Robert Walker

Sue Briggs
English 1010
11/6/2016

The Design of the Dream

Why is the American Dream dead or alive? The dream is an ideal not
something that is guaranteed, it is something you choose to follow and
achieve. Our forefathers lived the dream of rags to riches and now we live
the simpler dream of a place to call home for some for others that special
someone to love. The dream is not dead because it cant be killed we live it
every day we rise from bed and say what am I going to do today. How can a
dream like that be dead? For our ancestors, the dream was much harder to
achieve, so they had it rough but look at Vanderbilt a man who created an
empire from one train. Benjamin Franklin who saw a country born and found
electricity. Martin Luther King Jr. who decided he had enough of his people
being thrown to the curb just because of their skin. We all live the dream
differently and thus that is why Im appalled to hear anyone mutter the
words the American Dream is dead. For many of us we wish for a life of
happiness that is what the dream is for to secure our happiness. We still have
the big thinkers in our time the ones who want to go from poverty to the life
of plenty. After reading this could you say the dream is dead at all?

Androka Jr, Frank. Its a Wonderful Life. www.mypmp.net. PMP staff.

December 2008, 14 Nov. 2016
Summary: Frank H. Andorka Jr.s article on the life of Sid Shah talks about
how Mr. Shah is living proof that the dream continues to live on. The first
thing you would notice about Shah per Andorka is Shah contains within his
compact body the ability to welcome you into his inner circle the first time he
meets you and keep you there as long as your relationship lasts. (pp. 2).
Shah born into a poor family in a working-class area of Pakistan didnt enjoy
the thought of school at all Shah would rather do what he wanted when he
wanted. Shah and his family moved to Sukkur where Shahs father almost
gave up on Shahs education He put my two brothers in school, but told me
that he would secure me a place as a dishwasher assistant at his friends
restaurant. That scared the heck out of me. (pp. 2-3). Shah went on to join
the Arab Pest control business in Indianapolis where he worked as a
controller till he decided to go off on his own. In 1987, the owner of Arab in
Indianapolis decided to retire and offered to sell the business to Shahs old
friend Duane Edwards. (pp. 5). Edwards decided to partner up with Shah to
buy the business because he didnt have enough money in the first place.
Rhetorical Analysis: Andorka did a great job showing where Shah came
from and how he slowly but surely made it up in the world. By Showing us
Shahs education standards when he was little we understand what Shah was
like as a youngster Shah even tells us He could easily have fallen into a
vicious life of crime one of his former companions is currently in prison in
Pakistan for murder (pp. 2). It shows us the humble beginnings Shah came
from and the hard work he chose to do For 11-years, he rose at 5 am to do
homework worked at his job from 8 am-6 pm and attended college in the
evenings. (pp. 3). Shah also recalls the mentoring he received by Gary
Bennet and Bobby Corrigan which caught Shah up to speed. Shah vividly
recalls sitting in his garage with Corrigan learning pest management at the
feet of one of the industrys master educators. (pp. 3). Andorka showed us
exactly what kind of person Shah is and how the American Dream lived
through him.
Assessment: Shahs life has showed me the truth about how the dream can
be accomplished. Through hard work connections and a little bit of luck his
dream became a reality. Still our own dreams are unique and shouldnt be
something that another can copy thats what makes the American Dream
real, and Shah proved that his dream was his own Shah did after all didnt
take school seriously till his 12th year of age. Shah was a very lucky man he
could be taught by Bobby Corrigan and Gary Bennet, both of who are known
legends in the world of pest control. What I still dont understand though is
how people still think that the dream is dead, could something that is as

clear as day in this article truly be dead or is it the people who tried to reach
the dream but couldnt make it because they didnt have all the right gear so
they gave up.

King, Brandon. Is the American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold. New York:
W. W. Norton & Company, 2011. Print
Summary: Brandon King uses the sources of up to 12 different people to
show us that the only way that we can bring the dream back to life is through
saving more and enacting policies that sustain economic growth are what
will keep the American Dream alive (pg. 616). King talks in his article about
how even though 72% of the Americans still trusted the belief of starting
poor then working hard to become rich. This was the original American
Dream where one could come from cloth to riches but slowly over time our
dream has turned into a more modest one that includes security over
material riches. King uses the work of Robert Reich and Paul Krugman who
are both economists, both these men think that much of the wealth is being
put back into the hands of the wealthy minority. In other words, the lions
share isnt being given to the people who need it the most but the ones who
already have everything they could want, and are already living the dream.
James Truslow Adams another one of Kings sources coined the term
American Dream, Adams wrote is that dream of a land in which life should
be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each
according to ability (pg. 610).
Rhetorical Analysis: King didnt just use one or two sources in his article
but strived and used 12 others to push his point across the line that
everyone refuses to look past. Yes, the ideals of the dream are still alive but
in this day and age can it be realized? King used the phrase Living the
American Dream meant going from dirt poor to filthy rich and becoming
more then you could have imagined. (pg. 611). In several other pieces, Ive
studied they say the same thing that the dream is something that we strive
towards and its an ideal that improves us. King still does show his concerns
with the dream being out of the reach of the middle and lower class citizens.
One of the Kings sentences We may have genuine inequality issues and a
sizable divide between the rich and poor, (pg. 213). The gap is huge but in
my honest opinion its not because of the economy its more on the lines that
the poor spend and spend on things that they dont need, putting them in
debt this doesnt include the amount people alone spend on drugs. We cant
blame the rich unless we can for sure say that out predicament is out of our
control.
Assessment: This article has opened my mind to somethings to think about,
like whether Im striving towards the dream. Still though I believe this article
blames too much on the economy and not the individual choices of others,
yes some companies cut back labor because of the minimum wage law. But

is it truly their fault for taking actions to save the company and jobs of
others. King said providing money to businesses may encourage them to
hire more people, thereby increasing job opportunities (pg. 613). This could
in fact work making it so there are more job opportunities, it is still up to the
worker to take that opportunity and use it. For example, where I live the
theater nearby is always understaffed either because a worker was fired for
reasons, or they quit because they dont like the pay. I believe unless you are
in a job that you can receive a blank check or make your own hours you
wont be happy either way.

Scholastic Inc. Is The American Dream Still Alive.. Scholastic 14 Nov.

2016 (pp. 2-4).
Summary: In Scholastic Inc. article Is the American Dream Still Alive? It talks
about how the dream is scaring the youth of today because to them it seems
like it disappearing from view. Hector Cruz one of the people interviewed
talks about how his father nearly died four times on his way to the United
States just to create a better life for his children. Hector is scared though that
the dream for him might be slowly disappearing because of the recession he
is seeing the bleak job market. Hector says When he has time to think
between his exams, basketball games, and a demanding girlfriend, he
often finds himself worrying about his future. (pp. 3). Recession or not
people still believe in the dream because its not something that can be
stomped out by a declining job market, the dream is in the mind and hearts
of the Americans that want to make something of themselves. The youths of
today Many fantasize about megabucks sometimes we fight at lunch
joking. but with a spark of seriousness- about who will make more money
(pp. 4).
Rhetorical Analysis: Scholastic did a great job showing both sides of the
American Dream argument and how it affects the youths of today, we are
shown the trials Hectors father had to go through to make it to the U.S,
When he finally arrived in Los Angeles, he was held at gunpoint by one of
the men who had guided him from Mexico. (pp. 2). Hectors father decided
to risk his life to make his dream a reality to give his children a better life,
Hector wants that same dream for his children. This article takes in to
account what separates us from the rest of the world Social status was
passed through the generations as a blessing or curse; (pp. 3), it goes on to
say that in Europe someone born to a pauper would most likely live in rags
while a bankers son would take the life of comfort. Easy money the darkness
of the dream the person who wants the easy way out money has always
been a part of the American dream and to those who want to make it easily
the dream will fail but some might ask Who wouldnt want easy money?
(pp. 4) that type of thinking is what gets the dreamers separated from the
makers because only the hard working can make their dreams a reality.
Assessment: Scholastic did a great job of showing how dangerous it is for
immigrants to cross the border into America to live the dream but to end up
being held at gunpoint for all the money you have. For people like Hector
Cruz who doesnt have strong ties in the United States might be worried
about his future because all he can see is a bleak market. But people still
argue about whether the dream is dead or not, on one side people say
because the economy and market dont promote an American Dream. While
other see the market as nothing more than a bunch of words because they

still believe the dream can be achieved. What I dont understand is that how
a dream can be affected by a market and economy after all a dream is just a
dream. Personally, Ive always wondered if the dream could still be achieved
that was always the scary thought for me, I can see now that the dream is
different from what I thought it was.

Tobak, Steve. The American Dream Is Alive and Well.

www.foxbuisness.com. Fox Staff. 22 Aug. 2016. 14 Nov. 2016
Summary: Steve Tobak talks about how the U.S population is divided into 2
groups the ones who have been sold the belief and those who believe. If
you Google Is the American dream dead? you get upwards of 26 million
results (pp. 1). The dream to the half that have lost hope was supposed to
be a promise a guarantee of sorts, the dream isnt just something you can
collect with hard work its an ideal to strive towards. James Truslow Adams
the writer of the 1931 novel The Epic of America is used to explain how we
got off track and started to think that the simple ideal was in fact a promise.
Tobak states it is, in reality, a function of ability and achievement. Its also
determined by other factors Adams failed to mention, most notably
upbringing, luck and our own personal choices. (pp. 2). Adams did coin the
phrase American Dream but that doesnt mean that he completely spelled it
out for us to see.
Rhetorical Analysis: I believe Tobak did a magnificent job explaining why
the people of today think the American Dream is dead, in his own words
Theyve been sold a bill of goods in terms of the meaning of the phrase and
their belief in its attainability, or lack thereof. (pp. 2). He used actual points
such as the google reference to give us a clear view of how many people
dont think the dream can still live. Adams did do his best in his own way to
explain how to get the dream, he said It is not a dream of motor cars and
high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each
woman shall be able to attain to the stature of which they are innately
capable (pp. 2). Tobak then goes on to explain that the non-believers think
they think it must be a hoax and therefore unattainable. (pp. 3). He even
attacks with the information that privilege isnt everything, its in fact has
nothing to do with it.
Assessment: Tobaks article has answered the one question I had that the
others couldnt, why do people believe that the dream is dead? Simply put
its because that Half the population has been sold a bill of goods, that the
aspirational dream is supposed to be a guaranteed result. (pp. 3). When in a
reality it is just an ideal that we look towards, its like a child waiting to open

their presents on Christmas day and the excitement alone is going to kill
them. Tobak says if being born into privilege were everything there would
be no Apple, Starbucks, Walmart, Verizon, Oracle, WhatsApp or countless
other great companies, all of which were built by entrepreneurs and
executives who grew up with nothing but adversity (pp. 3). When Adams
wrote his book he wanted to inform others of the great opportunity in the
United States, not to give them the state of mind hey you move here and
you are promised a life of riches. When he said American dream, he did
not mean American promise. And therein lies the rub. (pp. 3). The
American dream is alive for all of us to join in on with hard work and a little
bit of luck.