I went back to the storycorps website that we were introduced to earlier in the year and started listening to the stories of Americans and more specifically, immigrants. Many people told of how excited they were to be in America when they first got here. This man said in his story that when he was 6 his mom immigrated to the US from the Dominican Republic and would send him postcards of New York (where she was). A few years later when it was his time to immigrate and live with her he said that he imagined he'd be living in a place like the ones he saw on the postcards. So instead of living in the Empire State Building he ended up living in a basement in West Harlem that opened into a space where people threw their garbage. But he was happy to be here anyway.
Many of the stories from immigrants noted how hard it was to immigrate and live here but yet they all made the choice to come. Perhaps they were in search of the American Dream. Or perhaps they came to America so they could dream.
One moving story (listen here) was a woman telling her daughter how she risked her life to cross the border and then had to work day and night to keep afloat. The daughter suggested that because of her parents struggles she knew that she could achieve her dream: finish college. She said,"It's the most important thing for me, having gone to college, and I feel like anything I do from here on out is ok because I've already achieved my dream. " In this case this woman may not have had the opportunity to go to college had she been raised back in Mexico which suggests that some dreams are only possible in America. One immigrant said he moved here with no money, no job, and no knowledge of English but it turned out that he invented a hot dog vending machine. He said, "It was a hard time but we knew [America] was the country of opportunity. I'm telling you, only in America can you have an idea and go and find people who believe in it as well to achieve something".
In all I think that there is an American Dream because we can dream. The possibilities are endless here. Maybe people want to accomplish the American Dream to prove that wherever they've come from they've reached success here. It's a goal. And it's amazing too. The American Dream has driven people from all over the world to America in search of it. If it weren't so special we would probably not be having the problem with border control. It is not as important what the American Dream actually is but more so that it is possible.
If anyone wants to listen to a story that makes you confused and puzzled, listen here. If anyone would like to explain this woman's actions to me please do because I think this may be one of the most unusual stories I've ever heard.
Alex, I thought it was really interesting that you found that the American Dream is defined by possibilities. In class, we seemed to agree that the American Dream was only about money, but is seems like the interviews you listened to, except for the hot dog stand one, didn't even touch on that idea. Personally, I think that people are more wholesome than to just think of the monetary values of life. Perhaps this is just an idealistic view, but I believe that like the people on Storycorps, immigrants are looking for possibilities, which may or may not be followed with money.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I listened to the story about the mom and the boy who killed her son. I think the whole point was to showcase their ability to forgive and love. When I heard the story, I was amazed by the amount of kindness each had! It was a beautiful story.