Fictional novels are a major source of entertainment in American society, but they often hold false truths. Horatio Alger is an author who has written several books that support the idea of the American Dream. In his novels, Alger portrays the myth that merit will out and overcome anything. Harlon L. Dalton — author and professor at Yale Law School — criticizes Alger and his myth in an excerpt titled "Horatio Alger.” He describes how the Alger myth is “socially destructive” and can conceal important social realities like race and class. Dalton uses examples from the real world in order to disprove Alger’s fictional tales. He makes an argument that each person is not solely judged on their merits, nor do they have a fair opportunity to develop …show more content…
The most prestigious colleges have become even more difficult to get into. This is because of unfair opportunities, more specifically due to legacy. A student with a father who is a Harvard alumnus has a higher chance of getting into Harvard than a student who is just as smart but has no family history with the school. This aligns with Dalton’s claim that everybody does not have a fair opportunity to develop merit. Some people are born into families with the advantage of connections, while others are born with none. How is a student meant to achieve their dreams and develop merit when they are outdone by their family history? Later on during his closing speech, Dalton stresses that “hard work and individual merit, while certainly critical, are not guarantors of success” (Dalton 5). When Dalton says this, he’s suggesting that there are so many other outside influences on one’s ability to succeed. There are a multitude of different aspects of someone's home life and family history that can hold them back from reaching their true potential. People are born into their family and immediately given certain advantages or …show more content…
As inflation continues, wealth becomes more and more relevant. Those that struggle to afford are forced into neighborhoods with less opportunities. An example today is the type of schools in wealthy neighborhoods. Those who live in privileged neighborhoods will have access to better teachers, tutors, and private schools. This alone gives them endless opportunities to develop merit, which is not fair to the children who grew up poor without access to better school resources. Wealth imbalance continues today and continues past the time of Dalton's claim. After explaining how each person does not always have the power to create their own opportunities, Dalton shares how “it is by now generally agreed that there is a large category of Americans—some have called it the underclass—for whom upward mobility is practically impossible without massive changes in the structure of the economy and in the location of public resources” (Dalton 2). From this passage, one can deduce that there will never be equal opportunity for the poor to build merits like the wealthy. Dalton agrees that the location of public resources harms the underclass and helps the upper
In the piece “Horatio Alger”, Harlon L. Dalton criticizes the piece by calling it “socially destructive”. The Horatio Alger myth explains three messages that are all centralized around the fact that merit will overcome anything. The Horatio Alger myth claims that each of us is judged only based on merit. Dalton then delves into examples of this being false by explaining how African Americans have been judged solely based on race. The second message that is conveyed explains how everyone has a fair
readings, “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara and “Horatio Alger” by Harlon L. Dalton conveys the message that success is not always an everyday thing and it takes opportunities for it to become part of life. In “The Lesson”, an angered girl named Sylvia is taken on a field trip to a toy store with Miss Moore to learn a valuable lesson. The lesson is to become successful in society because it is the only way to make it to the top. On the other hand, “Horatio Alger” shows more of a realistic viewpoint where
to deserve praise or reward. Well, this is the message that Horatio Alger gives to his readers that some people feel as though it’s a myth as oppose to others thinking it’s great guidelines or a great blueprint to success. In a selection of the money and success chapter in “Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing”, a professor at Yale Law School, Harlon L. Dalton critiques the story of Horatio Alger “Ragged Dick” calling it a myth. Dalton says that you can’t just
American Dream by promising wealth or fame to many others, a false sense of hope has been created for those who are economically marginalized. In our country’s long history, there have been many similar accounts of these events. From the stories of Horatio Alger to multiple classic Disney films to some of the world’s most famous celebrities, there has always been a time where a person has risen from a lower economical ranking to being successful and wealthy. Surprisingly however, the concept of the American
potential. Harlon L. Dalton emulates the possibility within his story about Horatio Alger, “neither Alger nor the myth suggests that we start out equal. Nor does the myth necessarily require that we be given an equal opportunity to succeed. Rather, Alger’s point is that each of us has the power to create our own opportunities.” (262). Dalton goes forth and argues no matter individuals are born into a gloomy social class; he or she can still can breack though and go up in class. Dalton’s idea could