American Dream

Does the American Dream really resemble its definition?
The American dream is defined as a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward socialmobility achieved through hard work. At first glance the American Dream does resemble its definition with its democratic tone and opportunist attitude. But is the American Dream really what it promisesto be or just the foolish hope the desperate harbor?
According to the American Dream, people have hopes of equal opportunity and promise of a better life but in many cases the American Dream fails todeliver. Racism was supposed to have died long ago; however, studies observe staggering differences between white and black people. Only 75 percent of blacks have received post-high school education,compared to 85 percent of whites. Not surprisingly, blacks on average also make less money than whites.
Social Class is a powerful force in American life and has come to play a greater role overthe decades, which strongly contradicts one of facets the American Dream is based on: upward social mobility. A parallel series in The Wall Street Journal found that as the gap between rich and poor haswidened in America, the odds that a child will climb from poverty to wealth, or fall from wealth to the middle class, have remained stuck, leaving Americans no more likely to rise or fall from theirparents' economic class than they were 35 years ago.
Immigrants who come to the U.S., escaping from poverty and violence are drastically brought to reality when they face what the American Dream isabout. Kondohoma, 48, came to the United States about two years ago, along with his wife and four children. They left behind them a life in war-ravaged Congo, where about 5 million people have beenkilled and hundreds of thousands have been forced to become refugees and displaced people during more than 16 years of war. Upon arriving at America he faced many obstacles. Primarily his grasp on the...