Your American Dream Survey



Your American Dream Survey

(Adapted from survey conducted by Newsweek)

How important is each of the following to you for your own "American Dream?"

Write the following letters in the blanks to represent your opinions:  VI (Very Important)  SW  (Somewhat Important)  NVI (Not Very Important)

a. _____Freedom of choice in how to live my life.

b. _____The ability to become wealthy.

c. _____To own a home.

d. _____To be able to start a business of my own.

e.  _____To be able to have a rewarding career.

f.  _____To be able to have a good family life.

g. _____To be able to afford the things I want to do.

h.  _____To be active in my community.

i.  _____To help others.

Q 2:  For each item on the following list, please indicate whether you consider it a privilege that a person should have to earn, or a right to which he or she is entitled to as a citizen.

Answers:  P (Privilege as a Citizen) or R (Right as a Citizen)

a. _____ A reasonable amount of leisure time

b.  _____Adequate medical care

c. _____Enough money to live on in retirement

d.  _____An adequate standard of living

e. _____A college education

f.  _____A raise in wages or salary every year

g.  _____A good job for anyone willing to work

h. _____Adequate housing

i.  _____A good public school education

Q3:  If you were choosing between one of the following two jobs, which would you choose? (Circle one)

(A) A job where I earned a fairly high salary but had little time for my family and leisure activities.

(B) A job where I had plenty of time for my family and leisure activities but earned a fairly low salary.

Q4:  Which of the following best describes how you look at the relationship between work and leisure time? (Circle one)

(A) Work is the important thing and the purpose of leisure time is to recharge people's batteries so they can do better work.

(B) Leisure time is the important thing and the purpose of work is to make it possible to have the leisure time to enjoy life and pursue one's interests.

Q5:  If you had more leisure time than you do, in which of the following ways would you prefer to spend it? (Circle one)

(A)  Learning more about the things that could increase your education or help you in work.

(B)  Doing things that are fun and give you pleasure.

 

Now that you’re done, discuss with a group of classmates the results of the survey. How do your ideas compare with those of your classmates? Think about your responses to the survey as you write an essay explaining your own concept of the American Dream.

The American Dream

A Personal Essay Assignment

The first draft of this essay is due on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th. Please keep this assignment sheet and turn it in, along with your American Dream Survey, with your first draft. It will help guide you through the process of prewriting and drafting.

This essay will be a minimum of five paragraphs long. You must include a thesis statement, in which you will state your personal vision of the American dream.

The First Paragraph

• Attention getter. Get me to read on. Do not use a rhetorical question.

• Background information. Define the American dream in your own words.

• Thesis statement. If you were to achieve the American dream, what exactly would that mean? (For example, does your vision of a perfect life revolve around success in your career or the ability to take advantage of leisure time?)

• Transition into your first main idea

The Second Paragraph

• This paragraph should have a topic sentence that states your views on the relationship between money/material items and the American dream.

o How much of a role does money play in the American dream?

o Does money buy happiness? Why?

o Is your personal dream about money/material items, or is it about happiness? Both?

o What items or how much money does one need to achieve the dream?

Transition into your next paragraph.

The Third Paragraph

• This paragraph should have a topic sentence that states your views on the relationship between career/success and the American dream.

o Do personal achievement and success play a role in the American dream?

o Does having your dream job mean that you’re living the American dream? If so, what is your dream job? If not, why doesn’t a successful career mean achieving the American dream?

Transition into your next paragraph.

The Fourth Paragraph

• This paragraph should have a topic sentence that states your views on the relationship between love/friendship/compassion for others and the American dream.

o Is it possible to live the dream without love? Why or why not?

o If you had to choose a high paying job that left you with little time for your loved ones or a low paying job that gave you plenty of time to spend with your family and friends, which would you choose? Why?

o If you achieve the American dream, what is your responsibility to your community? Do you have any obligations to become involved in your community? Should you “give back”?

Transition to your final paragraph

The Fifth Paragraph

• This paragraph will be your conclusion. What have you learned about your own personal version of the American dream? How do you think you compare to other Americans? What does your dream say about your values? Do they reflect the values of American society? Why?

• End with a sentence much like the attention getter. No questions, please.

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