11th Grade American Dream Research paper

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The American Dream is the freedom to strive for a better life through hard work and achieve your goals and dreams such as Bill Cosby did, he overcame obstacles through hard work to create a better life for himself, and so did Maya Angelou who overcame sexism, racism, and criticism and became a powerful woman. William Henry Cosby Jr., also known as Bill Cosby, was born on July 12th, 1937 in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Even as a child people called him a comedian. His mother repeatedly told her kids that there is a better life out there past their poverty town if they worked for it. His father was away a lot because he was in the navy. Cosby helped his mother by doing odd end jobs to help pay the bills. Bill dropped out of high school in tenth grade because he couldn’t wait to start working. He worked on fixing shoes then auto mufflers. That didn’t satisfy him so he made his future brighter and joined the navy. He served from 1956-1961. There he ran track, played football, basketball, and baseball. In the navy he trained as a physical therapist and he also completed his high school degree. His travels in the Navy went into to the south where there was heavy segregation. Cosby won a track-and-field scholarship to Temple University and majored in physical education. Bill Cosby filled in at coffeehouse; this is where his career all started. He told jokes and he was a hit! Cosby’s reputation as a funny bartender helped him earn offers from other clubs. He made his way through a couple more nightclubs then he made it to New York City’s Gaslight Café. This is where he met Woody Allen. All those comedian jobs were getting in the way of school. He left school but he finished with an undergraduate degree in physical education. In 1965 he appe... ... middle of paper ... ...I Rise. N.p., 5 Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. . "Still I Rise Analysis." Web log post. Edublogs. N.p., 19 Mar. 2009. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. . Woodford, John. "Bill Cosby, Education, and the Lumpenizing of the Contemporary Black World." n.d.: n. pag. MasterFILE Main Edition. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. .. "World Biography." Bill Cosby Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. "American RadioWorks - A Better Life." American RadioWorks - A Better Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. .

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