had the opportunity to create a comfortable life for himself, just like most of the others around him. However, the new American dream was not available to everyone in America, as not everyone had the same opportunities as Dexter. At that time, from the late 1920s to the 1930s, segregation was in full swing. Minorities did not have the same opportunities and freedoms as whites; therefore, they could not fully live the American dream like Dexter did. Traveling back in time, in Kate Chopin's “The Story of an Hour,” the reader is transported on a roller coaster of human emotions. We see a young woman first mourning the death of her husband, then slowly celebrating her newfound freedom. Meanwhile, the realist movement had almost reached its end; Chopin and many other women were facing a new era. Around this time, in the late 1800s, women were beginning to question the government and demand their right to vote and live with the same privileges as men. Segregation had also begun years before, in 1877. As Louise reflects on this news she has just received, Chopin explains: “There would be no one to live for her during these years to come; she would live for herself. No powerful will would bend its own in this blind persistence with which men and women believe they have the right to impose a private will on a neighbor” (Chopin, 2). What we can infer is that she was tied to a man she didn't really love, perhaps to fulfill the role she was expected to play in his society. Women like her and American minorities have not had equal opportunities. White, able-bodied men were prioritized and most likely to achieve the American dream. Today, the American dream as defined by James Truslow Adams is more accessible to all Americans than it was in the 1930s. While women gained the same rights as men in 1920 and the As segregation ended in the 1960s, more opportunities became available to women and minorities. According to one article, “legislation..