My grandpa sat down with me to give me some words of wisdom. "Try hard and you will succeed. Hard work and perseverance will pay off in the end and you will go far and maybe live the American Dream" he said. After he said those words, I sat uneasy and I reflected back on my life and the struggles my family and I went through. My mom and dad both worked two jobs, fifty hours and six days a week, were both fiscally responsible, yet still struggled to keep a roof over our heads and food on our plates. How could I believe my grandpa after everything I grew up experiencing? "More and more Americans are realizing that the myth of the American Dream is exactly that – a myth. Part of our cultural identity as Americans is having the chance to make a better life than the life one was born into and the possibility of upward mobility through hard work, regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. But the economic turmoil of recent years combined with a growing stratification between the rich and poor have begun to wear away at the promise of a better life, regardless of hard work or
My grandpa sat down with me to give me some words of wisdom. "Try hard and you will succeed. Hard work and perseverance will pay off in the end and you will go far and maybe live the American Dream" he said. After he said those words, I sat uneasy and I reflected back on my life and the struggles my family and I went through. My mom and dad both worked two jobs, fifty hours and six days a week, were both fiscally responsible, yet still struggled to keep a roof over our heads and food on our plates. How could I believe my grandpa after everything I grew up experiencing? "More and more Americans are realizing that the myth of the American Dream is exactly that – a myth. Part of our cultural identity as Americans is having the chance to make a better life than the life one was born into and the possibility of upward mobility through hard work, regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. But the economic turmoil of recent years combined with a growing stratification between the rich and poor have begun to wear away at the promise of a better life, regardless of hard work or