https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr THESIS: The American Dream is alive and well. en-us 2022-05-13 20:59:02 UTC 2026-03-04 17:19:15 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f1fa-1f1f8.png 572776 https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2186407172 The American Dream, to me, is the chance to have opportunities. While most people believe it's about being able to own material things (like cars, fancy clothes, shoes, etc.), I think otherwise. People come to America to have the chance to have a better life than the one they had in their home country. They will struggle, yes. But no matter what, as long as they have their goals and dreams to motivate them, they'll keep pushing forward to reach them. My grandparents came here for a better life. They have reached peace knowing their children have grown up with the opportunities they didn't have, and that their grandchildren will have the same.]]> 2022-05-16 20:47:17 UTC https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2186407172 572776 https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2186411149 My family has always been there for me for as long as I can remember. Despite our struggles, our arguments, and even our disagreements; we still love each other. My family has been nothing but supportive of me and my dreams, and they have always helped me the best they can to get to where I'm at now. They're my main motivation to do things, and I want to set a good example for my siblings and prove that the American Dream is achievable. My mother and father always tell me that hard work and perseverance get you places. Although the road to my dreams has detours, I'll get to my destination someday. ]]> 2022-05-16 20:51:36 UTC https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2186411149 572776 https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2186422917 Education is essential to get through this world. Without it, we would be ignorant of the world around us and wouldn't develop as far as we are now. Education also keeps us open-minded. I believe it's important because it is the very thing that helps NASA, construction, developing cures and medication, and even more things that help us with our everyday lives. It also can teach us valuable information that can help us get stable jobs.]]> 2022-05-16 21:03:43 UTC https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2186422917 572776 https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2186428890 Confidence was something I struggled with for a long time. It blinded me from seeing my true potential, and would make me grow distant from others. Had I not grown out of it, I don't know where I'd be at now. I feel like confidence places a major role in achieving your dreams. It doesn't have to be socially (though it can be apart of it), but it can also be what you believe you're capable of. Knowing my worth has helped me get through the rough patches in life and school. Confidence has helped me grow to become a more outgoing and happy person. It helps me understand my limits, and what I can achieve.]]> 2022-05-16 21:10:00 UTC https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2186428890 572776 https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2188324682 I interviewed my mother, who had grown up in a home where they would barely make ends meet. When I asked her what the American Dream was to her, she responded with "a place of accomplishments and opportunities." Growing up, she aspired to be an actress or a nurse. I had asked her what her American Dream was, and she told me that it was to "have a stable job, own a home, and enjoy [her] family." What made her respond with that was the thought of her children. I asked if her hopes and dreams had come true, and she responded with a simple "no." When asked to elaborate, she began to explain how ridiculous the market in California was right now. Regardless, she still believes that the American Dream can be accomplished. According to her, even if you fall short, you gotta have a good drive. She firmly believes that the United States is a "land of opportunity," as we're better off than most countries. My grandparents had always told her throughout her life to "always strive for better." She took that advice because they told her to not give up and keep trying. Her final advice for me to end off the interview was “to dream big, have high hopes, and know that one day your hard work will pay off. It’s never too early to start."]]> 2022-05-17 21:02:36 UTC https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2188324682 572776 https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2188338609 "The Pursuit of Happiness" is a 2006 movie starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith. The premise of the film is that Chris (Will) is a single father who has been evicted from his apartment. Forced to live in shelters and the streets, Chris and his young son (Jaden) endure hardships while Chris gets a job as an intern at a prestigious brokerage firm. In this clip, after an internship, Chris is hired as a broker. Throughout the film, he struggles to get money and support his son. He perseveres no matter what hardships are put in his path. And at the end of the film, all of his hard work pays off. Chris is presented with many chances and opportunities that are hard to find elsewhere, and it's what ends up helping him achieve his goals and dreams for himself and his son. The fact that it's even based on a true story just proves that anything is possible when you have the drive for it.]]> 2022-05-17 21:17:50 UTC https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2188338609 572776 https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2190148640 "I, Too, Sing America" is a poem written by Langston Hughes. It was published in 1926, and through the passage, it is told from a perspective of a black man dealing with racism.  It contains a hopeful message while pertaining to the grim reality he suffers with. In one instance, he goes on to say “tomorrow, [he'll be] at the table," and "when company comes, nobody’ll dare say to [him], “eat in the kitchen.” (Hughes). By tomorrow, he means that someday in the future he'll be sitting at the table with white people without being told to eat in the kitchen alone (or segregated). He finishes the poem off with the statement that "“[he], too, is American” (Hughes). He doesn't care what people have to say to him, he is American either way in the end. Regardless of how the world treats him, he remains hopeful that America will one day be a place that isn't divided. ]]> 2022-05-18 20:38:10 UTC https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2190148640 572776 https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2190178768 The article itself provides insight and statistics from the American people themselves. When taking note of the statistics, "85 percent indicated that “to have freedom of choice in how to live” was essential to achieving the American dream" (Abrams). This proves the point that the American Dream can be accomplished because America allows everyone to have the opportunities no matter their race, class, identity, etc. Continuing further, more statistics are provided, which state "eighty-one percent of non‐Hispanic whites; 80 percent of blacks, Hispanics, and those of mixed race; and 85 percent of those with Asian heritage said that they had achieved or were on their way to achieving the American dream." This proves that race, sexuality, gender, and other factors can't prevent people from accomplishing their dreams. No matter the hardships, the American Dream is achievable. ]]> 2022-05-18 21:11:01 UTC https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2190178768 572776 https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2190756030 In the epilogue of "The Distance Between Us," Reyna starts it off by stating "[she] became the first person in [her] family to graduate from college" (Grande 319). It is a true milestone in her life, and one of her greatest achievements. Throughout the book, Reyna goes through tons of trials and tribulations. She suffers abuse (mental and physical) from her father, abandonment from her mother, fitting in the US, and getting her documents. Reyna's story is one that proves that the American Dream is still alive. Regardless of the hardships, she faced in her life, she was always determined. Even when she lost sight of her life for a while, she still managed to get back on track. At the end of the book, Reyna becomes the first to graduate from college and accomplish her goals. Even from the beginning of the book, she always expressed her desire to go to school and finish it. And that, she does.]]> 2022-05-19 05:51:47 UTC https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2190756030 572776 https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2191955288 2022-05-19 20:28:32 UTC https://padlet.com/572776/7jatuu5ilcqge8nr/wish/2191955288