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The realistic view of the American dream
Challenges immigrants face in america
Migration into the united states of america
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Recommended: The realistic view of the American dream
For years, the idea of the American Dream has been looked at as an achievable pathway to a better life. However, this day in age, we must pose the question- does such a thing really exist? People who have been born in the United States seem to make it appear so, but reaching success has always been a lot harder than it looks. Oddly enough, the people that hope to attain the American Dream the most, (arguably the ones with the greatest amount of strive), weren't even born in America. The majority of people who migrate to another country from their homeland, are leaving so that they may create a more improved life for themselves and/or their family. But will fantasizing about a better life be enough to make it happen? Will America stay true to …show more content…
To foreigners who longed for a happy life, Americans made it almost seem easy. The story 'America and I' written by Anzia Yezierska, gives the audience a greater look at what it must be like to start a new life in the great America. "As one of the dumb, voiceless ones I speak. One of the millions of immigrants beating, beating out their hearts at your gates for a breath of understanding." This opening line helps the readers feel what Anzia (and many other immigrants) were feeling just before migrating to the United States. Full of hope and excitement. Willing to do whatever it took to suceed in this new world. She continues on to express her gratitude for this wonderful opportunity that has come before her. As the story progresses, she begins to come to the realization that the American Dream is a fabricated concept, made to make America seem welcoming and superior to other countries in some way. An example of how challenging it was to achieve the "American Dream" is; if an immigrant spoke little to no english, they would more than likely have a nearly impossible chance at becoming successful. The true problem with this is the expectations that are held by people who want to live a lavish life in America. They are told how great it is, but when they get
Immigrants come to America, the revered City upon a Hill, with wide eyes and high hopes, eager to have their every dream and wild reverie fulfilled. Rarely, if ever, is this actually the case. A select few do achieve the stereotypical ‘rags to riches’ transformation – thus perpetuating the myth. The Garcia family from Julia Alvarez’s book How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, fall prey to this fairytale. They start off the tale well enough: the girls are treated like royalty, princesses of their Island home, but remained locked in their tower, also known as the walls of their family compound. The family is forced to flee their Dominican Republic paradise – which they affectionately refer to as simply, the Island – trading it instead for the cold, mean streets of American suburbs. After a brief acclimation period, during which the girls realize how much freedom is now available to them, they enthusiastically try to shed their Island roots and become true “American girls.” They throw themselves into the American lifestyle, but there is one slight snag in their plan: they, as a group, are unable to forget their Island heritage and upbringing, despite how hard they try to do so. The story of the Garcia girls is not a fairytale – not of the Disney variety anyway; it is the story of immigrants who do not make the miraculous transition from rags to riches, but from stifling social conventions to unabridged freedom too quickly, leaving them with nothing but confusion and unresolved questions of identity.
The tone of the short story “America and I” changed dramatically over the course of the narrative. The author, Anzia Yezierska, started the story with a hopeful and anxious tone. She was so enthusiastic about arriving in America and finding her dream. Yezierska felt her “heart and soul pregnant with the unlived lives of generations clamouring for expression.” Her dream was to be free from the monotonous work for living that she experienced back in her homeland. As a first step, she started to work for an “Americanized” family. She was well welcomed by the family she was working for. They provided the shelter Yezierska need. She has her own bed and provided her with three meals a day, but after a month of working, she didn’t receive the wage she was so
Stories of the United States have attracted many immigrants to the United States shores and borders. They have heard of many economic opportunities that they can find here, and they want to make their own version of the American dream. This essay is a
In my younger and more vulnerable years, my parents and I immigrated from the Philippines to America in search of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It wasn't until I started maturing did I notice the obstacles I overcame, the accomplishments I achieved, and the objectives I set for myself that significantly contributed towards the achievement of my dream.
Anzia uses the narrator Sarah, to tell the story of family who newly moved to America and is living in New York City. From Sarah’s narration, we can see the idea that some first-generation immigrants had a resistance to assimilating to American culture, whereas their children quickly became Americanized. Sarah describes her father Reb Smolinsky as the patriarch of the family, who is often accused of keeping his children only for their wages. By her father relying on his daughters to bring in money for the family, he can continue to practice Torah like he did in the old country. We can further see this resistance to assimilate by Sarah’s father when he says “Sell my religion for money? Become a false prophet to the Americanized Jews! No. My religion is not for sale” (111,cite). By Sarah’s father refusing to get a job and contributing to his families American Dream, it shows that he has no desire to assimilate to new American ideals. Reb Smolinsky becomes a representation of a generation that is so deeply rooted in the past and has no intention to move forward. Sarah and her sisters are the newer generation and their view of assimilation is clearly different. Sarah recognizes that her father is stubborn and his difference in ideas of how life is supposed to be when she states that “he was the old world. I was the New” (cite). Unlike her father, her sisters work to further themselves and fulfill the American Dream. Sarah engages in hard work and doesn’t want to beg on the street for food, instead she has the desire “to go into business like a person” and proves this when she buys herring to resell on the street and despite her little knowledge of business she ends up earning an unexpected twenty-five cents profit (21
Later, a city girl hails a cab to meet her girlfriends at their favorite club to celebrate her new promotion over cosmopolitans. These people – the suburban soccer mom, the tired immigrant, the worried mother from the hood, and the successful city girl – each represent the different realities or fantasies that exist in the American society. They are all living or working towards what they believe to be the coveted American dream. Some of these people are similar to the Chinese immigrant, Ralph, in Gish Jen’s novel Typical American. However, all are confused as to what the American dream really is and whether or not the dream is real.
First, what is the American dream? According to David Wallechinsky, “the traditional American Dream is based on the belief that hardworking citizens can improve their lives, pay their monthly bill without worry, give their children a start to an even better life, and still save enough to live comfortably after they retire” (1). “The American Dream” states, “It has always represented the possibility for individuals to succeed and live a life of wealth and comfort, made possible by both the political and economic attitudes in the USA and the individual’s own hard work” (1). Daniella Nicole adds that “in years past, chasing the American Dream meant the sky was the limit. . .” (1). “At the core of the concept is the individual’s responsibility to aim for and achieve the American dream by working hard and taking advantage of the freedom offered to them by the country” (“The American Dream” 1). “A recent nationwide survey from LearnVest found that 43 percent of Americans today feel the dream is attainable for everyone - and about the same percentage feels that it’s within their grasp, personally,” notes Camille Noe Pagan. “For American Dreamers today,” states Nicole, ...
In Bryant’s article, he describes all of the issues that prohibits American citizens from reaching the American dream and says that it is nearly impossible. However, Jim Motavalli writes in his article “The American Dream Is Alive – These People Prove It”, that the American dream is not dead and that you can still get to that point in your
Years ago, the United States of America was the prime example of prosperity and opportunity. In recent years, in the worst recession since the Great Depression, unemployment and interest rates have skyrocketed. The “American Dream” is an idea that was once a commonly accepted ideology in this country. It has since become only a fallacy. The “American Dream” is no longer an attainable idea, only a fantasy. The “American Dream” is not a true dream that will ever be equally attainable by everyone.
"Immigrants and the American Dream." Society 33.n1 (Nov-Dec 1995):3(3). Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale University. 26 Sep. 2006.
The American Dream is known to be a hope for a better, richer, happier life for all citizens of every class. For almost all Americans, this entails earning a college degree, gaining a good job, buying a house, and starting a family. Although this seems wonderful, a large amount of the American population believes that the Dream has changed immensely because of increased prices in today’s society, the price of tuition being highly unaffordable, as well as the unemployment rate skyrocketing and weaker job growth. While some American citizens believe it has changed, others believe that the American Dream has not changed, but point out it is harder to obtain.
The American dream is a slowly fading dream that seems to be escaping all the lower classes of American society. The American dream still exists if we examine it correctly. The dilemma with the American dream is that it has become so much harder to fulfill. Social inequality, along with a lack of social mobility, have negated the ability to accomplish this. As time has passed, the gap between the rich and poor has become larger and larger.
In the beginning of September 2005, disappointment and excitement revealed on my face when I boarded the plane to move to the United States of America. The feeling of leaving my families, friends, school, clothes, and culture in Cameroon presented a hardship for me on this journey. Of course, I anticipated this new life because it indicated a fresh start. I envisioned it resembling life in movies, where everything appeared to be simple and life was simply excellent. All things considered, I was heading off to the United States, known for the American dream. To me it meant that everyone is given equal opportunity to prosper, achieve a family, and attain a successful job as long as they are hardworking and determined. I felt exceptionally honored and blessed to have this open door since I realized that it was not provided to everybody. Coming to America denoted my transitioning on the grounds that I deserted my previous lifestyle in Cameroon, began a new chapter in my life once again, and finally became a much grateful individual.
Things will get hard and you just gotta hope and pray for the better as you live you life daily. In “I Too Sing America” by Langston Hughes, He says, “I’ll be at the table , when company comes,” He is very hopeful and is determined that he will be at the table when company comes. Hughes has a strong and determined mind that he is going to be at that table no matter what. With him having hope that he will be at that table shows how strong Americans are. Most Americans will do whatever it takes to make sure they get what they need; want. I say at least eighty five percent of people in America would see you struggling with your hope and they will do whatever they can to help a fellow citizen. In the poem “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes, he says “I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—” Hughes is saying that he is an immigrant that is coming to America that has hope at the tip of his fingers. Hoping that the “land of opportunity” lives up to the expectations. Does the “land of opportunity” really live up to the expectations? In addition to the statement stated before, in the poems it says, “Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe” Hughes is saying that the hope he had about the United States of America being the “land of opportunity” was everything that he was hoping
The American Dream can obliterate any prospect of satisfaction and does not show its own unfeasibility. The American dream is combine and intensely implanted in every structure of American life. During the previous years, a very significant number of immigrants had crossed the frontier of the United States of America to hunt the most useful thing in life, the dream, which every American human being thinks about the American dream. Many of those immigrants sacrificed their employments, their associations and connections, their educational levels, and their languages at their homelands to start their new life in America and prosper in reaching their dream.