Does everyone have Access to the American Dream and The 21st Century American?

I believe that not everyone in the United States has access to their own goals and dreams. It is a sad truth that some people still face racism and sexism in modern day America as demonstrated through the novels we covered this semester. Some people are born into poverty and are unable to better their situation simply because they cannot afford to do so. Some people look at their own situations and dream small. Some people set realistic and achievable goals for themselves and set out to achieve them. So in a way it depends on the person, how motivated they are, and not where they come from. If they are smart enough to know their own limitations, intelligent enough to set realistic goals, and hard working enough to accomplish them then they can achieve their unique American dreams.
The Quintessential 21st Century American is impossible to define. The people that constitute the population come from myriad different cultures. Today American culture is composed of a plethora of different ethnicities, cultures, and traditions of people from all over the world. They can’t be categorized into one group. I think that maybe in the beginning of America people were more similar. In the early days of our country, the population was more homogenous due to the fact that much of the population was not considered citizens. Women and minorities were excluded from the affairs of government and from crafting policy and laws. Now we have Asian, Native American, and African American cultures all mixing together with people like Hunter S. Thompson. That’s a scary thought. Hunter S. Thompson was not even sure if his friend/ attorney was Hispanic or Hawaiian. These novels have made me glad that I am an American living in the present time because they show the darker side of our history. This class has shown me America from different perspectives and different points of view that I was previously unaware of. Indian Killer was especially interesting as I was shocked to learn that Native Americans still face so much racism today.

Woman Warrior

The Woman Warrior was a very eye opening book. I think I am permanently scarred from it. A little part of me wishes I had not read it because of the treatment of women in China at that time hurts my feelings so much. Ignorance is bliss. I liked the part where the author told the story of Mulan the woman warrior. The story was very similar to anime I've seen today.
The no name aunt story is so sad and confusing for a young girl. No wonder Maxine Hong Kingston had issues with her mother when she told her stories like this one. Kingston grew up in America with traditions that are completely different from her mother's. She was having an identity crisis very similar to that of John Smith in Indian killer.
Her mother's life story was tragic to me also. When she talked of eating monkey's brains while the monkeys were still alive, I was devastated. When she told the story of her going to college I thought that was pretty cool. Then she went on to talk about the sitting ghost which was creepy as all get out. I don't know where she was going with that. I guess to show just how outlandish her mothers story's would get. When I learned that her husband left her to work in America I felt so bad for her being left behind. She lived with her husband's family like a servant to a mother who did not love her. I guess that's why she seems crazy from an American's perspective.

Response to Beloved

I really enjoyed reading the book beloved. It was a well written and interesting story. It is sad that the novel is based off a true story. Sethe's character is based off a real person who killed her own child to stop them from going into slavery. I think all the characters represented the after effects of slavery. The freed people never get over being slaves. The children of people who were once slaves suffer because of it. Grandma Suggs thought she was free but then Sethe brought back all the despair of being a slave. Paul D never let himself love again even when he was a free man. Sethe fought for her freedom, she had a baby and was pregnant with another, despite this she still tried to escape. She did it for the most precious part of her, her children, so they could have a better life. Her character shows just how devastating slavery was. The story also points out the loss of humanity and compassion. White people went through because of slavery. School teacher being the prime example. Everyone loses when slavery is allowed to occur. We have to learn and understand this mistake and correct it today.
There was a part in the book where someone was telling a story about how the owner of sweet home was proud that his slaves were men and not boys. He would tell this to his friends and they would answer with: I would not want my wife around a black man. He would answer with niether would I and then they'd fight. What was that about?

Reader Response: Indian Killer

Sherman Alexie's Indian killer was a fast paced, interesting, and easy to read book. I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to my friends. It was surprisingly full of violence and sexual content. I'm embarrassed to say that this aspect of the book kept me hooked and turned this assignment into a quick read. The characters in the book were all very relatable and interesting. The author did an excellent job in making the characters believable. I thought it was very controversial dealing with issues of racism and reverse racism. The people were quick to blame Native Americans for the deaths of white people just because the killer scalped them and left owl feathers on their bodies. I was aware of the racism that takes place among other minorities, but I never thought about Native Americans having to deal with discrimination in modern times. He also pointed out how many white people would like to be Native American. I have witnessed this first hand. I was glad that the killer did not kill the little boy, Mark Jones, I know it's silly to say but I probably would not have liked the book if he had. My favorite part was when he returned the boy to his mother's arms. It was so creepy how he walked into the house unnoticed by the cop or the child's parents

Reading Response: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was an interesting and challenging book. I wouldn't say that I enjoyed the book, however, I did enjoy the challenge that the book posed in reading it. Thompson's look at the drug culture of the late 60's and early 70's made for a difficult read as much of the book seemed to flow out of the mind of a person whose brain seemed to be in the firm grasp of a permanent bad acid trip. The narrative was "sketchy" and "spotty". The story continuously digressed to possible future hallucinations due to his constant paranoia. The constant flash forwards disrupted the flow of the story and made it less enjoyable in my opinion. The protagonist was also difficult to relate to. His motives and behaviors were difficult to understand and his actions seemed unrealistic and forced at times.

One aspect of the book that I enjoyed was learning about all the different drugs. I was drug naive before I read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I had no idea that there were so many different drugs and that one person could do so many and still function somewhat. Much of the book read as an encyclopedia entry on different drugs and drug use. I also enjoyed how some parts seemed to glorify drug use and then immediately showed the ugly downside to drug abuse. The book took the mystery out of drug use by showing the consequences of drug use.

The American Dream

The people of the United States have many different dreams for themselves and for the American people. Most of their dreams are centered around freedom. The United States was founded on principles of freedom of religion, eventually freedom from Brittan, and freedom from a too powerful government. It was important to our founders that we have the right to vote for our leaders. Today, most of those ideas are still the dream of the population. Americans enjoy modern conveniences because they believe they should be free to do so. Most Americans feel they deserve big screen tvs, vacations, hand bags, and hundreds of shoes. They dream to live comfortable and have the freedom to do so. It's not necessarily a bad thing to dream about the newest electronics or to desire big screen DLP tv's and the newest ipad. Americans' love the freedom to obtain these things the most. Freedom is at the heart of the American dream. They also practice freedom of speech through many outlets, blogs, facebook, and twitter. Americans' also revel in the freedom to express their ideas with the rest of the world. The United States people dream for fairness and equality for all their fellow citizens.