Hopes And Dreams In America
Hopes and Dreams in America The United States of America is also known as the “land of opportunity,” where hundreds of immigrants arrive pocket-full of hope for a better future. Many come chasing after dreams and looking for success. They arrive imagining a life where they can provide for their families and themselves. What many foreigners don’t realize, however, is that the “land of opportunity” comes with a very hard-to-see asterisk; the land of opportunity* does not always guarantee success, promising futures, or happiness. In reality, immigrants who hope to achieve the “American Dream” are only able to do so if they are able to overcome the multitude of obstacles that lay in their path. These obstacles include being unable to speak English
…show more content…
Some immigrants feel betrayed, or even tricked. In A Step From Heaven, Young Ju constantly experiences her dreams being crushed as reality seems to slowly burn out the fiery imaginative drive for success in her soul. She comes to America excited and hopeful to live in heaven with her grandma, only to realize that her grandma isn’t there and America isn’t heavenly at all. She becomes hopeful after purchasing a lottery ticket, “[filling her] head with all the things that will happen when [her family is] rich” (Na 77). But when her oh-so-lucky numbers don’t win, Young Ju’s “dreams are lost in the roar of gunfight on TV and clanking dishes in the kitchen” (Na 81). When she and her brother rescue a bird and imagine it growing up strong and flying away, it dies and they are forced to bury it. Young Ju is constantly reminded that dreams do not come true. Hope is not enough to achieve success. She is reminded that simply believing in something won’t suddenly make it come true. The book itself is titled A Step From Heaven, not “A Step To Heaven,” emphasizing the fact that although Young Ju will always picture the beautiful clouds and heavenly sky, she will always be one step from finding Heaven. Young Ju, like many other immigrants, is so close to achieving her dreams, and yet possibly never will. Her story essentially reflects the struggle that many immigrants experience when they come to America hoping to easily succeed, only to be disappointed by the lack of opportunities presented to them in the “land of
Some immigrants feel betrayed, or even tricked. In A Step From Heaven, Young Ju constantly experiences her dreams being crushed as reality seems to slowly burn out the fiery imaginative drive for success in her soul. She comes to America excited and hopeful to live in heaven with her grandma, only to realize that her grandma isn’t there and America isn’t heavenly at all. She becomes hopeful after purchasing a lottery ticket, “[filling her] head with all the things that will happen when [her family is] rich” (Na 77). But when her oh-so-lucky numbers don’t win, Young Ju’s “dreams are lost in the roar of gunfight on TV and clanking dishes in the kitchen” (Na 81). When she and her brother rescue a bird and imagine it growing up strong and flying away, it dies and they are forced to bury it. Young Ju is constantly reminded that dreams do not come true. Hope is not enough to achieve success. She is reminded that simply believing in something won’t suddenly make it come true. The book itself is titled A Step From Heaven, not “A Step To Heaven,” emphasizing the fact that although Young Ju will always picture the beautiful clouds and heavenly sky, she will always be one step from finding Heaven. Young Ju, like many other immigrants, is so close to achieving her dreams, and yet possibly never will. Her story essentially reflects the struggle that many immigrants experience when they come to America hoping to easily succeed, only to be disappointed by the lack of opportunities presented to them in the “land of