Personal Narrative: Thiago's Childhood

Like many Americans today, a prosperous life is something many immigrant families endeavor to achieve. Whether you are native to this land or a legal immigrant, many are pursuing the idea of the American dream. Whereas every dream may be different, the journey to each dream becomes a discovery that is both

To America, the American dream was not living in a huge, fancy house, but to have a “house, a yard, maybe a TV and a car too – nothing fancy, no palaces like the gringos built – just four walls and a roof” (Boyle 29). The typical immigrant does not come to American with the intentions of becoming wealthy. They come to American to have a better opportunity in life. To be able to own a home, work and have a family. According to The New York Times, “The phrase “American dream” was invented during the Great Depression. It comes from a popular 1931 book by the historian James Truslow Adama, who defines it as, “that dream of a land in while life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone.” “In the decades that followed, the dream became a reality. Thanks to rapid, widely shared economic growth, nearly all children grew up to achieve the most basic definition of a better life — earning more money and enjoying higher living standards than their parents had.” Learning that us Americans are likely to achieve the American dream shows that it is all that much more difficult for immigrants and even more so for illegal immigrants. T.C Boyle, in Tortilla Curtain, attempts to show the separation between the American dream of the community of immigrants and the American dream of the whites.

The great American dream is about seizing an opportunity when it passes by, in the form of education, or blood, sweat, and tears, otherwise known as hard work. America is an opportunistic society, not egalitarian. One has to forge one’s own way in the path of social mobility versus waiting for an equal and fair

Illegal immigration it is a controversial issue for many years. Immigrants do not have the same benefits as Americans citizens. According to the article Illegal Immigration by Kathleen Brown states “In the past decade, the number of illegal immigrants has double, to 2.1 million, equivalent to the population of Arkansas” (Brown). In fact, illegal immigrants immigrate to America, but their main intention is to get better opportunities in life. The American dream is all over the world, which is the principal reason why people come to United States to make their American dream true. However, the epiphany is that Americans protect their country by implementing more laws and enforcing their borders secure.

The American dream, an idea that is inextricably linked with liberal democratic principles, is based on the notion that on American soil, every person has equal access to opportunity and fair treatment under the law. America has been, and continues to be a primary destination for millions of immigrants from around the globe because it promises hope, freedom, and most important, a fair chance; migration to America has been predicated on the belief that with hard work and determination, success will eventually come. However, today, whenever the American dream is uttered, a negative connotation too often appears to be attached to it. There’s a certain attitude of pessimism as those who speak of it attempt to argue that the dream is dead,

America is seen as the land of opportunity in that there are endless possibilities for an individual. In this land of opportunity, Americans strive to obtain the ideal known as the American dream. The American Dream is seen as the accomplishment of an ambition achieved while challenged by adversity.1 Americans often associate this success with the ownership of a home. The home is not simply a place of basic protection; there is a much deeper connection to the individual. Ownership of a home grants freedom and security that establishes a sense permanency for the individual. In contrast, renting a living space possesses a semblance of instability and dependence.2 The desire to improve ones’ position in life inspires one to

Another good example on how opportunity is part of the American dream is Oscar Carlos Acosta’s story. Acosta was a rather talented baseball player, the problem was that he had immersed himself so far into his baseball career, he didn’t pay attention to his school. He had paved his road to the American Dream or so he thought. Acosta made it to the minor leagues, where he soon tore his rotator cuff. Acosta lost everything he had, his family, his life dream. A second chance soon came his way, a chance to coach in Texas. He soon made a name for himself and rebuilt his life. Today he coaches the Chicago Cubs pitcher. Acosta is living his American Dream due to opportunity. (Rather 43)

Opportunity is defined in Webster's Dictionary as 'A good position, chance or prospect for achievement'; which is easily connected to the idea of The American Dream. After all, isn't America known as 'The land of opportunity';? Most people came to America, and still come for that matter, in search of a better life through hard work and dedication to their cause. In 'Chinaman's Chance: Reflections on the American Dream'; by Eric Liu, it is stated that '...it (the American Dream) does demand the opportunity to achieve progress-and values the opportunity as much as the achievement.'; This statement is imperative because it gives recognition to those who try to reach their goals, even if they cannot achieve them fully. Throughout history, we

Immigrants that came to America were pursuing a secure life for themselves and better lives for their children or future children; they envisioned America as the land of opportunity and a prosperous country in which to pursue any endeavor they chose, but no one recognized what was happening to the other half of the country and its citizens--the reality of the thousands of people living in the streets and going months without work--until they arrived. The idea was to come to America and find the American dream, but no one realized just how hard that would be until it was too late. There has always been a false premise of the American dream and the land of opportunity, and the immigrants discovered this the hard way.

The United States of America is labeled as the “land of opportunity”. It’s been known to many that anyone who travels and settles here would live a better life. But based on history, the stories of millions of immigrants contradict the perceptions people had about this country. Especially in New York, hundreds of thousands of immigrants found their way to America just to struggle to survive in the tenement housing for the remainder of their lives. This was their lifestyle until people such as Jacob Riis, the social workers of the settlement houses, and the participants in the Ladies Garment Worker Union wanted to change things.

The valiant master-mind of the mid-1800s, Albert Einstein, alleged potent words unveiling a great deal regarding endurance. He expressed that, “In the middle of difficulties, lies opportunity.” Life is nothing but an uphill battle; to be the victor and make a mark, one must take advantage of everything available. Taking advantage of opportunity is a crucial quality for fulfillment in American life. For a prolonged period of time, America was better known as “The Land of Opportunity.” The U.S. was illustrious of its abundant educational, religious, as well as economic opportunities. Unfortunately, as waves of immigrants stumbled upon the land of sovereignty, the myriad of opportunities gradually became muted. Although not completely

For an immigrant, the American Dream is to achieve economic well-being and a good quality of life through hard work, entrepreneurship, and perseverance. It is the driving force behind most immigration, and its realization is the achievement dimension of the American Dream to reach to the fullest life. What is the American dream? And how can one pursue it? Does it still exist, or is it over? Carl Thomas's article “ Is the American Dream Over?,” states that the American Dream is still around and people have to work hard to achieve it or to reclaim it. Thomas's argument that the government is leading us to a path of economic downfall sheds light

In the article “The American Dream”, by James Truslow Adams in The Sundance Reader book, he stated that the American dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." (p.227-228). The American Dream can be achieve also by immigrants if the U.S. government provides opportunities, the environment and resources to pursue their dreams with the hope of better life.

The people who immigrated to America in the 1800’s and 1900’s came because “In the United States, individuals craft their own definition of success” (Friedman). Immigrants were given the opportunity to succeed, something they probably never had back home. Here immigrants were given free education, welfare, and healthcare, freedoms only given in America at the time. This freedom to succeed has given many people rags- to- riches stories. “Americans respect the self- made man or women, especially when he or she has overcome great obstacles to succeed” (Friedman), especially because immigrants who came from nothing were able to utilize their freedoms in order to make something for themselves.

Every year a lot of immigrants arrive to the United States. They leave their home because of wars, poverty, politics, economics or other factors. Immigrants choose the United States because they hope that they will have better lives there. They believe in the American Dream. The American Dream originates from the “Declaration of Independence:” “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” It promised a better life to everyone despite their backgrounds and financial state. According to the American Dream, freedom, equality and social mobility is possible for everyone. Better life