American Dream Does Not Exist For Black People Essay

The idea of the American dream revolves around attaining happiness, success and equality. For higher wealth classes obtaining these components aren't a concern; but for many, the American Dream has become a nightmare. For the poor being able to obtain simple necessities such as food, clothing and shelter is a daily struggle. The price of being poor is a lot costlier then those in the realm of the wealthy. Based on the current economic and social systems in America it does not provide everyone with a fair chance to achieve the “American Dream”. In todays society many Americans believe money is the only way to happiness. True or not true, money certainly isn't a hindrance to obtaining the necessary components for survival. But if the American Dream is no longer about happiness and freedom it becomes solely about wealth and possession. "Money cannot buy happiness." (Anonymous, Spring Board pg.81) represents the concept that money doesn't necessarily play apart in your emotional well-being. Today, materialism is more important than character. Money isn't everything; you don't need it to be happy and certainly not to achieve "The American Dream". In addition to that, although money can jump-start your future it can also drive you into the ground. Dana Gioia, the author of "Money", says "...Money holds heads above water..." Implying money plays a crucial part in keeping your dreams alive while America demands so much. Although finances are a building block to ones version of the

Coates’ allegory of the “Dreamers” and their detrimental impact on the lives of African Americans in the US is highlighted with this declaration: “But do not pin your struggle on their conversion. The Dreamers will have to learn to struggle themselves, to understand that the field for their Dream, the stage where they have painted themselves white, is the deathbed of us all” (151). Coates is essentially claiming that the people who refuse to live in reality are subsequently robbing those who do because they instill a sense of false hope and unrealistic expectations that make every injury inflicted upon the African American community hurt even more. By extension, Coates is affirming that living in the moment rather than always thinking about the future and how to make things better is the most authentic route to happiness. Much of the misery in life derives from people in power abusing the privileges society has granted them, and the exploitation of black people in American society has solidified the idea that civilization breeds barbarism in Coates’ mind. This is further supported by Coates’ assertion that, “The enslaved were not bricks in your road, and their lives were not chapters in your redemptive history. They were people turned to fuel for the American machine” (70). This image of black lives being chewed up and spit out by industrial America is visceral and jarring in that it shows a complete failure on the civilization’s part to protect and raise its citizens to a more prominent status and improve their lives. To Coates, the ideas of patriotism and “the Dream,” or

The American dream has many meanings but only one that matters, which is having a job that you enjoy and appreciate and for your freedom to be known. The Public Broadcast Service published videos that explored the daily realities of the New York working class. One video followed the experiences of Walid Abdelwahab. He is a well known cart vendor working on the streets of New York city he traveled all the way from Egypt to succeed and have a better lifestyle. Walid has been vending all of his life to help support his family; however, he has faced many rigor moments but he still continues to work with a smile on his face, no matter what happens. This supports the existence of the American dream because he moved from a different country leaving everything behind so that him and his family can live a happy life.

Americans.” “Without its own justifications, the dream would collapse upon itself.”(pg.131) What Coates is trying to say is if people specifically the black community want to have the “American Dream” how the white people live instead of just being happy how their living knowing that family is more important than just a big house.

Even if it is hard to accept and understand; for many readers, it is a striking self narrative about Coates’ experience of growing up at a disadvantage and a fight to make it to this idea of an American dream. However, Coates’ view on this dream, becomes more pessimistic as he becomes older. At first he believes the dream is achievable, but after the wrongful murder of Prince Jones and the other injustices such as Trayvon Martin and Freddie Gray, the dream become tarnished. The killing of Jones proved to be a turning point, because it showed that no matter how well off, and how successful you want to be, the single act of an unjust racially driven killing, is all it took to end Prince Jones’ dream. Coates states, “The Dream seemed to be the pinnacle, then ---- to grow rich and live in one of those disconnected houses… The Dream seemed to be the end of the world for me, the height of the American ambition.” This quote opens the reader to the life of young black men in today's times struggle to not only succeed but survive. It shows the predisposition that blacks face when they are born in America. This book connects with people of all races, because it opens the doors to the real world, that so many people were trapped

“The soul was the body that fed the tobacco, and the spirit was the blood that watered the cotton, and these created the first fruits of the American garden” (Coates 104). In Between the World and Me,” and within this quote alone, Ta-Nehisi Coates argued not only the importance of black identity, but also how and why black identity was so deceivingly shaped in response to the dark history behind it. Through Coates’ recollections and fair warnings to his son, the relationship between black identity and “The Dream” becomes clearer. In spite of the “white supremacist” trademark that comes stamped upon “The Dream,” Coates provides impermeable evidence as to why black identity is not only more invested in history than white identity, but more importantly why it is the investment to be made in “The American Dream.”

Lao Tzu once said that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”, which means that no matter how difficult the task, determination requires a necessary prelude for accomplishment (Tzu). People generally perceive accomplishments as the most important aspect of an individual’s value, but ultimately, only oneself can determine their worth and beliefs. The fading of one’s ideals is bound to occur eventually, but the only legacies considered inerasable are deeds. Great men and women are rarely remembered for their beliefs or thoughts; instead they are judged depending on their actions and the resulting consequences.

Throughout the book, Coates briefly elaborates on how white people use harsh words and actions to try and tear down the black community. However, Coates asserts that “ Hate gives identity.” He continues this theory by writing “The nigger, the fag, the bitch illuminate the border, illuminate what we ostensibly are not.” Coates shows us that these hateful terms are actually beneficial. Ironically, these very words that are meant to tear us down, build us up by categorizing our people as things that we are not. Coates shows that these words that seemingly paint a true portrait of us are nothing but a false projection placed on our people. Coates goes on to show how society is set up on the standards and expectations of whiteness as these feelings are revealed through his writing “illuminate the Dream of being white, of being a Man.” The American Dream that we have been force fed is drawn directly from the perspective of the white man. Certain indicators of society, such as how to be a man, are defined from the perspective of the white man as well. Coates powerfully conveys that we should be creating our own standards of the American Dream. We should be fighting to bring

What is the American Dream? To many people across the globe, the United States of America appears to be a place where one can be proud of. America the land where dreams come true and there is always a chance for any person to succeed. People who are not from the United States have been painted a beautiful picture of what life in our country is like. Not only do they think that there is a special place in American Dream of African American soldiers after WWI American Dream of African American soldiers after WWI ;During World War I many things changed, lives were destroyed ;dreams shattered, and many soldiers’ who went to war came back ... America for them and the perfect career for each individual, but unfortunately this is not always true. The American dream is not necessarily to get rich quick, it is more along the lines of a hard worker having an opportunity to be financially stable and to live a pleasant life. The dream is that their sons and daughters will not have to suffer the same things that they did. Their children will be better off in the long run because African-American Entrepreneurship In a comparative light there seems to be significant problems, or obstacles, for African-American entrepreneurs. These problems are categorized by environmental factors, opportunity factors, and issues related to capital. The ... of their hard work. Why hasn’t the African American community been able to reach the American dream In America everyone is guaranteed the opportunity

“My mother always talks about how white people have the “perfect” life, but then we (black people) aren’t apart of that “perfect” life, we are suppose to help labor for them so they can get the life they want without us included.” In the novel, Between The World And Me, Ta-nehisi Coates grew up in the streets of Baltimore, where the streets transform every ordinary day into a series of trick questions, and every incorrect answer risks a beatdown, a shooting, or pregnancy. This is the everyday norm of having struggles in Baltimore. But, one day Coates saw on television and media all-around how whites have wonderful and stress free lives. That is the life everyone wants, but whites are the most ones privilege to be able to achieve this goal, or dream. Coates message about the “Dream” and the “Dreamers” is that the “Dream” is an middle class suburban neighborhood, where you don’t have to worry about crime and violence, and “The Dreamers” are white people who created and believe the American dream.

This is true to many people in the world. Though Coates often talks about the black bodies, Coates uses the word “our” to include everyone who might be reading his book. This is very important for Coates to do in the book to really draw the reader in. Another reason why this is important is because it helps the reader make a connection with the book. Throughout the book Coates talks about the dream that people have. The typical dream that people in America have is having a perfect family, having barbeques, and having a nice house with a steady job. Is this a dream of every American or just those who have a white skin color? Though this can be seen as a white American dream. For the ones who haven’t had this type of life, like Coates, they tell others that the dream isn’t all what it seems. Coates also tells his son about the rough times he had in school as a child. Coates brought up how he had to memorize the families, gangs and get to know the streets to get around and stay safe in his travels from school and home. School in Coates eyes was seen as a prison and almost just as bad as the

Coates explains to his son about the perils of being black in America and the social injustices that occur within such as looting and violence. Coates calls to the reader’s

Even though the optimal American Dream doesn’t promise that all citizens will achieve personal success, it offers equality and fortunes for them to pursue dreams through hard work. However, during the Industrial Age, the American Dream didn’t apply to the lower class. Most immigrants from southern and eastern Europe arrived in the United States to escape religious persecution and poverty in their home countries and also seek new opportunities. But, they realized the brutal reality after their arrival. As unskilled foreigners who suffered poverty and lacked experience and English skills, immigrants lived in nasty tenements located in city ghettos, earned little wages that at times couldn’t even enable the whole family to survive, and were taken advantage from bosses because of their naivete and lack of power. African Americans faced a crueler circumstance because of the long-lasting racial discrimination. In the 1880s, a number of African Americans migrated from rural south to industrial cities in order to avoid poverty, violence, and oppression they faced in the deep South. However, they rarely found factory jobs or professional opportunities. Women also couldn’t rule their destinies during the Industrial Age. Desiring to be more independent and provide financial help to families, many women worked in factories. Most of them experienced disadvantages, including gaining less wages than men did and experiencing sexual harassment from their foremen. Even though the federal

Cristina Saralegui, an American Journalist, once said, “to realize the American Dream, the most important thing to understand is that it belongs to everybody. It 's a human dream. If you understand this and work very hard, it is possible”. The American Dream, although in high demand by all people of all skin colors, is an aspiration often misunderstood. It is much simpler than what people make it out to be. The American Dream is not about fame or fortune. It is defined by studying hard at night, commuting to your long work day, and cleaning the home you own. The Dream is textured by hard work throughout a life. For the African Americans in our nation, the American Dream has regressed into somewhat of a nightmare, the people tortured by their own drive and hard-work that is constantly thrown out the window because of socioeconomic stereotypes passed down through generations. In the poem “I, too, Am America”, Hughes implies that to “be America” all people with a variety of skin colors have to be united by equality in common American Dreams such as homeownership, education, and the job market. Based off of this theory, blacks today are unable to be considered ‘America’ in Hughes’ standard because of of the unbearable gaps between whites and blacks. The Dream is meant to be a human dream for all, not an unattainable wish for some.

Coming to America your vision is the “ American Dream” . Owning a home , educating your children , and spending time with your family are just a few dreams that attract foreigners . My father Caesar Reeves came to American to live those dreams . When he got here, he realized that working for someone else wouldn’t allow him to achieve his dream. He decided to work for himself and enter into the gas station business in 2007. During this time gas was at some of its all time highs ; $3.50 per gallon , $4.01 per gallon , and more on the east coast . My father’s ownership of the Sunoco gas station chain in Cumberland Maryland allowed him to live out both his American dreams , and nightmare . While he was making money he was being robbed , and reporting finances improperly .