How Great is the American Dream? (Journal #13)

Being an American in 2011, we see the "American Dream" as the most important goal and the way that we live our lives. It has been engraved into our minds to work hard and to achieve the most and to be the best. It is easy for us to understand now, but coming from a different culture- the American Dream may not be as great as we make it out to be.

In "The School Days of an Indian Girl" by Zitkala-Sa, there is a struggle of culture and conformity that the young Indian girl faces her whole life. She is sent to the East to get schooling, learn English, and become civilized. After three years of struggling to make changes to her culture and norms she learns some English but it not completely "civilized" as her older brother. She was very unhappy with this "limbo" place she was in and decided to go back to school to learn more. After going against her mother's will, she went to college to further her education and became a very successful speaker and won many award despite the prejudice she was facing for being Indian. To me, that is the American Dream. She struggled and went through many hard times, but all of her hard work and dedication paid off and she not only was successful, but also was a representative of her culture and people. She showed that Indian people were capable of the same things as white people and that they are hard workers and have the same desires as them too.

The American Dream, although it did come true, it may not have been exactly what she or her family thought it would be. Her last sentences were "The little taste of victory did not satisfy a hunger in my heart. In my mind I saw my mother far away on the Western plains, and she was holding a charge against me." Zitkala-Sa did achieve the American Dream, but in doing so she upset her mother and went against some of what her culture brought her up to do. The hunger in her heart was not just to be educated, smart, and to prove herself- but also it was about being truly happy with her family and friends. I think that her dream was fulfilled, she just needs to do what her heart is telling her to do and go home and be with the ones who love her, then she will be satisfied.