Essay Outlines

How important are dreams?

Context / Issues
Students should measure the importance of dreams in terms of their actualization.
Student should recognise that dreams can be destructive, as well as their limitations

Question Analysis
Importance: significance, driving force (motivation)
Dreams: literal dreams, goals and aspirations, daydreaming (minor point)
Possible arguments supporting Dreams being Important
Dreams provide the focal point or aspiration for politicians and visionary leaders to achieve
goals for society. (e.g. Nelson Mandelas dream of abolishing apartheid, MLKs dream of
equality for all, Barack Obamas dream of being the first black president, Dalai Lamas dream
of having an independent Tibet, Ronald Reagans dream of the end of the Cold War and the fall
of the Berlin War)
Dreams provide the motivation for personal achievements and goals (sports talents like
Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods dream and constantly strive to break their own records and be
their personal best)
Visionary businessmen and entrepreneurs achieve great economic success due to their single-
minded focus on achievement (e.g. Olivia Lum form Hyflux, Sim Wong Hoo from Creative, Bill
Gates of Microsoft, Coco Chanel of Chanel. These people embody the importance and potency
of dreams for they built their business empires from scratch )
Dreams are important for they provide a vision for a better world, driving individuals to effect
social changes, e.g. businessmen and activists who set up social enterprises or non-profit
organizations to help disenfranchised groups of people, like the Gates Foundation, Grameen
Bank and microcredit to assist women and families, Mother Theresa who dreamt of helping
the poorest of the poor and spent her whole life achieving it).
Daydreams are very often the catalyst for creativity, and they have the valuable and intangible
value of reviving or refreshing the individual.
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Importance of Dreams is Limited
Though dreams may be important, they may misfire with terrible consequences, when they are
pursued excessively without consideration for others or ethics (e.g. Hitler, meglomanias, Madoff)
Though dreams are important, favorable environmental or social factors have to be in place (e.g.
dreams of prosperity cannot be divorced from political stability and stable infrastructure, dreams
of personal achievements are hard to attain for a girl in a staunchly conservative or patriarchal
society)
Dreams have to be accompanied by action and determination.
Failure of fulfilling dreams or rejection of dreams can lead to greater disillusionment
Daydreams can become a reason for inertia and indolence

Alternative Discussions
Psychological implications of dreams (see Sigmund Freud).
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Model Essay
How important are dreams?

Dreams are activities our brains engage in when we are asleep. Many psychoanalysts tell us that
dreams are important for clearing out the trash left in the brain at the end of the day. Some even
say that the brain keeps the good and erases the bad. Many however scoff at the idea that dreams,
particularly day dreaming take precious time away from work. Success can only be achieved
through hard work. While their arguments are not totally wrong, dreams are still important for our
health and overall functioning, for igniting our creative spark, and for giving us the impetus to stay
true to our ideals.

Everyone dreams. Just because we cannot remember every dream, does not mean that we selec-
tively dream when in deep slumber. Freud terms the activities of the day as day residue which are
disposed at the end of the day. Dreams also help us destress and rejuvenate. Given the pace of mod-
ern living, dreams are essential to help us manage our daily avalanche of sensory experiences, so
that we remain physically and mentally strong and productive.

Dreams enable us to make connections that we have never seen before and never imagined. Day-
dreaming enabled Newton to discover the laws of gravity. The Wright Brothers made flight possible,
and in more contemporary instances, companies like Google and 3M encourage down time during
work, and promote idea labs to enable better and faster conceptualisation of product, thus ena-
bling the company to stay ahead of the competition.
Dreams can provide a vision but critics argue that dreams provide false hope to those without talent
or adequate knowledge. Optimists however argue that dreams enable us to challenge our limita-
tions. Martin Luther King Jrs dream has enabled basic rights and liberties to black Americans.
Dreams in no small part have also given America its first black president. Dreams are vital because
they act as a guide, like the northern star, it helps us find our bearings. Gandhi, Mandela and Mother
Theresa all held onto their dreams firmly and worked untiringly to fulfill their dreams.
In a world that is increasingly focused on concrete material realities, people continue to dream big.
Sporting events and even the movie industry continue to emphasise the fact the dreams do come
true.
Sadly dreams are often dismissed because of their intangible and mysterious nature. Yet the things
that we do not understand and which may seem trivial hold a power beyond our expectations. Who
could have thought that genetically modified foods would be possible 50 years ago. Who would have
dreamnt that space tourism would have been possible just 10 years ago? Dreams fuel our existance
and make life more complete, colourful and interesting. It is difficult to accept that dreams have lit-
tle place in our pragmatic society today.