“The American dream of getting rich is a dream for a reason: it's hard to achieve; if everyone did it, it wouldn't be a dream but rather reality,” Robert Fulton once said. Robert Fulton is an American inventor famous for creating the steamboat. Throughout history, people have always told stories of going from rags to riches. It is the great “American dream”. The ability to decide one's own destiny is a major reason why flocks of immigrants arrive in the United States each year. Through popular music, art, film, and literature, we can discern that the American identity is defined as based on the American attitude: hard work, dedication, and a little luck. America has always seen the great fairy tale of going from rags to the future. richness of popular culture. One of these is the films watched by young Americans, with popular Disney films such as Aladdin. The movie Aladdin is the classic story of a poor person who finds love and becomes rich (Aladdin). The story shows how it is possible to become rich if you are poor (Aladdin). It also describes how you can find love through it all. Young children may not fully understand the concept, but they watch these films and understand and believe that anything is possible. They also learn to follow their dreams and never let anyone take them away from their dreams. This is also seen in the film Cinderella; this film explains in a very direct way how one thing in your life can change your life (Cinderella). Suddenly Cinderella goes from a poor abused girl to royalty (Cinderella). All of this happens in a very short period of time because of a shoe that fit her after going to a lavish ball (Cinderella). The girl had left one of her slippers at the dance and when t...... middle of paper ......d. DraconianKnight12. TheNextBigWriter, LLC. Network. 19 May 2010. .Italian immigrants. Photograph. Saint Louis. Stock Photography Pro. Stockphotopro. Network. May 19, 2010. .King, Martin L. "I Have a Dream." Speech. United States, Washington DC, 28 August 1963. American rhetoric. Network. May 19, 2010. .Staff, Popeater. “More Women in Tiger Woods Scandal: Seven and Counting.” Popeater. Network. 19 May 2010. .The pursuit of happiness. Director Gabriele Muccino. prod. Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, James Lassiter and Will Smith. By Steve Conrad. Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2006. DVD.