American Dream W5
Running head: THE AMERICAN DREAM 1
THE AMERICAN DREAM 2
I have read your paper and I have commented and made changes in content and in grammar on the first page+ so you can see what I would do with this text.
I would be sure to connect the notion of being satisfied with less to Alexandria or I would omit the paragraph about women. It doesn't fit if you don't explain and connect it. If you are going to mention black women, then you have to add in examples, like Richard's mother, or you can omit it.
You cannot refer to segregation as slavery, as segregation was a system to keep blacks oppressed that was developed after slavery was outlawed ( in 1865). It evolved after the Civil War to keep whites in power as much as possible in the conquered south.
I do not agree that Richard would have been happy with a modest material life. What Richard wanted was respect as a writer. That is a different thing, is it not? He wanted to live in a society that was color blind, where a man was respected for his talent and character, despite his skin color. In his time and place in history, it was probably close to impossible to get such acclaim and also be accepted without racial prejudice, though there were several black writers of the time who were widely read by both blacks and whites.
In the novel Black Boy(underline or italics for book titles) it is very evident that Wright’s family is not able to make ends meet in the world since the racism and segregation acts as a limiting factor in the post-Civil War south. The Whites were of the opinion that African American men were only (fit) befitted to be slaves (.) and thus the idea of abolishing the Jim Crow Laws (were established after slavery was outlawed, in a preposterous attempt to keep control over freedmen). and the institution of slavery at large was preposterous. It is thus difficult for Richard Wright (and his family )to make ends meet in the world due to the aforementioned segregation system; this is because African Americans i.e. his parents cannot land well-paying jobs (nor can they attain a decent) that can cover an education (Wright, 1998). In addition to that, Richard cannot be cultured and make his dream to become a respected writer as much as his parents or he would want because school is largely dominated by white teachers and pupils who never paid attention to blacks. [There were NO white students in Richard’s black only schools. That is what segregation is about]. To them African Americans were sort of (considered) miscreants and whenever whites could (,) they would ‘stand in the way of success’ so as to stop Blacks from achieving in life.
In the same way Black Boy (Richard Wright) found it difficult to achieve his dreams because of several constraints, Alexandra is (was) not respected just because she is (was) a woman. Back then, the institution of slavery (post slavery restrictions against blacks) could very well be juxtaposed to womanhood because being black and being a woman hindered people from doing certain things; relating with certain people; and realizing certain opportunities. As such, being a black woman was very much of a challenge socially (and economically?).
[What is the transition between this idea of prejudice holding a person back and these modern articles? You need a sentence here that links your next topic to your last.] Looking at the articles by Marianne Cooper and Lauren Sandler [note the text titles and put the article titles in quotes], we get the notion that our dreams may in some instances be unattainable. This is because since the advent of the ideology of the American dream, the country has slowly but surely raised the bar and expectations for themselves. In other words while an American 70 years ago would be very much satisfied with an average car (a Toyota sedan perhaps), an ordinary family, and a white picket fence house; today Americans want to drive sports cars and high end SUVs, marry a girl who is nothing short of a model, and get the highly priced mansion at some corner in suburbia.
The question is who does get to have it all, really? Lauren Sandler will affirm to us that even if an individual gets married well, lands the job they desire want, and is blessed with two kids, the outcome may be really unsatisfactory. Richard Wright would be appalled with this truth today and would perceiver the current generation as overly ambitious and hard to please. The reason why Richard Wright would be very much surprised with current normative social constructs with respect to the American dream is because he would personally have been very satisfied if he had a car, family, and a decent house to secure a living. As far as the Book Black boy is concerned all that Richard Wright ever wanted was to never feel hungry or never be in a situation where the chicken allotted for dinner was not enough (Wright, 1998).
If I were to make a comparison between Richard Wright’s childhoods with that of the orphaned Ragged Dick, then I would say that Dick (being white) was better placed to succeed in a society where the White race was dominant (Alger, 1985). While school was more welcoming to Ragged Dick, Richard Wright was entangled with so much drama (mainly from his dysfunctional Black family) that he could never concentrate. Simply put, Richard Wright and his family were so much frustrated by the institution of slavery and the White Yoke that was upon them; this made them to place survival above anything else. Race promotes Ragged Dick to secure his future while at the same time stands in the way of Richard Wright’s future.
Overall, there are many sides to the American dream. While the Americans of today (both White Americans and African Americans) have too much of an expectation from life, those of old such as Ragged Dick and Richard Wright would be very content with a house, a car, a family, and the assurance of a square meal each and every day. It is high time that Americans become appreciative of what they have and count their blessings. It is only then that the American dream will be able to take shape and become more meaningful. If there is no downsizing of the American dream then the future will only spell misery for the average Joe and Jane in America.
References
Alger, H. (1985). Ragged Dick; And, Struggling Upward. Penguin.
Wright, R. (1998). Black Boy (American Hunger): A Record of Childhood and Youth. 1945. New York: HarperPerennial, 651.