Parker 1

Brittany Parker

Mr. Fox

English III

27 September 2011

The American Dream is Not Out of Reach

In recent discussions of the American Dream, a controversial issue has been whether

America still offers access to the American Dream to “…the tired, the poor, the huddled

masses.” On the one hand, some argue that America remains the “Land of Opportunity,” where

people can be born into poverty and still end up wealthy and successful. On the other hand,

however, others have lost hope in the American Dream and believe that it doesn’t exist anymore.

The American Dream is someone reaching his or her full potential, becoming successful, or

finding happiness. Although some people may have to work harder than others to achieve this

dream, it is still possible for everyone. The idealistic portrayal of our nation in early American

literature is still accurate today.

In the poem “America the Beautiful” by Katherine Lee Bates, she describes the hopeful

settling of our country in the lines:

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,

Whose stern impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness (31).

The freedom Bates is discussing is the basis of the American Dream. An American citizen has

the freedom to obtain an education in the school of his or her choice, and to pursue whatever

career her or she chooses. Bates emphasizes that the first Americans wanted to find happiness

Comment [CG1]: Use 12-point Times New Roman font, and set the margins to 1 inch on all sides.

Comment [CG2]: Your last name and page number go on every page in this location. Use the “Insert page number” command to do this.

Comment [CG3]: Make sure you have this information in the correct format. Notice that the entire paper is double-spaced, with no extra space anywhere.

Comment [CG4]: Your title does not necessarily have to state your position on the issue, but it should be creative, not simply “The American Dream.”

Comment [CG5]: This is an excellent example of establishing the relevance of the topic. Begin with the opposing view and respond to it.

Comment [CG6]: Here she defines the term. This is necessary, since people may have different ideas of what the American Dream actually is.

Comment [CG7]: Concession

Comment [CG8]: Thesis statement

Comment [CG9]: Make sure to include the type of work, the title, and the author of works you are quoting.

Comment [CG10]: (In-text citations are necessary whether you are quoting directly or paraphrasing a source. Normally, the author’s last name and page number appear, but, since she has already mentioned the author in the text, only a page number is necessary. Notice the format – the period comes after the citation.

Comment [CG11]: This is the correct format for long quotes. A quote of four lines or more is considered long. There are no quotation marks, but each line is indented five spaces.

Comment [CG12]: After referring to an author by first and last name the first time, use only the last name thereafter.

Parker 2

and to be successful in the New World. These brave explorers were the first American dreamers

who paved the way for the rest of us. She goes on to celebrate the soldiers who fought and won

freedom for America:

O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved

And mercy more than life (32)!

If it weren’t for the soldiers who fought for freedom in the American Revolution, we would not

be as free as we are today. The words of this poem may sound idealistic, but they are an accurate

depiction of the beginnings of the American Dream, and the dream is still accessible today.

In his essay “They Live the Dream,” Dan Rather relates a story about a man named

Curtis Aikens, who went all through high school and three semesters of college without knowing

how to read. At the age of twenty-six, he finally asked for help. Referring to his literacy tutors,

he said, “They didn’t change my life. They saved my life” (45). Aikens faced the challenge of

not knowing how to read, but worked hard to learn, and ended up owning his own produce

company, becoming a food columnist, and publishing three cookbooks. He didn’t have his

American Dream handed to him; he had to work hard, and he did what it took to realize his

dream.

Those who understand that it won’t be easy, and who refuse to find an excuse to fail,

have greater potential to succeed. This principle is illustrated in Beth McLaughlin’s article,

“Lifelong Dreamer – Vietnam Boat Person.” This article reports the story of Nancy Pham, who

arrived on a refugee boat from South Vietnam during the war. When she arrived in America, she

had no money, no job, and she didn’t even speak English. As you may imagine, she faced many

Comment [CG13]: Make sure you explain how each quote is relevant and supports your thesis statement.

Comment [CG14]: Plot summary should be no more than a sentence or two.

Comment [CG15]: Short quotes (fewer than four lines) are put in quotation marks.

Comment [CG16]: Notice that the quotation mark comes before the citation, but the period comes after the citation.

Comment [CG17]: Smooth transition between paragraphs. Be careful not to start each paragraph the same way.

Parker 3

struggles. She began taking English lessons and later became a student at Ma Chere Hair Style

Academy. After establishing herself as a skilled stylist, Pham saw an opportunity to make her

American Dream a reality when an old church went up for sale. She bought the space and

modeled it into a beauty salon of her own. She had always dreamed of owning her own salon,

and was determined to see it through (46). Though it took years of perseverance, Pham didn’t

allow the fact that she was disadvantaged to keep her from succeeding. When an American has a

dream, poverty, hardship, lack of education, and other disadvantages cannot keep it from coming

true.

President Barack Obama’s grandfather had a dream. In his “Keynote Address at the 2004

Democratic National Convention,” then-Senator Obama talks about his grandfather’s

experiences as a domestic servant for the British, and his dream of better things for his son.

Through hard work, he made it possible for Barack’s father to get a scholarship and study in

America. While working in America, he found the woman who would later become Barack’s

mother. Obama says, “They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they

weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential”

(84). Obama hadn’t grown up in a rich, political family, but, despite the odds, he grew up to

become president of the United States. In his words, “In no other country on earth is my story

even possible” (84).

The stories of Curtis Aiken, Nancy Pham, and Barack Obama illustrate the opportunities

America offers, as well as the obstacles that some need to overcome in order to achieve the

American Dream. While there is no guarantee of success in this country, and while the citizens

of America gave various and unequal starting points, the American Dream is still a reality. If

one refuses to make excuses, if one expects obstacles and determines to overcome them, and if

Comment [CG18]: Notice the citation, even though this is not a direct quote.

Comment [CG19]: This title is used here to distinguish him from his father.

Comment [CG20]: First name is used to distinguish him from his father.

Comment [CG21]: Ties the paragraphs together and reminds audience of the thesis statement.

Parker 4

one has work ethic, he or she can achieve the American Dream. The drive it takes to achieve is

summed up in the lyrics of the song “Harlan Man” by Steve Earle: “I got me two good hands /

and just as long as I’m able I won’t give in” (62).

Comment [CG22]: When citing fewer than four lines of poetry or song lyrics, use quotation marks and a slash (/) to indicate line breaks.

Comment [CG23]: Ending the essay with a quote is unconventional, but, in this case, it works well.

Parker 5

Works Cited

Bates, Katherine L. "America the Beautiful" Spring Board: English Textual Power Level 6. N.p.:

College Board, 2011. 31-32. Print.

Earle, Steve. "Harlan Man" Spring Board: English Textual Power Level 6. N.p.: College Board,

2011. 62. Print.

McLaughlin, Mary-Beth. "Lifelong Dreamer: American Boat Person." Spring Board: English

Textual Power Level 6. N.p.: College Board, 2011. 46-50. Print.

Obama, Barack. "Keynote Address from the 2004 Democratic National Convention (Excerpt)."

Spring Board: English Textual Power Level 6. N.p.: College Board, 2011. 84-86. Print.

Rather, Dan. "They Live the Dream." Spring Board: English Textual Power Level 6. N.p.:

College Board, 2011. 41-45. Print.

Comment [CG24]: This page is also double-spaced, with no extra space anywhere.

Comment [CG25]: This is the correct format for all works published in SpringBoard.

Comment [CG26]: Notice that the entries are listed alphabetically, and hanging indent is used to separate them from one another.