American Dream W2

Life among the boot blacks

            Ragged Dick is a book written at a time where individuals had to struggle for them to survive in America after the war. The author emphasizes the need to practice social responsibility at all times by arguing that it is of no use to make money then spend all of it on meaningless things. Instead, one should put the money back to use in society to help those who are less fortunate. The book by Alger teaches us that in everything that we do we should give it our best. Ragged Dick earned his living through shining boots for the affluent people in society. However, he was wise to save money from the work as well as get opportunities to interact with individuals from the high class who motivate and challenge him to do something better with his life.

            Dick promotes the values of generosity, honesty and integrity in all of his activities. He is against lying and stealing from other people saying it is mean. Besides, he is so generous even with the little money that he gets as he helps many of his friends who are in need. The values that he possesses make Dick a young person of character when compared to his peers. Dick gets his break when he quickly decides to save a child from drowning at the ferry crossing. The panicked father rewards him for his selfless act by giving him an accounting job at his firm which is a success for Dick. Young boys can use the book as a motivation as well as a challenge for them to strive for the best in their lives. Alger’s lesson of social responsibility is still relevant in the current society (Alger, 2014). They are so many people especially the young who are in need of our support because they lack the basic necessities in life. The novel can be used to remind people that they have a social responsibility to play in the society. Similar to Alger, our culture calls for stewardship towards the less fortunate in society. The moral teachings of our culture encourage the act of helping those individuals who are in need of our support.

             The World War II changed everything for the American citizens. They had to struggle to make it in life because of the hardships presented by the aftermath of the war. Many youths went to the streets because they lacked guardians to provide for them as many died during the war. Life was unbearable for many of them as street urchins and they engaged in illegal activities for them to survive. Some of them sold and used drugs, others engaged in crime while some of them stole from the unsuspecting passer-bys. Personal living also changed after the war. Instead of people striving to ensure that they have a comfortable life now and in future, they had to struggle to make ends meet. It was no longer a societal initiative but rather a personal challenge to achieve what was best for them. According to Kamp (2009), the expectations of education were that one could get a good job and a high salary after the completion of the course. Contrary to Dick, he wanted not only to improve himself but also assist those who need his help. His character was so firm and strong and the war did not destroy his dream as a person.

            The American dream advocates for better life of the people in society. Thus, class is an important element of the American dream. Rising from a lower class to a higher class shows that one is getting closer to achieving the American dream. Ragged Dick rises from a class that is hardly recognized to a level where he commands respect in society. Success in life, the level of education and economic status of an individual determines his class in the society. The classes in America are rigid because one cannot belong to the first class without a well paying job, a luxurious house and an expensive car. It is evident in our neighboring communities where the material things individuals own give them the prestige in society.

References

Alger, H. (2014). Ragged Dick: Or, street life in New York with the boot blacks. Penguin.

Kamp, D. (2009). Rethinking the American dream. Vanity Fair, 584, 118-180.

Student 2: Leonard Posa

I really enjoyed reading this book. It m made me realize how life was hard in those days. By looking at the pictures that our professor provided us, I felt shocked and I felt really sorry for the people on those pictures. They made me realize how good my life actually is.   There are a few lessons that this book teaches us and Ragged Dick. One of them is that we need to make our own luck , which Ragged Dick learns after saving that child from drowning. He saves the child, and as the result of his own selflessness, the father of the child offered him a new job. This teaches us to always be ready to help others, be kind to one another, because it will always pay off. Another thing I think this book teaches us is that whatever we do in our life, no matter how hard it is, we need to give it our 100%, so we can move on to something else. The same way that Ragged Dick does his job, which he clearly doesn't like.  I can say that the villains of this book are the rich boys, who don’t need to make any effort to get something in their lives and to improve themselves. This leads to what I think is the biggest lesson that Alger wants to teach us. We don’t to succeed only for the money, because there are things money can’t buy, like happiness, optimism , friendship, love and discipline.  I really liked Ragged Dick as a character. He is a very good person, even though he is living a hard, poor life. Which actually surprised me, because in lots of cases, people who live hard lives are often really rude, mean and hate everyone and everything around them. Ragged Dick is really generous, even though he is poor. We can see this in the part where Fosdick, the boy he shares his room with, wants to get a new, office job. Ragged Dick buys him new clothes, even though he is poor he helps his friend in need. Dick also has his personal code "stealin' is mean", which also shows off what kind of person he is. He values honor, fair play and he believes in doing things the right way . Comparing David Kamp’s view of the American Dream in his essay, and this post-World War II American Dream we get two completely opposite things. In David Kamp’s essay, life is so much easier for everyone, everyone is kind of equal and same. It’s easier to succeed and get a job, be happy and free. But in Ragged Dicks world, where anyone barely makes money and where everyone is “healing” from the World War II, it’s so much harder to achieve something and to be happy, but people still believe that they can succeed and do something with their life, and that’s how they move forward.  Also, I think that class and rising in class is very important in the American Dream. I would say that rise of class means rise of happiness and good in our lives. But, we do need to work hard to rise in class. What determines class in America is mostly money. I would say there are three classes in America: The Poor, The “medium” , and The Rich. By my view most of the people are in the medium, middle class, where I think they are happy and living a pretty good life. I would say that that is the most preferred class for me. Ragged Dick did get a rise in class when he got a new job after he saved the child’s life.  What do you guys think about class and rise of class in America? What do you think is the most important lesson we learn in this reading? I am looking forward to hearing your opinions!