Analysis Of 15 Years On The Bottom Rung

I see the American Dream as being happy and content with your life and where you are at and the successes you have made but if you do not put in the effort to achieve that dream is the American dream actually what people portray it to be. Anthony DePalma contrasts the experiences of two generations of illegal immigrants to the United States in his essay “Fifteen Years on the Bottom Rung”. He explains the lifestyles of the immigrants and how they made it in the United States, both immigrants have different views on what the American dream means to them. “Starting over in the same working class neighborhood, Peralta and Zannikos quickly learned that “New York was full of opportunities and obstacles often in equal measure”(DePalma 356). “They

“His first day in America a greek man passed him and told him that he needed to walk to the Deluxe Diner”(357). Not knowing why the man told him this he went anyway “The diner was filled with greek housepainters and one happened to know Zannikos father”(357). Zannikos lucked out on his first day in America he was offered a job right on the spot painting closets and was able to start right away. Jobs lined up for zannikos and he was at the right place at the right time. “He worked his way up to a short-order cook, learning english as he went along”(357). Zannikos later got married to a Puerto Rican woman “it didn’t last long but it put him on the road to becoming a citizen”(357). He now brings in about “$130,000 dollars a year and states that he is in the middle and happy”(358) Zannikos succeeded and he says “my life story is a good story, a lot of success”(356) for Zannikos moving to America was a dream and led him to success in his

The American Dream may not be all that it is cracked up to be but if you put effort into achieving it you will get what you worked for. Even though Zannikos and Peralta had two different lifestyles when setting roots in America they each found success in their accomplishments since they were able to provide more than they would have in their lifestyle and conditions back home. Yes, you have to put in effort to achieve the American Dream but If you put in that effort and work to achieve your goals you will feel successful and achieve what you portray the American Dream to be in your