The Great Gatsby and A Raisin in the Sun

After reading both The Great Gatsby and A Raisin in the Sun I realized that the American Dream is different in them, the idea of the dream is very opposite. Well at least what they already haven’t achieved in gaining the American Dream. The quote “you always want what you don’t have” is very fitting to describe the dreams that are present in both books.  

In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby himself longs for Daisy, so in his case to achieve the American Dream he needed love because he already had the wealth. With the love he hoped to gain from Daisy he would finally be happy. Gatsby threw extravagant parties every weekend, he had the money and the car, but he didn’t have “the girl.”  Daisy was that girl from the beginning she grew up being wealthy, except her dream became different as she grew older, she became all about wealth instead of love, probably because she thought money gave you everything. To Gatsby life did not matter without Daisy, he did everything he could to “win” Daisy back, but she was with Tom and was focused on money and status and not love, which was her American Dream.

Gatsby was determined to have Daisy fall in love with him again and when you are that determined about something there are no limits, which happens in trying to achieve your American Dream. Gatsby didn’t let anything stop him from being with Daisy, but he realized that she wasn’t the same girl he fell in love with and she was a lot happier without him. Sometimes people don’t realize that the American Dream is about being a better you, which is what Gatsby did; he became a better version of himself. He did not hold onto Daisy after realizing that he wasn’t what she needed. In the end Gatsby did achieve his American Dream, he didn’t have enough time to appreciated or realize that he did, but he died knowing that money wasn’t everything and in the end it’s love and the people who you surround yourself with.

In A Raisin in the Sun, Walter and the rest of the Youngers’ American Dream is having money and being financially stable. But to Walter it was more than just being able to live comfortably he wanted everything, he thought by having money he’d gain everything else in the American Dream. When he found out that his “friend” Willy Harris ran off with the money he had invested in the liquor store his whole life turn upside down and he just shut down. Walter didn’t realize that he had people who loved him no matter what, through all of the mistakes he made Mama, Ruth and everyone else, were always there for him.

Walter let the dream of being wealthy get in his way of realizing that he was already wealthy in the sense of the love he had for his family.  Each of the Youngers had an idea of what they were going to do with the money they’d receive from the insurance policy and they became so obsessed with what they’d be able to achieve once they possessed that money. That’s why all of them were so upset when Walter lost it all, but that moment was what made them really notice that had already achieved the American Dream.

Walter realized that he had Ruth and his son Travis which was the main component of his happiness, Mama didn’t need a bigger house she was happy that she had a roof over her head and her children’s, and Beneatha chose Asagai over George. The Youngers achieved their American Dream their love had become stronger for one another and they all chose happiness over money.

If Gatsby and Walter had met they would have probably envied one another because they had what the other did not have. Whether it was the 1920s or the 1950s, if you were white or black, the American Dream never changed. The American Dream was this goal that both Gatsby and Walter had set to achieve, not knowing what it was that they really wanted.  They were living the American Dream that each other wanted not realizing that it’s not about gaining more things whether it being money or love, but about realizing what you already have and appreciating that before moving forward. 

Word count:726

The American Dream Reflection

The approach I took was focusing on the three individuals themselves and their story of fulfilling their American dream. For my father, Salvador, I focused on his aspect as an immigrant because it allowed me to see the struggles that an immigrant has to go through to achieve their dream.  This in turn allowed me to contrast between the American dream for an immigrant and a person who was born here, which was surprisingly similar but their approaches were a little different. Salvador was very focused on getting a job to have money so he wouldn't have to worry about anything, Selena’s dream was to have a home and a nice life for her children, and Cassie’s was to just be happy and proud of what you have done. Between the three of them the American dream was different but they had a common connection, family.

I never expected family to be the center of it, I thought people would have tried to focus more on bettering themselves but that wasn't the case. The whole reason they strove so hard was for the future of their children. That is inspirational; it shows that the people in my neighborhood no matter where they come from rather have to work a lot so their kids won’t have to. These people cannot be called greedy, they started at the bottom and got to the top without complaining about their struggles, they embraced them.

It was hard trying to find the right people and the right stories to tell in order for my project to make a strong point. I wanted strong stories that some people could relate to and understand. The hardest part was figuring out if I could portray Salvador, Selena, and Cassie’s stories in a way that wasn't too emotional but are able to stick out and show that it’s not easy to achieve the American dream, it’s a lifelong process.

Salvador and Selena’s stories made me reconsider what I thought the American dream was. They went through so much in their childhood and have done so much for themselves and their children. I use to think the American dream didn't mean anything because it could never be obtained. But I was wrong, it is obtainable, it’s a matter of if a person is willing to work hard enough for it. 

Community Proposal

My neighborhood is Archer Heights.  It is mainly a Hispanic neighborhood.

For this community project I will be interviewing my mother (Abigail Rodriguez), my neighbor who has lived in the neighborhood for a long time and is one of the few Polish residents still here, and the owner of Chip's corner store because he meets a lot of the people in the neighborhood and might be able to share what their dreams were when they came here.

The parts of the American dream that are present in my neighborhood are : success and opportunity. I hope to find out how my neighborhood was able to reach the position it is in because it is a higher middle class neighborhood, that was native to Polish immigrants.

American Dream

Success of Immigrants’ Children Measured

Second-generation Americans, children of immigrants from the 1960s, are doing better than the foreign born and the general population in one area, education.



Some motifs of the American Dream involve opportunity and success and that is exactly what the second-generation Americans were able to receive and achieve from their parents coming to America.  Immigrants come to America not necessarily for themselves but for their children; they come to find a better life for their children.

Being provided with the opportunity to receive a higher education is one of the main reasons immigrants travel to America.  Their time wasn't wasted at all because “36 percent [of the second generations Americans] have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 29 percent of the foreign born and 31 percent of all adults.” That is a very big deal especially because they have done better than the overall population. With that education they are already in a much better position than most other Americans and are able to have a better paying job than them too.

This second-generation is living proof that even through the struggles as living as children of immigrants, one can still succeed and may even do better than the general population. It’s the struggles that they have to push through that make them want to persevere in order to give their kids a better life than what their parents had given them by migrating to America. The idea of the American Dream is not only for the foreign born or the second-generation it’s for those after them and for those who were already here too.

Word count:242

Scary Movie Review

Dread


Stephen is a film student who is seeking an opportunity to develop an original thesis. He befriends Quaid who proposes they do a “Fear Study,” recording people talking about their greatest fear and how they try to deal with it in their everyday lives. Quaid had seen his parents killed by an ax murderer at the age of 6 and has reoccurring nightmares of the situation; this being his fear.  Stephen’s brother died due to a drunk-driving accident and he wonders if his brother would still be alive if had had driven.  Stephen invites his friend Cheryl to work with them as the editor of the project. Cheryl’s father worked at a meat factory and would come home smelling of meat while molesting her. She can’t stand the smell of meat and will not eat it. Abby, another student and a colleague of Stephen, has a huge birthmark that covers half of her face and body and doesn't want anyone to see it because she’s afraid she’ll be made fun of.

The project was suppose to be different and new since they would be researching how fear can control a person’s life, however Quaid wants to take it to the “next level” and make people face those fears.  Quaid makes Stephen drive the same model car his brother had died in, he traps Cheryl in a room with a piece of meat forcing her to eat it (she finally does after a week when it’s rotten) and releases a video of Abby taking her clothes off resulting in Abby taking a bath in bleach and scrubbing her skin with Brillo pads. In the end Quaid is the only one left “alive” with his insatiable thirst to watch how a person’s fear can make them dread they were born.

This movie scares me since it is very realistic but I continue to repeatedly watch it because most people believe monsters are some sort of creature like vampires or ghosts but in reality it’s us. We as human beings have a lot of power to hurt and kill one another and the director portrays that through Quaid. Throughout the movie you never really know what is going to happen, the music is always eerie, no one is ever calm and when you think you've figured out the ending you are in for a surprise. The movie shows no fear is too small.

Word Count: 400

Classmate I'm thankful for.

The classmate I’m thankful is Carson. She’s not only a classmate to me but she’s also a great friend. In and out of class she knows how to make me laugh. When we are in a group for class we make sure to have fun while we’re doing our work but we know to keep each other in check and do it.

Carson is a really important person in my life, we may have only met last year, when she had her purple hair, but that’s what made me want to be her friend. She wasn’t afraid to be different and she’s very accepting of people. I remember last year when I needed someone Carson was always right there next to me, doing the best she could to fix what wasn’t even her own problem.  She was able to just listen to me and help me realize that I might not be as bad as a person as I thought I was.

She’s an amazing person and one of the best people I’ll ever meet. Carson and I are cross-country sisters and nothing is stronger than that bond we hold.  We’ve been there for one another through our ups and downs.
I’m very thankful for having Carson in my life.

Word count:210

Community Stories

"An Account of Experience with Discrimination"

Sojourner Truth’s idea of “old slaveholding spirit” relates with the idea of a community shaping a person and their beliefs by both being the foundations of molding a person’s character. In her letter she wrote how she was going to ride with her friend Laura S. Haviland but the conductor began to forcefully push her off because of the color of her skin. Then when Mrs.Haviland came to intervene telling him not to push her off his first thought was that Sojourner Truth belonged to Mrs. Haviland. The old thoughts that black people were inferior compared to whites and were only items to possess and/or abuse was ingrained into many generations of whites such as the bus conductor, leading to his attitude towards Truth.

Primary documents such as letters, journals, and diaries differ from a reporter or short story in the perspective that they give on a community because they’re a firsthand account, meaning they are clearer and provide the tone of the time.  A reporter or short stories don’t capture the true feelings behind a community, they try to make it exciting and appealing. For reporters it’s all about selling a story not providing accuracy.
Word Count: 196

Here Is New York


White begins by defining New York by what it isn’t because he wanted to show that New York is its own place; nothing can compare to it.  One thing that contributes to the city’s beauty is the Empire State Building. The contradiction that a traveler sees is that depressed people jump off that very same building that reached the highest point in the sky during the Depression.

Some problems in NYC are its hysteria, sitting in packed subways, crowded streets, and all types of noises like the trains, the cars and parties while they are trying to sleep. They get around these problems by not being claustrophobic, using witty humor during times of stress, and just by becoming use to what New York is.  The city contributes to their getting around by its subways and taxis, along with its many stores, laundry mats, and all other necessities.

White’s idea of the neighborhoods as being cities within the city is pretty accurate to me because he explained how every block/ every other block has its own grocery store, barber shop, laundry mat, newsstand and everything else a person would need to have a decent life in the city.  He also said that moving three blocks is like moving to a whole other city because New York is so crowed and big therefore, the neighborhoods are cities within the city. This is like my own Chicago experiences because the train stations separate the neighborhoods making them seem like mini-cities. Recently I moved from Brighton Park to Archer Heights and things are completely different. I’m still in Chicago but it makes me feel like I moved to another city since Brighton Park is really ghetto and Archer heights is a lot nicer. The two places are so different but yet they’re in the same city.
Word Count: 302