Comparing American Dream In 'Ldquo And Becoming American'

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Ashley Tausaga Mrs. Davies English 1A 8 October 2009 Permanent Culture Most believe that the American dream is to be famous and extremely wealthy. Others believe the American dream is to succeed and to get an education. Most people in America take advantage of the opportunities given to them. They don’t realize the struggle that other countries face and the limited opportunities they receive. Richard Wright, Dinesh D’Souza, and Judith Cofer realize how different things are in America compared to their lifestyle and culture, and tell about how it impacted their lives. In “Becoming American”, by Dinesh D’Souza, he explains the hardships immigrants face when they come to America and how you can have…show more content…
He wasn’t able to get a library card, so he asked one of his co-workers, Mr. Falk, if he could borrow his library card to read books written by H.L Mencken. After reading a couple novels from Mencken, Wright states, “Reading was like a drug, a dope” (Wright 432). He was addicted because reading created feelings he has never felt before, and he felt like he knew what the white men were feeling. The books he read gave him a better understanding on the way the white men live, and their lifestyle. Reading changed his attitude that the white men noticed; they figured out he was reading novels and questioned him about reading such deep and narrative stories. Wright being able to read is new to the southerners, but he too wondered if there was any Negros other than himself who read novels that he liked. He says, “My reading created a vast sense of distance between me and the world in which I lived and tried to make a living, and that sense of distance was increasing each day.” (Wright 434) From feeling great about life when he read novels that created something he’s never felt before, to wondering if he could hold up the feeling of terror, tension, and anxiety. He feels that “well-to-do negroes” didn’t exist in the world, he believes they’re from somewhere in another world, and that this world is occupied by

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