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This article interviews multiple students about the American Dream and many of them have their own perspectives of the American Dream. Many of students say that American Dream is alive but that you must work hard to be able to achieve that dream. For example on the students in the article said, "That is the American dream. To build yourself up from absolutely nothing, to grind for every last penny in order to make your dreams a reality. ". What this is saying is that the American Dream is to be able to build up yourself from nothing and be able to do great things. Another student states, "Within a decade he created a family run pizzeria chain, bringing success to his life, his family’s, and the community. But, all of this came from tremendous hard work and determination, something I believe our newer generations lack. ". This is explaining that even though working hard can get you to become successful it has become less common for people to work hard and really try to strive for the American Dream but it is still always possible to still do it.

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What Students Are Saying About: The American Dream, Mindfulness in Schools and How to Define ‘Family’ (Published 2019)

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The best recent teenage comments in response to our writing prompts — and an invitation to join the ongoing conversation.

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Being happy is very important in my American Dream. I feel the most important idea that a lot of people have about the American Dream being alive and well is the pursuit of happiness.

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I feel being yourself will help you achieve more things than you may think. Being yourself can provide many opportunities and can bring a lot of success to a person like for example look at any celebrity, actor, musician, athlete, etc.

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Being comfortable is very important to my American Dream because if you are comfortable in your living you are happy. For example, many people have many different definitions of being comfortable whether it be having a family, a big house, no money etc.

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My definition of the American is that everyone has the right to be happy and life comfortable. My understanding is that i feel not everyone can be famous or super successful but everyone no matter who you are can be happy and comfortable in the US. Being happy can mean a lot of different things to many people. For example, many people are happy in a family and love being around people they love. Happiness can also come from passion from doing a hobby, job, profession, talent etc. Although one thing that is widely different among people is living comfortably. Some people can live in a 1 bedroom apartment with not that much money and live comfortably, on the other hand some people need a mansion and lots of money to live comfortably it all depends on who you are. No matter what, all of these different outcomes are possible in America.

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My dad's life wasnt as amazing as a celebrity but it did have a lot of twists and turns like a movie. My dad lived in an average neighborhood but he always thought that the American dream was to be happy and to be yourself. Even though he was himself and was happy he didnt always choose the right crowd. No matter where he went he always ran into trouble and eventually he sat down and decided it was time to change. He eventually graduated high school and turned around his life for the better and soon started to become who he was today. He taught me that no matter what youve been through and what happens always be true to yourself and be mindful to others. Hes not perfect but he still gave me the inspiration to achieve my dreams in America.

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In the book The Distance Between Us Reyna Grande goes through many struggles in her life but no matter what those struggles were she fought through it and was able to come out of it a strong and successful woman. The chapter I chose was the Epilogue because she talks about how her life has made her who she was. On page 322 Grande states, "If I had known what life with my father would be like, would I have still followed him to El Otro Lado?". What she is referring to in the text is that throughout the book she was abused by her father and she is thinking if she would go through it again to be where she's at and her answer was yes. Grande reveals that although the road to being comfortable and happy is rough it will all be worth it in the long run when you can live the America Dream.

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Forrest Gump: Praying for shrimp (0:00-2:00)

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Forrest Gump is about a simple man doing things no one could ever expect. Forrest had very simple values and no matter what happened in his life he was able to be happy and be successful. This supports my thesis because Gump was able to achieve so much despite not being very bright. Forrest learned that as long as he was himself and work hard he could do anything. For example, in the clip forest goes to church and prays for shrimp and then soon he works hard and soon becomes a millionaire shrimp business owner. Even though it was a strike of luck that his boat survived the storm he still had to put the work into catching all the fish to be able to be where he was at.

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0:00 / 3:49•Watch full video

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Forrest Gump: Praying for shrimp (HD CLIP)

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The Rose that Grew from Concrete - Tupac Shakur

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The poem I chose to support my thesis is a poem by Tupac Shakur called The Rose that Grew from Concrete. This poem is about how something great can come from a place thats not great. For example, Tupac says¨ Proving natures laws wrong it learned 2 walk, Without having feet ¨. Tupac is saying that even though there are forces trying to stop what your doing you can still achieve your dreams. Another example that supports my thesis he says, ¨ Funny it seems but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breath fresh air ¨. What Tupac means here is that as long as you are determined and work you will be able ¨2 breathe¨ in other words achieve your dreams.