The American Dream In Harlon L. Dalton's Horatio Alger

People do not realize that at a young age we are programmed into the idea of the American Dream, a dream that can come into a reality with hard work, dedication and the pursuit of happiness. In 1931, James Truslow Adams apparently invented the term “the American Dream” in his book “The Epic Of America” where he states “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” (Quote) An idea that is perceived as a ticket to heaven because people will have everything they desire, a luxurious car, a beautiful home, a great paying job, exotic vacations, and a happy family. In the reading “Horatio Alger” by Harlon L. Dalton criticizes Alger, who conveys
A country filled with different ethnicities who face discrimination based on their skin color. Racism is one of the leading causes in preventing one from having a fair opportunity to achieve the American Dream. In Dalton’s view “The Alger myth encourages people to blink at the many barriers to racial equality (historical, structural, and institutional) that litter the social landscape.” (Dalton, 264) The essence of Dalton's argument is that the United States was created based on a ‘racial caste system’ that still exists. People can believe that race is not a factor when it comes to one’s success because minorities can easily lift themselves up and build their fame and fortune. However, being in a society run by white supremacists, the fact is “White Americans have roughly 22 times more wealth on average than black Americans; in 2010, median household net worth was $110,729 for white households and $4,955 for black households.” (Rereading America, 242) Minorities are being suppressed the opportunities they are needed just because they are non
A system which focuses on the social and economic class that only serves the powerful and wealthy. Social status determines one’s ability to achieve the American Dream, by deciding where they stand compared to the rest of society and how good of a chance they have bettering this standing. In the reading “Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption” by Diana Kendall mentions “The super-rich (the top 0.5 percent of U.S. households) own 35 percent of the nation’s wealth … Meanwhile, everybody else (the bottom 90 percent of households) owns only 28 percent of the nation’s wealth.” (Kendall, 322) The Gini coefficient is a statistical measure that analyzes the inequality of distributions within a country. The measure ranges from 0 to 1, a 0 indicating an ideal equal income distribution, while a 1 indicates a corrupt income distribution. The United States Gini coefficient is .45 (CIA), meaning our country has income inequality. Income inequality is crucial when it comes to social classes because inequality is what creates a gap between the wealthy and poor. In the article “Class in America- 2009” by Gregory Mantsios describes that “Class domination is one of these forces. People do not choose to be poor or working class; instead, they are limited and confined by the opportunities afforded or denied them by social and economic system.” (Mantsios, 296) When someone is