The American Dream has been present ever since the birth of America. Over the years, the definition has been heterogeneous. For many, it has been to earn a comfortable wage and provide for their families; for others, it could be to start a business or to simply help others. Only some have dreamed of riches or fame. In the 1930s, the American dream was on a smaller scale, due to the terrible and unstable state of the US economy. In modern times, the American dream isn’t a small, tight box anymore, it is a flexible mold of clay, expanding and contracting at your whim, as long as you put in the hard work and effort. These illustrated ideas were in the works of John Steinbeck's (Of Mice and Men), Purdy Matthew (“Our towns: A chance to Live,
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The path of acquiring that dream has broadened day by day, allowing many walks of life and ideas to come into the mix. Although obtaining the American dream isn’t totally widespread yet, and the national system isn’t anywhere near close to perfection, it seems to be progressions in a positive manner. In specific, Purdy Matthew’s article called: “Our Towns: A Chance to Live, and Then Describe, Her Own American Dream”, is an example of the American dream getting achieved by an immigrant. The article was based on a family of Bangladesh immigrants that came into the US in search of a better, more fulfilling life, for themselves. And how their eldest daughter -Dewan Kazi Fahima- danced through the obstacles of prejudices and criticism and came out as her high school's valedictorian. Kazi came to this country when she was just 8 years old with only knowing two English words, “hello” and “Coca-Cola”. She was criticized by how she spoke English, what she was wearing, and where she lived. Wholeheartedly devoted to achieving her dream of succeeding in America. Kazi ignored the lewd comments and continued pursuing her own dream, And even though her family lived in a small building, she still found possibilities everywhere, “Kazi's family, including four younger siblings, her mother, who is a seamstress, and her father, live in a neat but crowded four-room apartment. Kazi sees possibility …show more content…
In the past, the poor may be seen as useless and unfit to belong anywhere, and given little sympathy because of some unavoidable faults such as: being born in a porn family, mental illness, or a sudden drop in the stock market. Nevertheless, the American dream has become attainable for those willing to work hard enough for it; not just for those born into an affluent family.A similar case is presented in the article “How Rural Students Define the American Dream” by Magdalena Slapik. The article focuses on kids living in rural areas across America and giving them an opportunity to express what the American Dream means to them. One of the students they interviewed was 10th grader Madison Ortega. Madison lives in Morehead, Kentucky which has a population of 6,845. Her parents are divorced and neither of them ever went to college. Due to this, Madison lived a very poor lifestyle, consisting of living off of child support and not having the means to attend private school. Even though her lack of money, her hope never wavered. She believes that she and her parents are very close to achieving their American dream. Her mother is going back to college to try to support Madison better, and her father is hopeful that he soon will find a job. Madison herself is hopeful that since she is doing
The path of acquiring that dream has broadened day by day, allowing many walks of life and ideas to come into the mix. Although obtaining the American dream isn’t totally widespread yet, and the national system isn’t anywhere near close to perfection, it seems to be progressions in a positive manner. In specific, Purdy Matthew’s article called: “Our Towns: A Chance to Live, and Then Describe, Her Own American Dream”, is an example of the American dream getting achieved by an immigrant. The article was based on a family of Bangladesh immigrants that came into the US in search of a better, more fulfilling life, for themselves. And how their eldest daughter -Dewan Kazi Fahima- danced through the obstacles of prejudices and criticism and came out as her high school's valedictorian. Kazi came to this country when she was just 8 years old with only knowing two English words, “hello” and “Coca-Cola”. She was criticized by how she spoke English, what she was wearing, and where she lived. Wholeheartedly devoted to achieving her dream of succeeding in America. Kazi ignored the lewd comments and continued pursuing her own dream, And even though her family lived in a small building, she still found possibilities everywhere, “Kazi's family, including four younger siblings, her mother, who is a seamstress, and her father, live in a neat but crowded four-room apartment. Kazi sees possibility …show more content…
In the past, the poor may be seen as useless and unfit to belong anywhere, and given little sympathy because of some unavoidable faults such as: being born in a porn family, mental illness, or a sudden drop in the stock market. Nevertheless, the American dream has become attainable for those willing to work hard enough for it; not just for those born into an affluent family.A similar case is presented in the article “How Rural Students Define the American Dream” by Magdalena Slapik. The article focuses on kids living in rural areas across America and giving them an opportunity to express what the American Dream means to them. One of the students they interviewed was 10th grader Madison Ortega. Madison lives in Morehead, Kentucky which has a population of 6,845. Her parents are divorced and neither of them ever went to college. Due to this, Madison lived a very poor lifestyle, consisting of living off of child support and not having the means to attend private school. Even though her lack of money, her hope never wavered. She believes that she and her parents are very close to achieving their American dream. Her mother is going back to college to try to support Madison better, and her father is hopeful that he soon will find a job. Madison herself is hopeful that since she is doing