Personal Narrative: The American Dream

On a bright sunny Tuesday, September 11th, 2001, started off as an ordinary day where Americans were out working to achieve their ambitious goal called the “ American Dream”. I decided to grab a coffee to start off my day. As I walked by a street vendor, he nicely asked: “ It’s a beautiful day huh?”. I smiled and answered, “ Yes it is sir”. “ What are you up to today? Are you in a rush?” he followed. I answered, “I’m just on my way to grab a coffee and get some fresh air”. He waved as we finished our conversation and I continued towards Starbucks.

Richard Nixon once stated “The American dream does not come to those who fall asleep”. If not for his words, I wouldn’t have realized the potential that lay within me. As of today I’ve achieved, in my own eyes, what’s come to be known as the American dream. During the past seven years, I’ve graduated from Washburn University, became a molecular biologist, and established a set of values that I live by.

I didn’t believe in aliens until I was abducted by them. I was put in some kind of contraption and I’m not sure what happened exactly, but it’s clear that I’m not where I was. Everything in 2016 is different, I don’t know if I’m in a different state or not but people are dressing differently and acting differently, and the cars, the cars are all different! I’ve been here for quite some time now and have noticed a lot of differences from where I lived in Oceanside, California in 1940. I’ve been transported to the year 2016 and there are so many things that have changed and evolved and among them are political, economic, social, and cultural changes.

"I have run up credit card bills that I didn't know how I would pay off. I recognize when I am engaged in a spending spree, but I often have felt powerless to stop myself. The compulsion to finish the list and to avoid adding other things to the list - by buying them right then - has often been much stronger than the recognition that I didn't have the money to pay for what I was buying" (Spenders Anonymous, n.d.). This excerpt is from the story of a man named Kirk, who is a compulsive buyer. Kirk is not alone; many Americans are controlled by a cycle of working and spending what meager amount they have left to buy luxury items. Sometimes these citizens do not even have the money to pay for what they are buying. Truly, these people are miserable, but the idea that consumerism equals happiness and that they are living free lives is driven into American people since childhood. Consumerism and freedom are key parts of the American dream. The American dream emphasizes hard work and sacrifice, but in return, it promises the possibility of success to everyone, regardless of his or her socioeconomic circumstances. Despite the good intentions behind the ancestral ideal, the American dream has turned into a nightmare.

One day I was sitting in English class doing my work. Then a flying whale flew into the wall and destroyed it. It flew over to me and swallowed me whole. It then just flew back to the ocean. While in the whale's stomach I saw some interesting things like a dead person, a needle with steroids in it, a few soccer balls, a rabbit, and a roll of duct tape. After I had been in the whale's stomach for about 3 hours, it started to shake violently. Then something was squeezing the life out of the whale. All of the sudden i was flying through the air along with everything else. I landed on some sort of island.

It all starter on september of 2007, I was brought to the United States by my parents to make happer the American dream. I was born and raise in Guatatoya, Guatemala, a wonderful place where people are humble and happ, and enjoy being helpful to family members and stragers. My parents brought us (my brothers and myself) with one goal for us, to improve our life and graduate from college. It has being rough because it was challenging to overcome the barrier of languague and customs, but now we have adapted to these barriers.

America’s greatest gifts to my generation in my thoughts, are freedom, internet access, and jobs.These are only some of the things that this generation are available to.We have been given the opportunities that people would have wished to have.Even so, some people take those chances, and abuse them.Here is why I chose these three opportunities.

Grand cars drive down our street. Radios are now practically in every home and play news and stories for families to listen to. Homes are stocked with new appliances, the latest technologies. Some may say that our great country has reached a golden age of prosperity and wealth. However, take a look from a different perspective, and you’ll see that this isn’t the case. America is not the land of the free. Technology may have advanced, but socially, we’ve remained stagnant. Some of our citizens are still shackled by the ties of racial and sexual inequality, and freedom is something they long desperately to grasp.

America has been a beacon for people searching for a better life because America has a lot of opportunities for a better job payment. America also has a better environment for people to be successful. The American dream is to pursue happiness and to be confident in what you do. A famous example is Marther Luther king when people were talking down to him specifically white people. But he came successfully. Then a white man shot him in the chest. Someone in my life that is living their own version of The American Dream was my uncle Jose Dasilva. My uncles Americans Dream is to be successful and to have people working for him while he sits comfortably. My American Dream is to never go broke and has my own sneaker business but that's if I am not in the NFL or the NBA.

An american story is a story revolving around his or her lifestyle, culture and everyday habits. This is about past experiences, accomplishments, and biggest downfalls. I will be discussing not only my biggest accomplishments, but also my biggest failures that I have occurred in life. What will my american story be? Keep reading to find out.

As an African American female, I did not have the privilege of growing up in the most financially sound environment, however, I did not fall victim to my surroundings; a financially oppressed culture in the local Gordon Heights community indicative of low income families. My grandparents were hard working individuals set on making a better life for their descendants. My grandfather was a Suffolk County Police Officer, my grandmother a United States Postal Services employee. The values passed down from my grandparents has showed me the pros and cons of a being a part of a culture limited in its ability to reach the American Dream. From my experiences, as I matured throughout the years, I grew a love and passion for helping under privileged populations

There was a point in my life when i thought i knew what i wanted, or who i wanted to be. Then reality set in. The truth is, i was falling into that old saying "the American dream". Little did i know all i was doing was conforming to the ways of the world. I started a business, had my own family but i was living a double life. I was a husband, a father and an avid drug user. Which in the long run, led me down a path of self destruction. I lied to everyone around me, and the consequences of my actions cost me my freedom. In April 2009 i was baptized in front of the entire congregation on a Sunday morning, And knew who Jesus Christ was, and what he did for me. So there was no excuse why Three years later i was sitting in an 8x10 cell, On my way

It is great to wake up every morning knowing my life is entirely up to me. We live in the great United States of America. Being an American means I have so many rights and doors are opened up to opportunities other countries do not have. America has given me the right to choose whatever education and profession I want.

The United States is 241 years old. There have been many changes to the country. Many of those changes have been in the last 100 years. My generation is lucky to have the freedom to do what we want. Being born in 2005, I am lucky to have opportunities other generation did not have.

Los angles is one of the cities where people try to achieve the “American dream”. Even though the “American Dream” is different from people to people. To me, Los Angeles means a new beginning…my new beginning. I have moved to Los angles in search of success in education and life, to prove to myself that I can be independent.