When I came to the United States three years ago, I didn’t know how to speak English at all. I started learning this new language after only speaking Spanish for 16 years; it was certainly an intimidating and daunting challenge. I thought it was going to be impossible for me to learn English in time to attend a respectable university, since my surrounding peers were constantly discouraging me. Through hard work and determination, I managed to learn how to fluently read and write English like a native speaker in just a year and a half. I am blessed enough to say that I now attend one of the most prestigious universities in the United States. Initially, I was ignorant to the potential that laid dormant within me. Now, I understand that we, as people, limit ourselves by paying attention to limitations rather than our ability to permeate and conquer them. Focusing on our limits hinders our progression and prevents us from achieving our full potential. Society inculcates us with the idea that we are born with a predetermined future, to which some of us who lack critical thinking skills become robotically attached. We are raised with prearranged boundaries, consequently, keeping our minds away from revolutionary ways of thinking. Instead of being encouraged to think outside of the box, we are conditioned to remain inside that box. This is a violence that we ourselves perpetuate; we hurt ourselves by underestimating our ability to transcend beyond these artificial boundaries
The physical side is at one time they did love each other because kids were born. The shared activities are the fact they have children and they still do things as a family.
The “American dream,” a promise of the ability to turn your life from rags to riches if you try hard in the United States of America, has been the definition of what it means to be an American. But over time it the American dream has changed and its pledge perhaps more viable than ever. This is due to the simple fact that America as a nation has evolved over time and the core values which its people encompass are a reflection of the times. So as an American how do we define ourselves and our nation outside of the American dream? America has been known over time as a “big brother”- protector of mankind. Yet many of our citizens did not have equal rights until the 1960’s and it took the fourteenth amendment to guarantee equal protection
I was born and raised in a small distant Himalayan country in a refugee camp. Expectations were really high. My moderately educated parents, who had been living without hope for almost two decades, thought that education was our only hope. So, every day was a new challenge for me to do well and learn something new. I was always emphasized of the significance of education in every walk of my life. It was the part of the dinner table talk. I had learned nothing but how education was important. I was determined and did well in my studies. However, the discourses that I had learned at home and my community differed to a great extent when we moved to the United States. I had developed a different identity kit, that separated me from the rest of the students who thought the completely other way around. I was always taught that education was the only and most important thing but as I looked at my high school classmates, it was just a part; while it still remained as the only important thing as my parents had emphasized onto me. Also, I found it quite challenging to think and respond similar and acquire the same discourse. The most challenging part was to learn, interpret and speak in English. Accordingly, as Williams mentioned I could clearly see the conflict between the academic discourse that was being taught in the classroom and
The United States of America, the self-proclaimed sole remaining superpower, often touts that it is the greatest nation in the world. Yet, when the data is analyzed, this claim is proven time and time again to be wrong, whether it is math or science, literacy or numbers, household income or workforce. Time and time again, and the numbers continue to slip. Healthcare is no exception. In 2012, the United States ranked thirty-second worldwide in life expectancy (Avendano and Kawachi 2014). Of the thirty-four Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations in 2010, the United States ranked twenty-sixth in infant mortality (MacDorman et al. 2010). In a 1998 study of thirteen developed nations (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States), the United States ranked, on average, twelfth. The rankings for the United States on each of the sixteen health indicators was: thirteenth for low-birth-weight percentages; thirteenth for neonatal mortality and infant mortality overall; eleventh for post neonatal mortality; thirteenth for years of potential life lost (excluding external causes); eleventh for life expectancy at one year for females and twelfth for males; tenth for life expectancy at fifteen years for females and twelfth for males; tenth for life expectancy at forty years for females and ninth for males; seventh for life expectancy at sixty-five years for
America’s education system is one of the most respectable, reputable and sought after commodities in our society, but it is also the most overcrowded, discriminatory, and controversial system ever established. Most people yearn for a higher education because it 's what 's expected in this society in order to get ahead. It means a better job, more money, power, prestige and a sense of entitlement. But this system has let down the children that are supposed to benefit from it. Education discriminates against minorities, and poorer class students are not expected nor encouraged to attain a higher education. The education system is set up to ensure that every child get a basic
There will always be those who strikes their hardest to learn even though others downgrade them. In the essay “Super Man and Me” Sherman Alexie explains what happen in his personal life while he was still at school. Alexie is an Indian boy who loves to read ever since he was a little child. “A little Indian boy teaches himself to read at an early age and advanced quickly” (497). However the non-Indians expected less from the Indians kids. They expect them to be stupid and uneducated. Nevertheless Alexie refuses to fail, he was a very smart boy who kept on teaching himself. Alex proved the non-Indians wrong by becoming a writer. This is a claim of value because, most of the time people expect less from us based on our nationality and race, but it is our obligation to prove them wrong; our future does not depend on what others think of us, but how hard we strike to have a better future. I too can relate to the essay Super Man and Me because of my teacher in Junior High also expected less from me and also treated me differently base on my nationality.
When wearing an American flag on my backpack I felt like we were all united and we're proud to be part of America, but this took time because in the beginning everyone was ashamed to be wearing the flag and no one was really proud of being American, but everything changed. For example, before Hitler came into power, Germans were ashamed of being German because they lots the war and the Treaty of Versailles took away most of the money, reduced their army, and took away power so they felt ashamed, but once Hitler came into power all that changed. Germans started to be proud of their country once again. I honestly did care that everything I did was for the improvement of the state because I benefited from it too. When we got to work with others
The book Zeitoun basically talks about a Syrian American family’s experience in the time of Hurricane Katrina. It was mainly divided into two story lines, one of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, the main character, a Syrian American contractor; and one of Kathy, his wife, a white woman converted Muslim. Zeitoun had an extraordinary life, also an extraordinary experience in the time of Hurricane Katrina. He was a successful well-known businessman in local area. When everyone else was fleeing their hometown before Katrina came, Zeitoun chose to stay to protect his house and business. Later then when the city was flooded, he travelled around with his small canoe, delivering help and resources. However, he was wrong
Education serves as the greatest gateway to advancement and progress in our society. However, not all students are provided a fair opportunity to reach their full potential. To address this problem, I founded the Herndon STEM and ESOL Academy in 2014 with the hope of meeting the unaddressed needs of unaccompanied young immigrants from the 2014 American immigration crisis to the Washington DC metropolitan area. The program seeks to aid non-English speaking students in their quest to master English and to connect them to resources that can help them transition to life in the U.S. while still celebrating their culture. Our ultimate goal is for students to reach far beyond their original dreams, onto a greater future.
Back in the 19th century, there was a common belief that God had destined The United States to expand entirely across the North American continent, and eventually across the entire Western Hemisphere. They believed that what they were doing was justifiable, because they believed that God was telling them to do this. It had a huge impact on who America is today as a country and if the expansion had not occurred, it is easy to believe that America would not be the thriving and successful country that it is now. There were many positive sides to Manifest Destiny such as; America was successful in expanding its land from the east to the west coast, which is a positive, because it allowed many people to come to America who otherwise would not have had the chance because there would have been no room for any more people. Another positive side is that it gave America a lot more culture than it had before. But if there is a positive side, that means there has to be a negative side. One of the negative sides to Manifest Destiny and territorial expansion was that they did whatever they could possibly do to get that land and they did not care who it hurt, killed, or negatively affected in the process. This is the reason why so many people debate whether or not manifest destiny was a good or a bad thing, because there are valid reasons for both sides.
My dad was an orphan, and is yet to relocate his family. He immigrated to America in 2000, with nothing but the clothes on his back and immediate family. His purpose was to resettle, raise a family, and see his kids pursue an education to be the best of themselves.Working in ignominious jobs in factories to provide. Life as a whole was a problem. Places like grocery stores, public airports, and the fast economy of America were complications. Indoor plumbing, electricity, television, showers were all a brand new concept to comprehend. Learning English was the biggest challenge my family overcame. In my household growing up, my father emphasized education. He always said to me in our native language Dinka, “Lino, you get out of life, what you put into it”. Those words evoke nostalgic memories of my youth. Up until 3rd grade I was in ESL because I was struggling learning English. How did I get out? My dad would point and ask me to read or spell out objects to practice and become fluent. After one I excelled drastically passed the ESL exam and moved out of ESL. This was meaningful to me, many of the influences in my life can’t be able to say they hold a diploma, but they’ve showed me if you work for it you can achieve anything. Currently I'm the second in my family who will be going to college to get a degree, and it's the second greatest achievement to my father. I plan on improving the lives of my family, and my
Many kids in today’s world are not learning enough to be able to live in the global economy and according to David Boren, the former U.S. Senator, “Not training our kids to be able to work and live in an international environment is like leaving them illiterate” (182). The best way to learn a culture is to study the language and devote time where the language is important. Learning a foreign language rises, brain growth, yet fewer American schools offer it. To
In order for something to be exceptional, it must be different than the rest of a group, and this is how America can be viewed as – different from the rest of the world. America is exceptional because it has the freedom of religion, an excellent educational system, and various aspects of individualism. One reason as to why America is exceptional is that it enables its citizens to have the freedom of religion. America is one of few countries that has sectarianism, or the devotion to a certain sect of a religion (Lipset). Sectarianism gives American citizens the freedom and choice of developing a relationship with their god.
Let’s get something straight: America was never “great.” From views on African Americans, immigrants, religions, homosexuals, and even women, America may have overcome how harsh they treat different people, but they are still facing controversies over said topics. When President elect, Donald Trump says “make America great again,” it’s hard to understand what he means because, again, America was never actually “great.” As a character in the Netflix Original Series: Orange is the New Black said, this is the “land of the free, home of the racist.” America may have more freedoms than most countries, but Americans then and now blame minorities for our problems, when in reality, they should look in a mirror.
Although there are an abundant amount of splendid countries in the world, the United States is one of the most successful and admirable countries. There are abounding reasons why the United States is a wonderful place. There is always an opportunity to further education or just to be able to get an education.