The Model Minority Myth and the American Dream - Research Paper Example

The model minority myth and the American Dream America has become vulnerable and its citizens are losing hope in its quest for a better tomorrow due to political ambitions that afflicts the country’s ability to execute its development goals. One of the topics elaborating on America’s failure to live its dream is poverty. This argumentative essay will base its reasons on America’s status in relation to Alexei Sherman’s novel that tells about the life of a Native Indian boy. Briefly, the novel describes life of a teenage boy born in an extremely poverty-stricken family. He, Arnold, has physical challenges that make other kids at school call him names such as retard, the globe and others. Relating these challenges to the American Dream it is true to say that Americans will never realize their dream. United States has a national ethos whereby freedom is the main component of opportunity that leads to success as well as prosperity. According to the American Dream, life is richer, fuller, and better for all people. Everyone has an opportunity with regard to ability or achievements. In this case, life status is regardless of birthplace or social circumstances of any American person. The American declaration of Independence also proclaims that all men are equal. With relation to Alexei’s novel, America will never realize its dream because of things like poverty that demeans what can lead to realizing its dream (Palecek 45). Americans face perturbing challenges that end up rendering their dream a myth because of the huge gap between the wealthy and poor. As described in the novel, many reserved families in America are languishing in immense poverty. They cannot afford to cover for minute medical expenses. This is evident in that, Arnold’s father had to kill his adopted dog after suffering form intensive heat exhaustion and could not cater for his medication due to poverty. America cannot realize its dream due to the fact that, if its founding fathers failed to match up to the expectations of the national ethos it is impossible for America to achieve its goals regarding its dream. As elaborated in the novel, great success based on dreams does not just pop up from nowhere. Foundation acts as a stepping-stone for the other generations within the same line of family. Lands and businesses that exist within families run and develop down the stream through experimental learning. According to Alexei’s description of Arnold’s family, it is clear that they are poor and for them to change that they not only need to work hard, but also a miracle. It is astonishing about USA persons they fail to comprehend that family is the founding stone of a nation and it is the protector of vagaries and fate. These two ideas intersect in the manner that, both their founding fathers did not establish a strong foundation suitable for sustainability and growth of that family hence attaining success is beyond their reach. According to the novel, the parents of Arnold were not free since they were alcoholics. Besides that, his sister was a hermit and due to the Arnold’s family affliction and loss of morality, they continued to languish in extreme poverty. His father was abusive and used to beat Arnold leaving him with bruises. Just as Arnold went through many tribulations, Americans are also facing the same situation as they are having a huge debt record and the level of unemployment is alarming. (Katz & Lang 146)Activities revolving around America are acting as an obstacle towards a stable environment suitable for planning on American goals and objectives. Therefore, realizing the American Dream is far from becoming the central pillar of the American story since it is falling apart. As the novel depicts, Arnold’s father did not support him fully in terms of getting education. He sends him to a rez school within his Spokane Indian Reservation despite his health status. May be he did not see his son with the ability to study and change their living situation. The same case is applying to the Americans today. Most of them do not think realizing the American dream is something within their reach. This is because of lack of hope. They believe freedom is not that far from extinction as it is only a few generations away. Since American flag bearers of the American dream did not pass freedom via bloodstream to the current generation, the few remaining must fight for it and hand it over to the current generation and sought them to do the same. However, if this does not happen with immediate effect the probability of Americans telling their grandchildren how America was once is high. In the context of the novel, hope is the tool that keeps readers hooked. The twist of events and progression of ideas engage readers more. Even if Arnold ends up making it in life it is not possible for Americans as this is just a story therefore it is a fiction. According to analysts who base their argument on facts, realizing the American Dream requires more than hope. I second them by putting across that, the level of unemployment is agonizing, the middle class people are diminishing, and many Americans are living below the poverty line (Leon 99). The market is flooding with more graduates from universities and colleges seeking employment and as result adding to the number of jobless within the US. It is clear that Americans are never realizing their dream of financial sustainability. We can describe Arnold’s parents as personal failures. This is because of the system they followed that did not lead them to success. Americans claim to practice a system of democracy while in public but deep down they are fighting to shape their destiny or are fighting for themselves. Realizing The American Dream requires all USA citizens to be achievers not just a number of individuals. Personal vendettas are what run the United States of America where politicians and their likes strive to gain as much as they can without the best interests of the American Dream philosophies at heart. This creates system failure with many shortcomings that will continue keeping the Americans poor thus failing to achieve their American Dream of personal satisfaction. Due to economic difference in America, it is not possible for them to realize the American Dream. According to economic analysts, the structural flaw of the American is astonishing due to its outcome. Years ago, the rate of economic growth in America was terrible. Nevertheless, as time went by, it grew vastly and today it is more than twice as large as it was close to thirty years ago. In spite of this growth, the median wage is not budging (Rodgers 17). Most of the economic growth gains go straight to the richest citizens of America making their total income soar to greater heights. This has been the case with the lower and middle class citizens. Due to political interference, the US economy is suffering from a serious economic system that funnel money to just a few at the expense of the other American citizens. As a result, it is broadly clear that America dream of realizing economic sustainability is unrecognizable. Alexei describes Spokane Indian Reservation with diversity of status ranging from education to wealth. According to Alexei, not all who live within that reservation are equal and every one undergoes different tribulations. This culture is keeping Americans away from their dream. The American Dream proclaims that all men are equal and have opportunities that depend on everyone’s ability. However, the American system of democracy widens the gap between reaching financial sustainability and financial security. Economists stress that the problem of the Americans is that they are striving to create more wealth that goes to a few citizens not knowing that the big issue is not more wealth but a fundamental system of distributing wealth equally to all citizens (Dhanam 19). Without equal distribution of wealth that would in turn bring financial security to all American citizens, Americans should kiss goodbye their aspirations of attaining the great America Dream of having a financially secure country. America’s grip for their dream is slipping away further each day because of living in theory as they have lost their thinking route. Times are changing and the days when people used to figure and work towards a great future are fading. Furthermore, American’s signs of poverty are growing and becoming larger than what Americans expected. Surprisingly, it is only forty-seven percent of those working have full-time employment. Additionally, the U.S economy is not creating more jobs any more. As a matter of course, the past decade witnessed the smallest number of jobs created since the World War II. This retarded growth of the employment sector is worsening and diminishing the American Dream realization due to effects associated with the current state of poverty. Citizens of America are far from realizing The America Dream due to the reason that, most of them are missing the point or the meaning of the dream itself. According to the patriarchs, the American Dream meant liberty, freedom, and sustainability with regard to happiness and democracy (Schnell 7). Most Americans today portray the American Dream as having materialistic gains such as building a huge house or driving a luxurious car. It is correct to say that the American Dream is unrecognizable. Indeed, how will the current generation strive to recognize the real American Dream if they do not know what it truly entails about. Lastly, it is true that Americans have potential but unfortunately, they do not use it for their greater good. As a result, their political leaders manipulate them. American citizens have a high tendency of believing in what they see and hear on television. This is because; most of them have not yet learnt to think for themselves. Therefore, it becomes easier for politicians to use Americans’ weaknesses to their political advantage. It becomes uneasy task when dealing with matters regarding the country’s objectives and personal vendettas. Thus, attaining a common goal in relation to recognizing The America’s Dream is not possible. Work Cited Dhanam, Krish. The American Dream: From an Indian Heart. Houston:Strategic Book Publishing, 2008. Print. Katz, Bruce & Lang, Robert. Redefining urban and suburban America: evidence from Census 2000. Wahington:Brookings Institution Press, 2006. Print. Leon, Harmon. The American Dream: Walking in the Shoes of Carnies, Arms Dealers, Immigrant Dreamers, Pot Farmers, and Christian Believers. Louisville:Nation Books, 2008. Print. Palecek, Mike. The American Dream. Florida:CWG PRESS, 2007. Print. Rodgers, Harrell. American poverty in a new era of reform. New York:M.E. Sharpe, 2006. Print. Schnell, Hildegard. The American Dream. Munich:GRIN Verlag, 2010. Print. Read More