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The American Dream: Poverty In The United States

834 Words4 Pages

There are many ways to define poverty. Poverty is a state of being poor and not possessing enough means to survive financially. Although some people live a poor lifestyle, they have a rich person’s attitude. This can cause many problems and ruin their life. They will always want something that they cannot have, so some people will scam, steal, and kill to get what they want. Poverty affects almost everyone in the lower and middle classes because of the increasing dropout rate for both high schools and colleges, the high unemployment rate, and because nearly everyone wants to live the “American Dream.” For the people that grew up in a life of poverty, it will either make them strive to do better and use their education as a great opportunity to a better life or waste it all by wanting to do the same thing their parents do all their life. For example, some people may work a minimum wage job, live off of government funding, and fail with many get rich quick schemes. The high …show more content…

The “American Dream” was brought up primarily from these principles. All poor people should know that everything will not be given to them on a silver platter. There are a few people that live in poverty who think that they will live the “American Dream” by doing illegal things. The quickest way to earn money is not the right way. Fancy houses and luxury cars are not valuable if one did not earn it by getting a good education and job. In the fictional story “The Lesson” Bambara states, “Who are these people that spend that much on performing clowns and a thousand dollars on toy sailboats? What kinda work they do and how they live and how come we ain’t on it?” (5). These children know that there is a better life out there compared to the way they are living. The “American Dream” is filled with eye-catching material items that many people want and will do anything to get them. A life of crime will lead to serious jail

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