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Similarities Between Kim And Fina

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Similarities Between Kim And Fina
Every individual has their own version of what the American dream means to them. They have certain aspirations and circumstances that affect their notion of what it represents. The American dream, as described by Dictionary.com, comprises of freedom, equality, opportunity, a life of personal happiness, and material comfort. This meaning defines the perfect life, which is why the phrase American dream contains the word ‘dream’. To achieve even one component of this seamless lifestyle, people go through numerous obstacles and sacrifice many aspects of their lives and parts of themselves. However, the majority of the significant sacrifices made in order to attain the American dream are not morally acceptable.
Whether or not the sacrifice made
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For Kim, one of the obstacles she faces occurs while she is in school. English not being her first language, and having no one who understands what she is going through, takes its toll on her self-esteem. Kim confesses her embarrassment and frustration when Mr. Bogart corrects her accent, how he is angry at the things she does not understand, and how he thinks she had been cheating and gives her a zero (Kwok 37). As a result of these events, she begins to play hooky. Kim’s obstacles in school led to a decrease in her …show more content…
In Kim’s life, working in a sweatshop during her childhood emphasizes her personal sacrifice. She sacrifices her freedom and equality, which is removed from the environment of a sweatshop, working long hours after school and completing her homework on the train. Kim describes the environment of the sweatshop as, “after less than an hour in the factory, my pores were clouded with fabric dust. A net of red strands spread themselves across my arms so that when I tried to sweep myself clean with my hand, I created rolls of grime that tugged against the fine hairs on my skin” (Kwok 33). Sacrificing her freedom, equality, and comfort in order to acquire aspects of the American dream is not morally acceptable because there are countless other jobs which would provide better pay and a better environment to work in. In the sweatshop, she and Ma are not being paid an amount equivalent to the hours they put in, and the atmosphere is

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