Real Stories of East L.A - My Ride, My Revolution - Essay Example

Most of the poor people in L.A dream to be rich one day, but there are a lot of factors that prevent them from attaining their dreams, for example, these people are forced to look for money rather than study, they would exclaim that reading is a waste of time, but most of the parents especially mothers try to develop a reading culture in their children, but due to the abject poverty they face, they usually drop out of school to help their families, but this usually turns out to be another barrier to self improvement, In this short story, the main character called Cruz is from a small neighborhood in Boyle Heights, a poor neighborhood filled with small cottages that face each other onto a dry courtyard (Rodriguez).

Cruz manages to get a job driving a limo, and encounters a lot of experiences with different people of the city. Dreaming big, he does not go for mediocre jobs like cleaning windows, digging trenches or sitting in an office piled up with papers and files. Neighborhoods usually influence the character of an individual, but Cruz through his mother’s inspiration has become a revolutionist he dreams big and also likes reading a lot, being different in the community is an important aspect of trying to reach your goals, since peers may make you do something that will put one in danger and deter someone from reaching their dreams.

(Rodriguez) Once a person does something great or brings something of value into the community, people start viewing him differently, they respect him, the person becomes a local hero, for example Cruz becomes special in the neighborhood since he brings the limo home, he gets respect from just being a Limo driver, therefore it is proper to say that this community value things that represent the rich people. A person’s fortune may change in a split second, being an object of richness, the limo is admired by many people, and Cruz becomes engulfed into this air of popularity such that he allows someone else to drive the beast without a second thought.

Wrong choices usually have consequences and in a split second the vehicle crashes into a condo, this costs him a lot, he loses his job and goes back to playing the guitar, this marks the end of the respect and popularity in the neighborhood, meaning these people only value the material things they wish to have. Cruz is hopeful that there will be another light at the end of the tunnel and continues to dream big (Rodriguez). In conclusion, many people who bother with the matter at all would admit that most of the poor people work hard to achieve their dreams, while others just try to make ends meet and live another day, now it is clear that one’s actions will determine their future, majority of the poor people in this neighborhood are Mexicans (Williams), people of the same race usually like living together to maintain the social connection their ancestors had, the author covers the daily happenings in the community of L.

A in a well-versed form, bringing out a number of themes that enhance the story, this story is also educative and inspirational, allowing readers to reflect about their lives and be cautious in what they do so as not to destroy their dreams.