The American Dream

Upon reading Cullen's The American Dream last night, I realized how true Foner's description of freedom is. It is something "constantly created and recreated," it "embodies not a single idea, but a complex of values," it is the "oldest of cliches and the most modern of aspirations." It "binds the culture together and exposes the contradictions between what America claims to be and what it actually is." Cullen's description stays pretty true to these notions, pointing out that every American is proud to say they are free to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, yet every American's definition of these things is different. Every bank teller, every professional athlete, every doctor are all working toward the American Dream. Yet the things they do every day to achieve that dream are completely different. It seems fitting to me that this is so - America is considered the cultural melting pot, and it makes sense that in one country with a billion different people, there's one word with a billion different connotations.