My American Dream Essay, Research Paper
My American Dream
By Ben Warner
“I have a dream.” Martin Luther King was a man with a dream, a man that would later die for that same dream. We all have dreams. No matter how small or how large, we all have them. What are my dreams? Well, my dreams run hand in hand with three of our five themes this year. They are “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” “A Chicken in every Pot; a Car in every Garage” and “To the Beat of a Different Drummer.” How do my dreams match these that are what so many desire? One is the struggle to love; two is to be successful in both family and career; three is to follow God.
“The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.” To what does that refer? Many say that it refers to love and caring. Whether it is the need to feel those emotions, or theneed to supply them. The definition of love is rather simple. “Affection based on admiration or benevolence.” “To care is to show one’s affection.” Without these emotions, a person is but a lonely hunter. Now that the ground work has been laid, where does all this fit into me? My dream is the same as so many people’s dream, which in turn falls into the lonely hunter theme. All I wished for was to be loved.
When I thought I had found “true” love, I actually hadn’t. Yet about four months ago, true love found me. “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” is all about feeling cared for and loved. When this woman came back into my life after being gone for more than a year, I felt both and gave both. She has become everything to me. The feelings I feel towards her and the feelings she feels towards me are what everyone who falls under the lonely hunter seeks. So some may say my goal is that of “the lonely hunter.”
“A Chicken in every Pot; a Car in every Garage.” Everyone being equal to some extent, that’s part of the American Dream. This dream came out of the time of the Great Depression. It was a goal or a step to reach. Again what does this have to do with my dream? I want a family and I want the best for this family. Yet if all we have is enough food to live on and a car in the garage, I know mine will be a happy family because we will still have God and our love for each other. Which is more than most families I know have. They have more worldly possessions but the “American Dream” can’t be reached without God. I want not the American Dream but a Godly American Dream!
“To the Beat of a Different Drummer.” Boy do I fit that theme to a “T.” I am a devout Christian. I lead Drama Force, a drama team I started in my youth group. At a time when Christians are persecuted for their beliefs, I stand strong in God’s love. Huck Finn did the same with Jim. When Huck should not have stayed friends with Jim, or so the times had thought him, he did. He stayed because the good things far out weighed the bad. That and the love God has shown me is why I serve him.
Martin Luther King, Jr., had a dream. He died for his dream. I wish only to show that kind of devotion, that kind of sacrifice. The only difference is I want to fully accomplish my dream. I want to live my life to the fullest, to reach my Godly American Dream.