The 21st Century American Dream

To be an American in the twenty-first century... Americans now have everything in excess and accessible at the tips of their fingers. We have been a super power since the end of the second world war. All this time at the top is starting to go our heads. We have slowly become more and more accustomed to not working for our spot at the top. Along with an incredible influx of technology and electronics has coupled to form a monster. We are becoming more and more lazy. In a world when an apple costs a dollar and a box of twinkies costs 1.29, we are turning away from the ways of the past or the healthy, the way we got to the top, for convenience. In our laziness we are become faceless as well. There is very little face to face contact anymore. Social networks and texting have taken over as forms of communication. I believe be doing this we are merging even more so as the melting pot of the world. We are all faceless. As we continue to drift apart by not speaking face to face, we drift closer as no discrimination can be performed by faceless words on a page. Everyone is gaining more access to the American Dream. If you don't have these forms of communication you may miss out on this dream, but I believe we are moving closer to world where money, race, gender all cease to make a difference. In this sense no one is held back from reaching "the Dream."

Reader Response: Woman Warrior

I found Woman Warrior to be a quick read. Its story line was jumbled at times and it took me a few pages at times to recognize exactly who was speaking, what was going on, when the story was being told from and who was speaking. The opening chapter about the narrator's aunt was terribly heartbreaking. To know that there is so much discrimination in part of the world regarding gender is stunning. I understand that in a different time adultery was seen as unacceptable and death or exile would be the punishment but to me it seems difficult to read. Throughout the book the insecurity the narrator felt simply due to her gender was frightening. I find it tough to understand the struggle she experiences, because rarely if ever in American society do we see such discrimination. In the world we live in today nothing is out of reach for anyone, regardless of race gender or any other circumstance. This just goes back to the American Dream we defined at the beginning of the class. Even once she moves to America she still feels inadequate compared to other men. Its sad really that a society can brain wash a society into thinking that a huge group of people are less than another. I have heard that due to this brain washing 52% of China's people are male. This seems like a small difference but when you consider the fact that China's population is over a billion this means that there are 20 million more men in China then woman. Meaning that there is vast amount of bachelors in China that will never be able to find a love or a mate.

Reader Response: Beloved

This was the first book we read in class that I absolutely could not get into at all. I found it extremely difficult to read the book. There was very little dialog in the book which made it read very slow. Most of the action that took place in very long, detailed, yet vague paragraphs. None of the book was written in straight out English so much of the action had to be inferred or interpreted and there were so many illusions it was difficult to know what was happening and what was not. I found the history of the book to be interesting. They tell many tales of the cruelty of slavery, not only the physical abuse but also the sexual and psychological abuse. In the years following the Civil War and the freeing of the slaves, times were very difficult if not impossible for the newly freed slaves. I never knew the extent of the struggle that these freed slaves went through in order to be free. It was a very good historic story, but the style of the writing and the overall telling of the story made it very difficult for me to get through. I also rented the movie and am watching it now and seeing it has actually made it much easier to understand. All things considered the book had many good properties but was just written in a language that was very tough for me to understand, which greatly tainted my opinion of the book.

Who is the Indian Killer?

While reading the book I found myself wondering the entire time which of the characters was the killer. I went back and forth a lot. I thought it could be John at first, then that seemed impossible, then maybe not, then back to impossible again. I went through a similar mental struggle with Marie, Wilson, Dr. Mather, Reggie and so on. I focused more time throughout the book, going back to check stories and alibis then i did truly trying to understand the story. After all this work, I read the last chapter and was at first very upset. It did not reveal so great identity or have an ending that answered every question I had or anything of that nature. The final chapter failed to mention a name or any details. The killer is no one. The killer kidnapped a child, stalked and killed a chosen target, and also killed randomly. He appeared to cover all the bases of killing. This is not because the killer was random or anything, this was because the killer was not one being but more of an idea. It was the spark that lead to a final straw breaking. It does not have to be broadcast loudly who or what it is. That point is irrelevant. It was the spark that lit the prairie ablaze. The spark that lead to chaos in the streets and anarchy around every bend. The Indian Killer is not so much a person as an idea of injustice and stored vengeful greed. When the tension got to high, it all broke loose and the mini ethnic war began.

Reader Response: Indian Killer

Indian Killer was a very intriguing tale. From the very beginning it grabs the readers attention. Instantly there is a mysterious air about the book that continues on throughout the novel. I found the book a very quick and easy read. I was always very interested in what the future of the book would hold and found it difficult to put down. I found the book to be very similar to a Dan Brown book, it has many different perceptions and points of view and is very mysterious and in the end all the characters come together for a ending that is fulfilling and thought provoking. Dan Brown's books are all absolutely amazing, especially the Robert Langdon books, and I would highly suggest them to anyone who liked Indian Killer. The only major difference between these two books is Brown's ability to bring together an ending. I was disappointed in the ending of Indian Killer. The identity of the killer was never revealed. I was anticipating their identity the whole book and then it was not revealed and I was very sad. Also I didn't think that it brought together all the stories together very well either in the end. I think there could have been a must better resolution. Aside from these short comings I thought the book was very interesting, it made the imagination of the reader run wild for most of the book. Overall a very good book, worth reading.

Reader Response: Fear and Loathing

I found the book to be an incredible adventure, it was truly a drug filled journey to find...something. My biggest problem with the book was that, these men sought the American dream in Las Vegas. I was given the amazing opportunity to go to Vegas to play in an elite basketball tourney known as the Adidas Super 64. We stayed at the 4 Queens hotel on the old strip. I am here to tell you that the city known as "sin city" is in no way a microcosm of the US or a place to search for the American dream. Vegas represents the far fetched extremes in both directions. On one hand you have those who have pursued the American dream and failed. Miserably. Those down and out on their luck. No money to support the addictions they picked up. But places that look worthy to rest at the right hand of God the Father, rest on the other hand. Vegas should be its own country. All the huge hotels on the strip are immaculate! Nothing else on Earth can compare to the proportion you will see in Vegas. I even saw slot machines in the McDonald's. From sexual gift shops to trucks with glass walls displaying strippers dancing on poles in the back of the trucks to men wearing billboards on their backs giving out numbers to call girls, Vegas is no representation of the US as a whole. Due to the massive tax revenue every single school in Vegas and the surrounding area makes our newest, state of the art schools in the Midwest look like run down hell holes. My friend who moved to Vegas saw where I was gonna play, a school called "Ranchero." He goes oh thats the worst school in Vegas on the far west end, only the Mexicans go there. We get there and they had 4 gyms and TVs on the walls and a community college and tech school built onto them as satellite campuses and marble staircases etc etc and it was just unbelievable! When reading Fear and Loathing I loved to read of their "high times" but was disturbed that these men thought that this Mecca of Extremes would hold the American dream. Vegas represents the farthest extreme possible to a microcosm of America. The American dream is found in the heart of its citizens not at the heart of "sin city."

What is the American Dream?

The American dream is truly a very simple dream. The American dream is to do “whatever the fuck you want.” In no other country in the world does every citizen have the freedoms that we take for granted every day. In no other country can any man, woman, or child rise to a position of power and change the world around them. It is said that any child growing up can become president. Although this may seem unlikely it is indeed true. The American dream is to dream big and pursue that dream. If the American is willing to work and put forth effort there is literally no limit to what can be achieved. In America very little is given, everything must be taken. If you want it and you work for it, it can be yours. The mantra of our founding fathers was to unite a nation of diversity that relied on freedom as its core principal. Success is not unattainable to anyone race, age, gender, or socioeconomic status. Although this success must be worked for, it is not out of reach to anyone. Through this American dream children from sea to shining sea can achieve anything. Impossible is nothing.