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Gladys Carbajal Aguilar

English 1T

Susie Huerta

12 February 2018

Don't let it die ( Completely )

The American Dream has been misrepresented for generations after generations ever

since the United States got established -- since 1776. For ages anyone who has wanted to step

foot or has ever stepped foot in United States soil since those beginnings, promises were made,

false realities were sold -- all for the cause of what ? Many have been subjected to societal

means by conforming to what the generic definition of what this dream is. For years many have

idolized a concept that has done nothing but oppressed the minds of colored people. A concept in

which many think it is attainable by working hard, getting a higher education, and not

questioning the system. Immigrants have come to this country either by force or because they

were sold something false and have come with such high hopes in making this dream as

attainable as possible. This book attracted the attention of many critics, and opened the eyes of

many. In “​Between the World and Me”, ​ African American Journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates explains

to his son how he has came to view the famous concept of the American Dream. He states that

people need to wake up because the dream is something not everyone can attain in the United

States. In reality he is trying to say we should forget completely about this concept because all is

dead. To an extent I agree with Coates, however Coates is in a way trying to kill the full concept

of the American Dream by trying to persuade people into forgetting about it. ​Although I agree

with him to an extent, I think we should still grasp onto the concept of this dream because
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without it we probably wouldn't be able to makeup our own. ​People need to acknowledge the

history behind how this concept came to be or else it will lead into creating a false reality of

your own dream. When acknowledging the history behind the concept of the American Dream

we will be able to create our own perspectives and create a true reality of how the dream can be

attainable by all.

As Americans we have the choice whether we want to acknowledge the history behind

how the United States built what is known as an empire of a country. Americans have to wake up

from the dream because the sooner we do the faster we stop from using that drive for the false

reasons -- a false dream. When choosing to wake up we are creating our own choices, many of us

have been drugged with this stigma of blaming society and those around us for the mistakes we

make while trying to attain our own dream. Most of the time though we have the choice of

whether we abide by those norms, rules, exectura or we choose to create our own based on

previous events. It's like agreeing with Coates’ idea that we are just getting drugged with this

false reality that the dream is attainable simply because others have almost accomplished it.

When Coates inclusively says, Fail in the schools and you would be suspended and sent back to

those same streets, where they would take your body. And I began to see these two arms in

relation-- those who failed in the schools justified their destruction in the streets ( 33). When

referring to the failure in schools and the streets being alike, Coates is inferring that although

many have the choice of acknowledging the history being taught, many take the route easiest for

them because of the limit in choices given to many. In a way the government gives you the tools

to destroy yourself. It gets to a point where many students’ choices are so limited that the only

way to justify their destructions is by blaming the schools who “should've” been protecting them.
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Many people of color have seen the public education system as irrelevant and see no difference

between the streets and the schools. But it all ties down to the choices presented to us and how

well we are able to make an adequate choice. At the end of the day the choices of continuing to

learn more about the history of this country and ​acknowledging it has, and always will be up to

the person.

Like Coates mentions in his book, growing up he was subjected to many oppressive

events during his time in the public school system. It has been set up so ​ that the minds of people

of color stay chained to a system that constantly oppresses them leading many to not question the

concept of what the “dream” is all about. For years all our education system has done is created

robots -- molded the minds of many, and taught them to never question the system they were in

because this system was always right. By one of the biggest branches that makes up our

government controlling the way many are getting taught, they have control of how to shape the

perspectives of many of these children. Many people get their perspectives shaped, at such an

early age it has led many to adapt or create a dream or illusion in which they say the dream is

attainable because they have been taught not to question anything that gets taught to them.

Creating generations of ignorance because many are taught the things that are only beneficial to

a system that empowers White Americans. Coates’ believed this system did nothing but oppress

his creativity, and curiosity towards learning. He ​specifically mentions a time when he was in

school where they would view films about the civil rights movements and he mentions that his

teachers urged him toward the examples of freedom marchers, Freedom riders, Freedom

summers… “ the month could not pass without a series of films dedicated to the glories of being

beaten on camera ” (32). By the education system showing these videos to kids at a young age
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they are showing the oppression people of color went through, and most likely are still going

through, but in a more discrete way. Teaching them it's ok to not fight back, and to simply stay

quiet. The systems have managed to show all these oppressive events people of color went

through in order to teach many that if their ancestors didn't put up a fight then maybe they

shouldn't either.

The way our systems have been set up is so that those of lower socioeconomic status

have a low opportunity of learning in depth the darkness of these systems. ​The constant

conditioning that society has proposed in order for those of color not to question it, and drugging

them with this false reality that if they work hard, don't question, and always pay attention they

will most likely be able to obtain what it is they are working for. However many haven't been

told that this is an unfair system governed by the color of your skin.​ Many don't get the

opportunity to expand their thinking because our system wants to keep them trapped in a bubble.

Coates specifically states this when he says, Never forget that we were enslaved in this country

longer than we have been free. Never forget that for 250 years black people were born into

chains -- whole generations followed by whole generations who knew nothing but chains (70).

By creating this system of chains not just black people became enslaved, anyone and everyone

who wasn't white did. We have all been enslaved to the point where opportunities to those of

color have always been limited. We have accommodated to a system that continues to step on us.

In a way it's like a spell that can't be broken, or no matter how many times the spell gets broken

we always fall into a new one. Repetition after repetition, history repeats and will keep repeating

itself as long as we let it. Even though there were “many” who fought for the freedom and

liberation of those enslaved, many were fooled and were made believe that they have been freed,
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but instead many have become enslaved to the brand of a different chain. Chains of what you

wear, down to chains of what you eat.

Your overall perspective of history, current events and anything in your surroundings will

always determine how attainable your dream is. They will affect the way you might perceive

yourself in attaining your dream, because it will make you think.​ Think about those surrounding

you, think about yourself, or it may create an empathy feeling towards others or it may cause you

to be selfish. ​ ​Although there are many factors that contribute, being able to see things in

different perspective will help you create a dream that is more realistic than the falsies many

Americans tend to create.​ “ The entire narrative of this country argues against the truth of who

you are ” (Coates 99). This leads me into explaining that this country will try to mold people that

will be beneficial for their chain of systems. Society will make you question who you are as a

person and what it is that you value more. However at the end of the day it all comes down to

how your generations have perceived the concept of this dream, and if, from the beginning they

started to idolize the concept of working hard, and getting a higher education as the basis to what

you need in order to make your dream attainable, they started instructing you wrong. Those are

just some of the factors that lead you into making your own dream attainable. ​If you don't create

your own perspective, but most importantly understand the perspectives of others and how they

“made”their own dream attainable, you must likely won't be able to create a clear picture of your

own dream, and will be a robot to society taking a sleeping pill for generations after generations.

Passing it down onto yours.

In order to make the dream attainable one must not be ignorant towards the past, and

learn how they can create their own dream without falling into the generics and mentality of
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saying that the dream is attainable if you just work hard. People can still use the concept of the

american dream as a path into creating their own, but along the way should modify it in order to

makes one realistic.

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Works Cited

Coates , Ta-Nehisi. ​Between the World and Me​. Spiegel & Grau , 2015.