Abraham Yeung - Blog Post # 6 - The American Dream
Life was hard. The gloomy, cloudy overcast days of barely being able to eat. The cramped apartments of that could barely fit three, let alone twelve. But they had hope.
There were rumors. Rumors that, across the ocean, that great blue sea of nothingness, there was a land of freedom. It was the most beautiful thing you could imagine. The streets were paved with gold. There were rolling hills, snow-capped mountains, all sorts of scenery that the grey skies they had could not offer. It was a land where “all men are created equal.”
And they believed it. They held the belief in their hearts that there was a place better than where they were living now; that life across the sea would be perfect. When times got hard, they saw a ray of hope—that beautiful land of freedom that they imagined, a place that could offer them a new start in life.
“If I could persevere, just one more bit, just a tiny bit more, I can have freedom too.”
They persevered. They struggled, crawled, scraped together every tiny bit of money to come to that land of freedom. Eventually, they came to that land of freedom, with nothing to their name and little knowledge about the people there
They soon realized that the land of freedom was not what it was. There were no golden-paved roads. They were harassed, made fun of for being different. Life was not perfect after arriving––some aspects were very much similar to before.
Still, there was freedom. Freedom to make their own life. Freedom knowing that, if they worked hard enough, had the right knowledge, people would respect them. Freedom that those crowded apartments could not give. That was enough. The life here, in this new land of freedom, would be better. What could a few harsh words do?
After all, these people, privileged in their lives in this land of freedom had not known true hardship. They had not lived, struggled, scrambled as desperately as these newcomers did for freedom, and did not appreciate what they had.
I tried making some story about immigrants Here's the image (not related to the article, it was just a good sign):
Hi Abraham, I found the tone of your blog refreshing, the lack of any personal pronouns made it seem as though you were speaking about an entity bigger than yourself, confusing at first, but it kept me hooked throughout the entirety of your blog. I also liked the juxtaposition you used to contrast the promise of the american dream, which drew in majority of our immigrant parents I assume, and the harsh reality. I also appreciated your awareness of your situation, as we live in a bubble of diversity and acceptance in the bay area and specifically fremont so we do not see the issues of racism and the harsh truth of america as often as our parents and many others once did. I also enjoyed that you recognized your freedom, as it is taken for granted by many in fortunate situations like ours. Overall, I enjoyed your blog as I found it a refreshing break from studying for Ap Psychology.
ReplyDeleteHi Abraham, I just wanted to start off by saying I really enjoyed your blog this week. The imagery, the details, and the overall tone contributed to a blog post that flowed really well. Coming from an immigrant family myself, I’ve heard this very story many times and it was very relatable and I love how you connected the idea of America, this idealized escape that immigrants view it as versus the way it really is as far as the treatment of immigrants and discrimination goes. This might sound like I’m rhetorically analyzing your writing, but your repetition of the word “Freedom” was really powerful. The way you transitioned into talking about how immigrants had to fight for their freedom and a better life and how they wouldn’t let a few hateful words from people take away from the fact that they were building a better life for themselves. Obviously it is not good that xenophobia is so prevalent in society (although we might not see much of this in the Bay Area) it is a great reminder that immigrants have to weigh how much the anti-immigrant sentiment will get to them versus how lucky they are to have escaped previous living situations and the conditions which led to them leaving their home countries. Overall, I really enjoyed your blog post this week, it was both an insightful and relatable read.
ReplyDeleteHi Abraham! I just want to start off by saying I really enjoyed the direction that you went with for this week’s blog post. I feel like the story aspect made me really internalize and remember what immigrants have to go through in a country that depends on them, but at the same time does not want them. Your line about “the streets [being] paved with gold” reminds me of the stories that my parents tell me about wanting to move to America. I also thought the inclusion of the “‘all men are created equal’” was really interesting, as (for me at least) it creates a juxtaposition when you bring up the harassment these conceptual immigrants face. I overall really enjoyed this post, as I have been seeing frightening videos of ICE forcefully detaining immigrants with increased brutality. I also looked at the article that you provided and found it very insightful. Personally, I tend to look at these types of protests with skepticism, as the pressure is only applied for one day, but organization in combating anti-immigration policies is much needed. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYour blog this week encapsulates so many of our and our parents’ stories. We may come from different places, but this narrative of persevering through strife and then landing in a country rumored to be the best of the best only to find out it wasn’t quite as glorious as we were told (but still better than where we came from) still has the ability to resonate with many of us, as does this idea of Americans who are not first or second generation “not appreciat[ing] what they had.”
ReplyDeleteI like how you chose a different style of writing this time! I remember drawing political cartoons in our history class, so a lot of the imagery you used here is still fresh in my mind; I am especially captivated by you calling the ocean “that great blue sea of nothingness.” I hope you keep experimenting with narratives, though I may be biased because I have the most fun writing abstract story blogs.
Also, I appreciate the image you chose as there is that satisfying irony of twisting Trump’s “make America great again” slogan into a phrase supporting a group of people he is avidly against. Good job with your blog!