What is the American Dream? I believe the American Dream is when someone has the opportunity to commence from the bottom and finalize at the top. A chance for someone to live a better life. The American Dream is the reason people strive to be more successful, it is the reason people immigrate from their country to another, and it the reason most children with immigrant parents have a better education. The American Dream is real if people work hard enough to achieve it. In Monts article about Jay-Z he states that Jay-Z rose from a hardscrabble upbringing (1). If Jay-Z was able to go from a life where he didnt have anything to becoming one of the richest people so could anyone. However, Jay-Z didnt try and give up, he tried got rejected and kept trying leading to become one of the best known rappers. Another example would be Ben and Jerry. The Ben and Jerry website states that Although Jerry didnt get into med school and Ben dropped out of college, they both decided to start their own business (Ben and Jerry 1). Even though Ben dropped out of college and Jerry didnt go to med school, they both have a very successful life. Ben and Jerry are an example that you could still be successful even if you dont get a full education. Even if someone works hard and they arent able to attend college they could still be very successful. In my opinion the American Dream is real but I dont believe its always legitimate because not everyone reaches their American Dream. Zinn states that Since there is no way of measuring them quantitatively, we accept the measure given to us by the very people who benefit from the measuring (1). I believe that Howard Zinn has a point because people dont always try hard enough even after someone has given them the opportunity to do something. People should really take advantage of the opportunities they are given because not everyone is lucky enough to have an opportunity. According to second-generation immigrant 81%