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The American Dream : The Myth Of The American Dream

Decent Essays

The American Dream is an ideology that many strive for; immigrants coming into the United States, whether legally or not, arrive here hoping that they may be the lucky ones that find it. Those born in poverty see the American Dream as an opportunity to excel, to have wealth and to live a life different than the one they had growing up. The American Dream symbolizes success. For the three women in American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation’s Drive to End Welfare by Jason DeParle, success represented different ideologies. For these women, and many others like them, the success myth holds simple barriers, like the color of their skin and the opportunities granted to them. The Success Myth is the myth that is most representative of the American Dream. For many different people, the success myth symbolizes different actions and different achievements. Angie Jobe, although she might not have known it, was attempting to find her success myth when she moved to Milwaukee. Having had her children’s father in prison, life required that she step up and take action. In writing the poem “I’m tired // Of trying to understand // What God wants of me” Angie was elaborating what she believed her success myth was like, figuring out what God wanted from her, working for it, and not have to be tired. She constantly worked, trying to get more money for her children, have more money than just the little bit that would be left over every month that would have to be used for living

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