American Identity by Caden Rose

"We must believe in our souls that we are somebody, that we are significant, that we are worthful, and we must walk the streets of life every day with this sense of dignity and this sense of somebody-ness."

cadenrose2 — 2024-06-04 17:30:02 UTC

This quote represents how your opinion and mental state affects how far you can make it. It means that to truly become accomplished or feel accomplished you need to believe in yourself. You need to have the drive to want to become someone, and I think that is what the American dream is about.

"I was finally free. That excitement, however, soon gave way to anxiety. What I remember most clearly from that day is the feeling of fear that I wouldn't be able to make it."

cadenrose2 — 2024-06-04 17:30:02 UTC

This quote represents the justice system. it represents the setbacks people who served jail time face and how this can limit their attempt to create their own American dream. We do not give people coming out of prison enough opportunity to try and make something valuable with their free life, instead the justice system pins them down a road they have already explored before.

"Many of us tried but very few succeeded. I could not sing. I could not dance. "

cadenrose2 — 2024-06-04 17:30:02 UTC

This quote represents African Americans having less of an opportunity to achieve their American dream. It represents being held down in place with no where to go but down. But it also represents your ability to persevere. To outwork the people/things trying to stop you from reaching your dreams.

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."

cadenrose2 — 2024-06-04 17:30:02 UTC

This quote reflects on the attempt to achieve your American dream. It reflects on the idea that some people want a specific dream, however will not try to achieve that dream. Or people will give up on their dream after one set back.

"The American Dream has run out of gas. The car has stopped. It no longer supplies the world with its images, its dreams, its fantasies. No more. It's over. It supplies the world with its nightmares now."

cadenrose2 — 2024-06-04 17:30:02 UTC

This quote represents current day America. It represents how people are now being separated more and more from their ideal American dream. People are not gaining and society is becoming less and less together as it is slowly picked apart, making it harder every day for people to reach their dreams and goals.

"And heard them gnaw off one of my thick braids. Then I lost my spirit."

cadenrose2 — 2024-06-04 17:30:02 UTC

This quote is an example of haven your American dream taken away. It is a part of history that cannot be removed. It reflects on the idea of the American dream, and how for some reason people in the past felt the need to take dreams of others away to attempt and fulfill their own.

"Being poor and black, I've no weapon to strike back So who but the Lord Can protect me?

cadenrose2 — 2024-06-04 17:30:03 UTC

This quote is about racial injustice. It represents the injustices that black people have faced in America throughout its history. It represents how many times no one has come to try and help them. This is the flaw of the American dream.

"Keep workers insecure and keep them under control, and they're not going to ask for decent wages or decent working conditions, or the right of free association, meaning unionizing. Now for the masters of mankind that's fine. They make their profits"

cadenrose2 — 2024-06-04 17:30:03 UTC

This quote represents the idea of maintaining power and limiting people's opportunity in achieving their American dream. This is what America has always been like and how people have a dream, but are never able to reach that dream because they are struck down every attempt they make. Or they face a new setback that has been made from those who are at the top of the pyramid, trying to maintain their power and sense of superiority.

"I have spent my life judging the distance between American reality and the American dream."

cadenrose2 — 2024-06-04 17:30:03 UTC

This quote is about the reality of the American dream. It is about the thought and how people imagine it COULD be. But then they face the harsh reality. This is a flaw when it comes to the American dream. The reality that people can dream, but it is so hard to try and make that dream come true because of the world we live in.

"For many the American dream has become a nightmare."

cadenrose2 — 2024-06-04 17:30:03 UTC

This quote is about the attempt at the American dream. Many Americans try all their life to achieve their dream. However this leads to the fall of many Americans and they let this takeover them, ultimately leading to it causing a worse life.