http://www.jhunewsletter.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=3ac66193-a48e-49fc-b8fd-281f25361092
2. In 200-300 words, discuss what your opinion is. Make sure you cite the reading from the above link and at least two other sources we have read this year. Be sure to consider whether or not you fully agree with the author. Some questions to consider (these are not the only questions):
- Even though our poor are not as impoverished as other countries, does it mean the American Dream is still thriving?
- Is the American Dream available to everyone?
- Do you agree with the author of the above opinion article? Disagree? Agree with reservations? Disagree with reservations?
- What solutions do you propose?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what they say in the narrative, that America is not an impoverished or oppressed society. I believe that Americans has depended too much on America being the land of opportunity and chances, and a place to make your dreams come true. Because America is known to be a place in which your free to become what you want and land that has so much chance, Americans depend or expect luxury to be automatic when in all reality these are things you must work hard for. Because they don’t have that high definition television they want or cant eat their favorite meal every day they believe that they are in a bad situation when it is only what they interpret in their own mind to be a bad situation. In my opinion and in fact the American dream is still very much alive. The American dream is getting that career that you always wanted as a child. It is to reach that goal that nobody told you could reach. It is to live your life how you wish to live your life. Because America is a place of such greatness many people wish to get a portion of the American dream, making the effort needed to accomplish this goal a lot greater difficult a task to over come. Other countries suffer twice as much if not more than our country. Like said in the article ". In India, 300 million people (30 percent of the population) subsist on less than $1 a day, spending half to two-thirds of their income on two meals a day". Many people in India and other countries still manage to succeed no matter how big of an obstacle that may be in their way, so for America to plead for help when they have success staring them in the face is inexcusable. The American dream is available to every person who inhabits this earth. The American dream is to become what ever you want to become and that does not only happen in America, it happens all over the world. People need to come up with their own solutions. There are people out there who are in bad situations but there is always a way to get out of that. If people begin to follow threw with the effort they should be contributing to expel them selves from this dilemma and stop waiting for the answers to come to them, the solution will be automatic. As siad Gregory Rodrigez in "The A merican Way: Smile if Your Insecure". he acknoledges that Americans are too optomistic and should be more realistic.The realism is that America does not realize that they have it a lot more better than they beleive. Edward L. Hudgins also makes a good point on what it is to be an American in " What it Means to be an American", which is that you dont have to be from America to be an American there fore receiving the American dream.
ReplyDeletePrateik Dalmia,a news-letter writer, in his article, " The illusive death of the American Dream" emphasizes that American poverty is nothing compared to the poverty in India. I agree with Dalmia statement because America deliver rights to the citizen and known for an opportunity to have a better life. First of all, of course America poverty and India poverty would be different. In America, we get more money, rights, power, etc unlike India. It is why, America is known as one of the strongest nation in the world. Even though many poor individuals could live through little or no money, they can manage to live through it in America. For example, unlike America, "In India, the working poor live under tarps mounted by the side of the road, and their children often beg the streets nude - only coming "home" to join their families by a street-side fire for warmth." At times Americans, would provide support for the poors and offering them items so they can get by for the day. In addition, the vaule cost between American and Indians money are unspeakable. For example, "In India, 300 million people (30 percent of the population) subsist on less than $1 a day, spending half to two-thirds of their income on two meals a day. Meanwhile, the 37.3 million people (12.5 percent of the population) that the U.S. Census Bureau claims live at or below poverty make between $30 to $38 a day depending on if they are single or married (from 2007 statistics)."
ReplyDelete-Phi La
I agree with Prateik Dalmia and his opinion that, “you are being exposed to America's overblown notion of ‘poverty.’” After reading this article I came to the conclusion that Americans don’t know what poverty really means and how worse people in other countries have it. When you compare America’s definition of poverty to other countries like India and Costa Rica you will find huge differences. For example, like the article states, “In India, the working poor live under tarps mounted by the side of the road, and their children often beg the streets nude - only coming ‘home’ to join their families by a street-side fire for warmth.” Around the United States you do not hear of stories to that extremity.
ReplyDeleteI very much believe the American dream is striving, although it is not necessarily available to everyone. To be able to reach the top people need to be willing to work their butts off. Americans do not take advantage of the opportunities given in the U.S. Many aren’t willing to work hard for them which I do not understand because why wouldn’t people want the luxuries they strive for? They can’t sit around expecting the world to be handed to them or believe everything will be ok. Wishful thinking does boost your confidence up but what good is it if you do nothing to attain it. Like the article, “The American way: Smile if you’re insecure,” by Gregory Rodriguez states, “We (Americans) hide our fear of failure with a positive outlook.” Americans don’t want to face reality and the problems that come with it. We rather live in “happy world” with a happy ending.
I will have to say that I agree with Pratiek Dalmia and my fellow peers in saying that we, as Americans, do NOT know the true definition of poverty... Not in the literal meaning of the word, but the principle of it. We don't under stand how truly easy we actually have it. If you ever travel to another poverty-stricken country like India or Africa, you would see how poverty affects people. In this article Ms. Dalmia states,"In India, the working poor live under tarps mounted by the side of the road, and their children often beg the streets nude - only coming 'home' to join their families by a street-side fire for warmth." This is unheard of in the United States! Lane Kenworthy in his online article, " How High Is The US Poverty Rate", states that,"Be very suspicious when you hear talk about the poverty rate. The real question, as stressed by James Heckman, is what rate of return we can hope to achieve from feasible interventions in favor of poor, young children"(pg. 1, para. 4). He tells of his trip to Somalia and the devastating living conditions in which the children lived. I also agree with Dalmia when she says that the American dream is still striving. Marvin made a great point in stating how the American Dream isn't accesible to everyone...Edward L. Hudgins makes a great point in his article," What it Means to be an American", which is that you dont have to be from America to be an American. You have to just live your version of the american dream.
ReplyDelete-Ben J. Ramirez (266)
I agree with Prateik Dalmia’s journal article “the Illusive Death of the American Dream.’’ I believe the poor in the U.S. are not as poor as those living in poverty in other countries. The American dream is still thriving. Coming from Mexico to the United States and looking for the American dream, I found challenges. I lived in poverty but I just moved forward because I wanted to succeed in life and live the American dream. I think this dream is still available to everyone. As stated in the article, “the American Way: Smile if you are Insecure,’’ Gregory Rodriguez describes that Americans are too optimistic and they do not want to face reality. You need to work hard and make it be more than a dream. Make it a reality.
ReplyDeleteEven if you come from another country, you still can live the American dream just as Edward Hudgins mentioned in his article, “What is the American Dream.” Everyone is entitled to the American dream. It is up to the person on how hard they work for it and overcome the challenges. Thousands of immigrants come to the United States to live the American dream.
If America is known as a land of opportunities, it is strange to see poverty. How can someone compare the poverty in the United States to other countries such as Costa Rica or India? When I finished the article, I came to the conclusion that Americans do not know the real definition of what provererty is. They are use to getting more freedom, Wick for pregnant women, food stamps and so much help from the government that other countries do not give. Coming from Mexico I can say I know how it feels to be poor.
In the article, the author reveals how our country over exaggerates events such as our current economic crises. “You are being exposed to America’s overblown situation” (Dalmia 1), states the author. Right away Dalmia expresses how she feels about America’s thoughts of poverty by comparing the lower class limits of America to foreign countries such as India and Costa Rica. The author states, “The most blatant proof of this disparity is if you compare a beggar in America to a beggar in India or Costa Rica. The former will usually be fairly ragged looking but have a big belly - a sign of opulence in third-world countries”(1). Its obvious that Dalmia is concerned with the spoiled like attitude that America has shown during our current economic crisis.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, “A Lesson Before Dying,” the author Ernest Gaines gives an example of how America handles situations that have to with the economy by saying, “I said were all in the same shape, Higgins, the white schools just as much as the colored schools. We take what the state gives us, and we make the best of it” (Page 56). This quote exemplifies how crucial Americans take a slight economical decrease. In the book “Joy Luck Club”, the author, Amy Tan, describes how an immigrant of China felt when they arrived in America. She depicts the characters life by saying, “She had escaped with only little money” (Tan Page # 10). Each book describes the economy in both countries, and in my opinion, the woman’s situation sounded worse than the American teachers.
I agree with what the author is trying to say on a majority of levels. He makes sense when saying that the American people have been raised to have a high expectations, so when they do hit a bump in the road, they feel as if the sky is falling, but that is not the case at all.
-Alfredo (Gucci!)
In the article, “The illusive death of the American Dream” by Prateik Dalmia, the author argues that America is not an impoverish and oppressed society. He implies that America is the land of opportunity that anyone is destined for success, although hard times will arise occasionally. An example of this progress is Adams Shepard’s story, “successfully climbed from having merely $25, a sleeping bag and the clothes on his back to having an apartment, a pickup truck and almost $5,000 in savings within 10 months” (Prateik, ¶ 9). In my opinion, if this man that had nothing with him to start off can succeed; then literary anyone can go up society’s ladders and have a good life after all. As stated in Edward L. Hudgins article, “What is an American?”: “An American is anyone who understands that to achieve the best in life requires action, exertion, [and] effort” (¶ 4). With both authors’ opinions in mind, one can realize that having nothing doesn’t mean the end of the world; it might just be an obstacle in the way. I agree with the authors when they argue that just about anyone can make a life in America, all you need is a determination, a goal, and something to start off with.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, as much as I want to agree with the articles, I also believe that not all people have the power to succeed, because of many reasons that come up in their own lives. I also agree with what was stated in Gregory Rodriguez’s article “The American way: Smile if you’re insecure” paragraph 12: “after all, the American dream sometimes does come true, doesn’t it?” This is a major question that not all people have the answer to; because not everyone has experience the American dream in other people’s shoes.
I would agree with Prateik Dalmia with his opinion about exposing America’s overblown notion poverty. I started to think to myself what poverty is and he really make good points. How he compares our poverty rather than Costa Rica and India. I mean you can see the difference between what they value and what we value which is more than they do. For example “In India, the working poor live under tarps mounted by the side of the road, and their children often beg the streets nude - only coming "home" to join their families by a street-side fire for warmth. The only thing I can say is “Wow” because look at the things they do in order to survive and a huge difference. It like saying we have it bad right now but look at India they have it even worse than us. There is another example that just takes the cake of the comparison of India and the U.S. “In India, 300 million people (30 percent of the population) subsist on less than $1 a day, spending half to two-thirds of their income on two meals a day. Meanwhile, the 37.3 million people (12.5 percent of the population) that the U.S. Census Bureau claims live at or below poverty make between $30 to $38 a day depending on if they are single or married (from 2007 statistics).” They get a dollar folks that is like not even eating I mean how they even survive like that. We get thirty to thirty eight dollars a day that is at least a meal and they basically get nothing. It just shows why people come to the United States because they look for a shot to a new life make themselves better not only for them but for their families.
ReplyDeletePrateik Dalmia discusses the issues of the "American Dream" as well as poverty. From my understanding, Prateik Dalmia is saying that the idea of poverty is fabricated or emphasized at a level that is less than. The article states, "you are being exposed to America's overblown notion of "poverty"" (paragraph 1). I would have to say that i do disagree with this article because poverty is of existence and whether it corresponds to the level that is spoken upon should not even matter. The article also states that "the American dream is still very alive" (paragraph 3) and following this statement, it includes the fact of America's school making students read best selling novels. Although the school has decided that the American dream is still alive in their hands, does not mean they have enabled themselves to produce that their belief of the American dream exist in the minds of the students, in which they teach. The author compares America to what his experiences gained from India as well as Costa Rica, but i believe he is beginning to live in the mind of an activist. The reason I choose to say this is because he has gained an experience upon what exist in other countries, which is a good thing, but he is not looking at it through the right lens because it might just be that he has taken things for granted but does not want to except that fact. This article reminds me of the article that spoke about America hiding behind a smile and not facing it's reality, and I feel like the author is not facing his reality and is deciding to make the rest of America look inconsiderate. Another article that may be connected to this text is the article speaking of the "American" way and questioning weather it standards are logical. I think in a sense, Prateik Dalmia is going in the same direction.
ReplyDeleteAs I read the article, “The Illusive Death of the American Dream,” by Prateik Dalima, it reminded me of Current Events. Many of my peers in class discussed this issue of poverty and it seemed like a very important issue that many suffer. I disagree with Dalima because I think that people want us to think that economy will make us suffer even more than it is now. Maybe it will. She discusses, “Whatever channel you watch, you are being exposed to America’s overblown notion of ‘poverty.’” Dalima uses her own opinion to American “poverty” which she thinks isn’t true. She states, “I, myself, have never lived this American notion of poverty.” This is her, and only her. Others may be suffering because of poverty due to the economic crisis; it’s not all about her. During the current events in our class, we discussed the different types of economy crisis which many people find themselves in. Homelessness is also a problem that Americans don’t like seeing. . She also states, “America is not impoverished and oppressed society, but is still the awe-inspiring land of opportunity where the golden starred dream shines bright and high!” Dalima thinks that America is everything, that it’s an awesome country that everybody should come and live in, but she needs to see reality. Stop living in her own little world of fantasies because not everything nor everyone is perfect.
ReplyDelete-Elizabeth Jimenez
I mostly agree with the author Prateik Dalmia though I do have my ideas as well. His points are valuable and I do believe that people often complain about their social economic status, though in other countries they might be considered privileged. Even though I acknowledge that the media might exaggerate the high rates of poverty in America, I also believe that sometimes there is a person out there who actually needs the help and is not capable of working or taking control of their life. These cases might include seniors, ill, or injured people. On the other hand, I admire his question of “What is poverty?” because is their really a definition of poverty? Each country is different and they each have their own definition of poverty, so how can there be an exact definition? I also agree with his statement, “America is not an impoverished and oppressed society” because I too believe that America is an over exceeding country where you can derive any accomplishment. In America it is expected to slowly but surely become financially well, “poor people” in the U.S. actually have the chance to work extremely hard and survive. America is a place where you are expected to achieve the American dream and where it is pathetic to not be able to achieve the things you want, and the opportunities are out there, but effort is required. In the countries he mentioned, like India and Costa Rica, you have no chance of having the opportunities that we have here, therefore we are not even close to what poverty is like since we are used to have the materialistic things representing wealth, when really other people in other countries just want a full meal. I believe the definition of poverty is not too existent in the U.S. since there is always a way to come about what is needed to live unlike the other countries where survival is extremely complicated.
ReplyDelete-Ailly
As long as there is rich there will be poor. Author of "The illusive death of the American Dream," Patrick Dalmia, shares a really good point of view to the matter of poverty, and its definition. I believe this to be true.
ReplyDeleteI once thought to not know poverty in till i read "I, myself, have never lived this American notion of poverty. However, after having firsthand encounters with poverty in India and Costa Rica, I firmly believe that the opposite is, in fact, true and genuine poverty hardly exists. Furthermore, the American dream is still very alive"(1). Compared to other parts of the world, America is not that impoverish. I believe that everyone here is just stuck in there little circle, and not looking outside of that.i believe "America is not an impoverished and oppressed society, but is still the awe-inspiring land of opportunity where the golden starred dream shines bright and high"(1)! This land took us in, all the people of the world when they need it really. All the families, hopes, and dreams.
What makes the good times good, is the bad times. Hope & Pain cannot exist without one or the other.Patrick Dalmia, shares a really good point of view to the matter of poverty, and its definition. I believe this to be true.
The article "The American Dream" the author states that our society is inpoverished and opressed. I agree with the author his points or ideas are good and I believe that people often talk of our society by complaining. I acknowledge that our media may over exaggerate on the poverty of our society, there are people who actually need the help but they are not capable doing anything because they are handicapped or they are seniors, etc. Question is what is poverty to people? Some people see it as people being poor or a horrible/bad society my definition would be people who dont care about our economy they just let stuff happen without knowing what it applies to. America is not really a impoverished or opressed its actually a place where you can get things accomplished. The U.S is where you can get a job but you have to be a hard worker but it all pays off and you slowly move up. However you gotta be a survivor to live up to it.
ReplyDeletePrateik Dalmia discusses the issue of poverty as well as the American Dream.I have noticed that poverty has many different meanings and thought. In the article "The illusive death of the American Dream",pretty much explains a meaning of a poverty. The author then supports her idea by comparing America to other countries.America is at its bad time now with economic problems,war,and other issues.While,countries such as Costa Rica and India have a way bigger issue than America.Families have no food,no shelter,no money,and hard to survive while here in America there is help such as homeless shelters,rehabilitaion canters and other help.America is the country everyone looks upon on because of the opportunities that are valid. "do not listen to everything you see or read - America is not an impoverished and oppressed society, but is still the awe-inspiring land of opportunity where the golden starred dream shines bright and high!"(Moral)This says it all.There are many things said and heard while others dream onto coming into this land.They will do anything to live here while others complain and have a hard life living as citizens.Americans do not realize how grateful they should be for having what they have.Some do realize it because they went the right pathway and living the comfortable American Dream.
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand Prateik Dalmia in his article “The Illusive death of the American Dream”, I must say that I don’t completely agree. While I agree that “There is no comparison between what Americans call poverty and what Indians and Costa Ricans call poverty.” I do not agree with Dalmia’s opinion that poverty is not an issue here in the United States. I fully understand and back up the writer Dalmia when he says that even poverty here is not nearly as dramatic as it is in other places around the world. “The most blatant proof of this disparity is if you compare a beggar in America to a beggar in India or Costa Rica”. There really is no comparison; even our poorest American is only a third of the poorest man in the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I do think that poverty is still a monumental issue in the United States. While Prateik Dalmia goes on to state that people in other places live of one dollar a day to support themselves he doesn’t account for the fact that we live in one of the most expensive country in the world. While our money may be worth more in different places, in America it’s not worth much. (Especially now a days) To a certain degree I can agree that poverty here is a “non issue” when we compare ourselves to the rest of the world, but that doesn’t mean that we are not responsible for aiding the people in our lowest classes, even if OUR lowest classes are better off than lower classes of other places.
Recently in the book “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan, we see how people from different places come to America for the pursuit of the American dream, because our poor, according to their standards, are wealthier. Which supports the writers and my point of view, but in our class discussions one day, as part of current events, someone brought out the topic of poverty. We discussed how poverty often leads to crime, drugs, and other things. Reenforcing my idea that while poverty, while it may be better than in other places, is still an issue
-Jorge Rivera (365)
Prateik Dahnia, a news letter writer, in his article “The Illusive Death of the American Dream” (March 26 2009), affirms that the American Dream is still accessible despite the belief that poverty devastates the society of the United States. They present sufficient evidence to prove that Americans are not living in misery compared to other undeveloped poor countries like India and Costa Rica. The article emphasizes that the goals of success may be reached by any American regardless its economical status. The American dream is presented to everyone who lives in the United States. Its availability depends on factors such as the will and work of a person to succeed; it takes determination and discipline to obtain desired prosperity.
ReplyDeleteSuccess exist for everyone in any place of the world, it is the individual’s responsibility to make the best out of opportunities offered. Certainly, some of the time those opportunities are not presented easily; however, the person who has the discipline may achieve its goals even if it’s a difficult task. Similarly, Dalmia acknowledges the story of a young man expressing “Using a little bit of the temporary social benefits… His experience proves that American capitalism does not oppress the poor but rather allows for upward mobility granted hard-work and discipline”(Dalmia). One cannot remain limiting it self by apparent low socioeconomic status on weather to progress or not. As individual one must have the will to work hard in order to achieve success despite obstacles. This American Dream is available if wanted.
Martin Luther King a person who fought against racism, the impossible at those times. Today it seems that prosperity and success is fairly impossible, but as Americans we need to remember that the dream is still alive for everyone. In his famous speech he expressed, “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.” (I have a dream) This hope of such dream must stay alive between the people in order to face poverty, obstacles, class status. This dream is available. I believe.
The title of the article by Prateik Dalmia is completely correct, “The Illusive Death of the American Dream” because after reading this article, it really opened my eyes. It shows me that, to us Americans “poverty” is something along the line of us not getting what is “expected” now from our society. Such as, “She complains that she did not have a table to eat KFC while watching one of "the half dozen available channels” (Paragraph 5) says Dalmia. But truly, this isn’t what poverty should be, it should somewhat be when people are starving having no food to eat even when they are working all day long for little pay. Dalmia explains poverty as, “In fact, the kinds of extravagances - home, cable, food, stove, central heating - that the working poor have in America, not even the middle-classes have in India or Costa Rica” (Paragraph 5).
ReplyDeleteThe American dream is still obtainable, it just slightly a little more difficult. It may be tougher to start over, find a job, support the family, learn the language, etc. but with the ambition to reach that dream, all is possible. Once we have reached that goal, we need start being more appreciative because over time, we will start expect more and believe that we deserve better. Then that’s when we to keep in mind that we have it way better than other countries, even if we are in poverty.
What i can say about this article "the Illusive Death of the American Dream"hat i agree with Prateik Dalmia, not everyone in the United States knows what poverty really means. In the U.S people think that poverty is not a big deal because they dont see it alot in here. But if they go to India and Costa Rica they will see how terrible poverty can be in other places of the world. "Ther is no comparison between what American call poverty and what indians or Costa Ricans call poverty" (para6).we cant even compare U.S poverty with Indinas and Costa Ricas poverty because poverty in India nad Costa Rica is over what people expect and think it is. People on the U.S dont take advantage of what they have, because they think they will always have what they want.but they should know that there will be times where bad things can happen and they need to see what best for them and not just waist money in dumb things. " the moral of the story is do not listen to everything u see or read" (para10). everybody makes judges of what they see or hear, but i think people should start and actually think about what they are doing and try to think of others that have less then them and try to give thanx and start taking advantage of what they have and not think that everything is ok and is happy.they should open their eyes and relize what going on in the world.
ReplyDeleteI do not fully agree with the author, but part of me does. I agree when he says, "America is not an impoverished and oppressed society" (para.10). I believe that even the homeless and extremely less fortunate can become wealthy. They can go BEYOND just middle-class society. Anybody can find some way to get what they want, whether it be a cruel thing or even the most joyful thing in life. The American Dream is alive and always will be as far as I'm concerned. This isn't a connection to anything we've worked on, but it jumped out at me when I read this article. In, "The Pursuit of Happyness," Chris Gardner is a salesman, but ends up becoming a homeless single father of a 5-year-old child. He pushed himself harder than anyone I've heard of when he saw the opportunity to make a better life for himself and his child. In my opinion, if he can do it, why can't other homeless people? This may be a movie, but it's a true story.
ReplyDelete"I, myself, have never lived this American notion of poverty" (para.3). On the other hand, this quote made me think, hmmm...how could this man, who is so incredibly biased on this situation, possibly know how hard it may be for these poeple to do so? Well, he doesn't. It's like he is trying to either push people or keep the American Dream Alive no matter what types of accusations or things he says. He's sort of an a**hole to me, but he does speak truth.
Throughout most of the article, Dalmia tries to compare America with Indian and Costa Rican poverty. They are so far from the same. "In India, the working poor live under tarps mounted by the side of the road, and their children often beg the streets nude - only coming "home" to join their families by a street-side fire for warmth" (para.6). Maybe not ALL Americans are this poor, but many are. In india, 300 million people live off of $1 a day and in America our poor people live off of $30-38? That's BULLPOOPY!!! Nobody can make that sort of statement and speak for everybody living in poverty because it is just not true. All in all, I don't like this guy, but he has points, and on the other hand he's just wrong. At the end of the article he says, "The moral of the story is do not listen to everything you see or read - America is not an impoverished and oppressed society, but is still the awe-inspiring land of opportunity where the golden starred dream shines bright and high" (para.10). Was this whole article really just about KEEPING THE AMERICAN DREAM ALIVE?!?!?!?! That makes me mad! I do respect some of the things he says in this article, but the fact that he did all of this just to say at the end of it that the american dream is alive is just...well... uncanny (is that the right word?). Anyways, that's all I have to say.
-Brittany Loving
(P.s.) I really liked these two articles Mr. Robinson...=)p
I agree with Prateik Dalmia's article in "The Illusive Death of the American Dream" she states on the meaning of poverty. In other words, I am delighted in his question "What Is Poverty?" because is their really a true meaning of the word. But what really bothers me is HOW she describes poverty as "She complains that she did not have a table to eat KFC while watching one of "the half dozen available channels"[par.5] also "In fact, the kinds of extravagances - home, cable, food, stove, central heating - that the working poor have in America, not even the middle-classes have in India or Costa Rica"[par.5]. How could she state that, when other people in the world are starving to death and are not even lucky enough to eat chicken.
ReplyDeleteNobody really knows the true meaning of poverty because of the economic crisis that's occurring, some believe we've arrived to the 21st century great depression. I really feel ashamed to think of the people that came here to live the better life are now complaining of downhill were ALL going through with money. Instead of taking the advantage of the life they were dreaming of, they should grasp the reality of what they already hold. America is a great place that offers a lot of opportunity's to those in need, for ex. Medi-Cal, Healthy Families,homeless shelters etc. To those who truly want a better "American Life" don't let those preferences go by. The American Dream still lives on, because their is still hope to the better country.
-AlMiiTA=]
I agree with the purpose of this article because I feel like some times the news, radio stations, magazines, etc. sometimes exaggerate and make a story worldwide even though they do not have complete details about the story and they basically make it their own story. Yes. America has more and more people unemployed as each day goes by but I could not consider the United States as an "incredible poverty” state. Why you ask? Because at this moment we still do not have a great amount of people living in the streets, passing through starvation. For example, “In India, the working poor live under tarps mounted by the side of the road, and their children often beg the streets nude.” America has not yet reached this point and at this moment we cannot title America as a poverty place; we have it good here if we compare our life style to India a poverty place. I believe that America dreams are still thriving. If we create more jobs for our citizens many people’s that are in the point of losing their houses are going to be able to save because they going have the money to pay rent, bills, and will have money for food and will not have to go through starvation. Even though the economy is bad and we are tight in money I believe that we should be still spending our money and are money would be basically recycle, the money you spent on shopping help the business grow that will lead into creating more jobs for us the citizens.
ReplyDeleteYESENIA TORRES,,,,
As I read the article, “The Illusive Death of the American Dream,” by Prateik Dalima, I do agree that people often complain about their social economic status. The author then supports her idea by comparing America to other countries. America is at its bad time now with economic problems, money, health issues, etc…
ReplyDeleteAmerica is not really an impoverished or oppressed it’s actually a place where you can get things accomplished. I agree with his statement, “America is not an impoverished and oppressed society” because I too believe that America is an over exceeding country where you can develop any accomplishment. “Impoverish people” in the U.S. actually have the chance to work extremely hard and survive here. A lot of people would come to the America because they want a better future for their kids and themselves or to have a job and support the family. To be successful here you need to set a goal for yourself, and accomplish it. You need to work your butt off but in the end you have everything you wanted, it pays off.
The American dream is yes available to every one. It’s the citizens who actually strive for the American dream that have the ability to witness additional opportunities America has to propose. My opinion regarding people in poverty is similar to what the author understood how it’s all as regards to your posture. He quotes Adam Shepard “I postured to succeed, and I did” (1). To me this quote is self explanatory and accurate. In prior articles I have interpreted authors express their sensation on America’s anxieties. Such as “The American way: Smile if you’re happy” by Gregory Rodriguez, furthermore he proclaims “America is too optimistic and not realistic” (1). I contain the identical opinion with Prateik Dalmia in his piece “The illusive death of the American Dream” on his moral concerning the illusion America designed for its self. This is as well factual, America is known as the land of many opportunities, not considering the fact that America has 12.5 percent of or country in poverty. This statistics were recorded in 2007 by U.S. Census Bureau. He gives verification on how “37.3 million people (12.5 percent of the population) that the U.S. Census Bureau claims live at or below poverty make between $30 to $38 a day depending on if they are single or married (from 2007 statistics)”(1).
ReplyDeleteYes a bright future is given to everyone in America. But, “the future belongs to those who prepare for it today” (Malcolm X) and that is way I agree with is article.
-Ryan lawson
The article" illusive death of the American dream"shows the little knowledge "americans" have about poverty in the world and how they think poverty in the u.s. is terrible. The author states all the problems going on with poverty in other countries in twice as worse as the americans have it, for example an american women was complaining about not having a place to sit while eating kfc and watching a dozen channels, while people in india consider a just a t.v. alone as a luxury.
ReplyDeleteThe American dream isn't available to everyone because to be successful you must work hard, have a job, speak the language to live the american dream.
The Author Hits the note on many occasions in the article, showing that the american dream is both not available to everyone who don't pay their dues. i was in shock when the article said in india the poor spend 2/3 of their salaries on meals, while earning 1$ a day, and poor americans make 30-38$ depending on their single or married status.i personally think the American dream is an exaggerated saying that can be used as an advantage for people who look for a better life.
I absolutely agree with the author when he stated that, "There is no comparison between what Americans call poverty and what Indians and Costa Ricans call poverty"(Dalmia1). Americans have adapted to the life of luxury way to long to understand that we, Americans, have more advantages than certain areas throughout the world. Although we may be in an economic crisis we still have materialistic items that make us seem wealthier than third world countries. In which case, if we take a minute and analyze our daily activities and reduce some of the unnecessary routes we can possibly recover from our economic downfall. In order to recover from our economic downfall we all must learn the limited amount that we have. Instead of seeking for more than "enough," we should make "enough" be of our advantage.
ReplyDeleteA guest speaker, Wahu Kaara emphasizes that, "If we all just believe," we as a little speck on earth can become a bigger patch that influences many little specks throughout the world. She spoke to us about how she grew from a no one to being a someone, a future candidate of Kenya. Which I believe means that being one person, every individual, express a positive outreach with in their strength we would have less poverty throughout the world. We should turn materialistic selfishness into a society of empathy. We can all be the person who gives rather than the one who receives.
oh& i forgot to put by maneevanh soundara(:
ReplyDeleteIn this article "The Illusive Death of the American Dream", by Prateik Dalmia, explain's the poverty that people around the world are living today.I agree with this article.Nations around the world are suffering because of the economy problems.I think that by reading books is not going to sovle anything. Yes, they do inform readers about the whole situation The nation lives, but its just informing people. Little actions are taken place and theres money being wasted on nonimportant things rather then to be helping out.Also, by watching movies its the same thing.The Slumdog Millionaire is a great movie, and it shows all great examples of the article.The comparisons they are doing with the United States and dealing with differant numbers demonstrates on how just other places around the world are doing way worst than the U.S.What I don't like about this article that it just keeps comparing it to the book nickled and dimed.For many people their dreams on having one day a better life might of ended a while ago when this whole situation started.American dreams for people might of have too.American capitalism might motivate this crisis everyone is in.We might get this issue over and be filled with hope on recovering thse dreams.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, “The illusive death of the American Dream” by Prateik Dalmia explains the misusage of the term poverty. We complain about the simplest things, not having this or that but in reality there are many different areas of the world who are suffering twice as much or more. “I firmly believe that the opposite is, in fact, true and genuine poverty hardly exists. Furthermore, the American dream is still very alive.” (Paragraph 3), therefore he gives comparisons between the United state, Costa Rica and India. What Americans cease to understand is the struggles others would kill for in order to have what we called the American Dream. We would consider the smallest economical problem a crisis while those who wish they had a certain lifestyle. America gives their citizens opportunities to receive financial support or the opportunity for them to work for a living. Those in India would consider us “living the good life” because we have their desired necessities yet we continue to take it for granted. We just need to realize that we are indeed not in poverty because what we make of our life can be the outcome. In America, where there is support and ambition, chances are given for those to have a better life. That is why immigrants migrate to the U.S from their homelands giving up every aspect in order to receive a better life they never had.
ReplyDelete