Comp 111 - Types of American Dreams

Types of American Dreams

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December 11th, 2015

Comp 111

Professor James Freeman

Comp 111

11th December 2015

Types of American Dreams

The Queen of Versailles documentary discusses the huge amount of success and money the Siegel’s have earned. It also illustrates the ups and downs of their life and how a couple of people believe that they have achieved the American dream by where they stand today. The film does not accurately portray the goals and dreams of the current generation because every individual has a different journey to walk in their life so not everyone can have the same destiny as the Siegel’s or dream this big. A lot of people don’t demand to have the biggest house built in America, marry a billionaire or a model, have lots of nannies and maids because of the opportunities people are given and the circumstances they have to face in life. The Siegel’s dream is not attainable because not everyone can or wants to accomplish having billions of dollars and living in a mansion due to the experiences they have gone through.  Just like the Siegel’s almost everyone wants to receive a good education, work for their dream job and be able to provide basic necessities for their family, however, not everyone is able to attain their overall dream because people achieve dreams and set goals for themselves that are based on their journey of life, the opportunities they are given and the experiences they go through in life.

As individuals, we tend to have goals and dreams that we think we're capable of achieving. Jackie Siegel's American dream cannot be attained by everyone because everyone's journey in life is different from her journey that’s why a person will simply not dream as big as her. For example,  Tina Martinez, Jackie's high school best friend in the documentary mentions, “I would love to have more money but I don't know if I want like that much because my dreams don't even go that big" (Lauren. 2012. The Queen of Versailles.10 Nov.2015). What she means by that is that anyone would love to have a lot of money, but she has never dreamed of achieving the kind of money and lifestyle that Jackie has due to her journey of life. The documentary also reveals the choices both friends made after they graduated from high school. Tina married her high school sweetheart, and Jackie completed her degree in engineering but soon left that career field for modeling. Their journeys became different due to the choices they made that’s why Tina doesn’t dream as big as Jackie does. In brief, Tina Martinez would not be able to attain Jackie Siegel's dream because her journey of life is different from Jackie’s journey. The choices everyone makes affects the path that leads them to their future. That's why Tina has goals and dreams that are in her reach and hasn’t even dreamed of having what Jackie has achieved. Therefore, Tina would achieve dreams and set goals based on where her journey of life takes her.

People in America have different goals that they want to attain because everyone has a different journey which leads them to think about achieving those goals. Many people want to accomplish a goal as simple as having a house of their own. Jackie’s kid’s nanny Virginia dreams of building a home in Philippines while Jackie's dreams of having the biggest house built in America. Cynthia Fuchs, the author of "The Biggest House in America” discusses what Virginia has to say about her dream. She mentions," Since I was young, I've been dreaming how I wish I could go to America. Every Filipinos, it's our dream to have our own house. Those Filipinos that was here, they have their families in the Philippines and they have big houses. I bought a piece of land. So if God permits, maybe I can go home, maybe I will build a house for the piece of land that I bought” (Fuchs). Virginia dreams of achieving her goal which is to build a house on the piece of land that she has bought because she has never owned a house before and that this how far her dream goes. She wouldn’t dream of having the biggest house in America because she knows it will be impossible for her to attain such a goal. Therefore, people tend to set dreams for themselves that are within their reach and are possible for them to attain. They allow themselves to have goals that are going to lead them to have a successful life.

        The American Dream is different for every person. To some it means, buying a house, financial success, freedom of expression and practice religion without fear due to the circumstances people face in life. For example, when an immigrant comes to America his or her dream can be different from the people that are already living in America.  Everyone gets provided with different resources to pursue their dreams. Also, people face certain circumstances in life that's why an immigrants dream can be different from others. Not everyone gets the same environment provided to them. For example, Jackie Siegel’s environment and lifestyle is different from her kid’s Nanny Virginia. Their journey of life is different and both of them face different circumstances that's why their dreams are unalike. Therefore, people try to accomplish dreams based on certain circumstances they have to face and the resources that they are given in life. Not everyone can attain Jackie's dream because each person goes through a various type of journey in life.

Furthermore, some think that Jackie's lifestyle is the American Dream but not everyone can have the opportunities and circumstances that Jackie had. For example, Anthony Depalma, the author of “Fifteen Years on the Bottom Rung” mentions, “America, it is said, is the ‘land of opportunity.’ Depending on where you’re born, what pressures you face, or what circumstances you find yourself in, however this myth can play itself out in radically different ways”

(Depalma 353). The message that the author is trying to convey is that America has tons of opportunities to offer but what a person ends up with is due to the circumstances and pressures he or she faces. Therefore, everyone can’t have the same destiny and cannot attain the American dream that Jackie wishes to accomplish.  Based on the opportunities given to individuals they tend to achieve dreams and set goals for themselves that are within their reach.

Moreover, Jackie’s American Dream is not possible to attain because the opportunities that Jackie was given are distinct from others. The opportunities given to an individual plays a huge role in accomplishing a person’s dream. Rubenstein, Janine Rayford the author of the article “Fashions Mogul, Investor, Tv Personality” discusses how Johan Daymond launched a line of handmade hats in 1989 under the name FUBU. Soon people started to like the style of his hats and he decided to expand his business because of the opportunity he was given. The author mentions, “Spurred by the popularity of hip-hop, FUBU took off faster than John ever expected, and he expanded to shirts and other apparel. “I became known as this big clothing company," he says. "But I was just a waiter at Red Lobster with 10 shirts." Drowning in orders, he teamed up with Samsung and soon opened FUBU's first real offices in the Empire State Building in 1997. "I sat there every night for the first six months looking out over the city, thinking, 'I can't believe I'm up here!'"(Rubenstein). Teaming up with Samsung turned out to be the best opportunity ever given to Daymond. Because of that his company became even more famous than it was. Thus, Jackie Siegel’s dream is not attainable because people achieve dreams that are based on the opportunities they are given in their journey of life.