David Ignatow Determination

In this time period, the American dream has been highly debatable. People see it as an old-fashioned way of achieving goals or being normal. Now it may be seen as financial stability, when in fact it is so much more than money. Is it possible? The American Dream, being complete comfort and stability in one's life, is still achievable through hard work towards one’s goals and determination towards a comfortable life style. Throughout history and in modern life, hard work has been used to achieve one’s goals over time and lead to a comfortable and patriotic lifestyle depicted by the American Dream. Martin Espada, writer and former law school attendant, writes of his experiences before getting to school and pursuing his dream job, “Ten years

David Ignatow’s poetry expresses determination not from himself, but from someone close to him. He speaks of his father coming here and working, ready to push forward and get what he wants. His father was full of anxiety, poor, and in undesirable conditions, and he still kept going. (66). Ignatow’s father was determined. He lived through a time when things were not as easy as they were now, but he finally got to a comfortable place for both him and his son. Furthermore, Robert Acuna’s determination in finding a union is a great example for this path to the American dream, too. He never gave up. He speaks of what his determination brought him, saying, “Working in the fields is not in itself a degrading job. It’s hard, but if you’re given regular hours, better pay, decent housing, unemployment, and medical compensation, pension plans-we have a very relaxed way of living” (76 Terkel). Acuna reached all this through determination. Pushing forward in his protests, demands, and questions, he received the comforts described in his interview. If one really wants something, hard work will not teleport them there. It has to be this determination, this perseverance that keeps going to this