Miss American Pie.

As I thought about what the "AMERICAN DREAM" meant to me, I realized that my opinion differed from that of most of the members of our class. After reading posts by other students, it became very apparent to me that the thoughts I'm about to put down are somewhat off the beaten path, so to speak.
To me, the American Dream is a universal idea. It's a mindset. It's the idea that a person can come from wherever they are, be that poverty, a foreign country or any other social setting and make a name for themselves. They can overcome whatever obstacles that might be thrown at them, and they can become successful and happy. I believe the American Dream is something you cannot put a name or pricetag on. It's a state of mind.
Though everyone sets their own personal goals and has their own ways of achieving their American Dream, the said happiness and success they're striving for is something I think everyone has in common. Even through our class discussions I gathered that most of us agree that happiness is a definite subset of the American Dream.
I think i'm looking at things through a different frame of mind, and i think it's very cool to hear everyone else's opinions on this topic.
:]