Interviews

Dad:
Well, I own a home at least for the time being. I have a home, a family, a job, employment. But in all honesty I don’t believe I have actually accomplished reaching that goal because I have no health insurance, I struggle to get by, etc. What is the American Dream because I think that things could be better or they could be worse, but they damn sure could be better too.

Mom:
My American Dream was to get married and have a family and let my children grow up and to pursue their dreams.

Swedish Substitute (Ms. Martina Jonsson):

It should mean going from nothing to going to everything both in a social aspect and a financial aspect. I have achieved it because my family is a perfect example of it because my family came to the US in 1933. Since then we were doing well, and in some ways we were doing better here than in Sweden.

Reflection:
I realized that my dad has been through some rough times where it seemed like there was no chance for recovery but he always pulled through and what might have been the lack of justice, or the loss of government support, or even because of the unfairness of life and he has lost hope. He grew up thinking that life would be a breeze because our government was supportive but he experienced an epiphany somewhere along the line and if I had to guess when, I would say it was when he became badly injured in his car crash. On the other hand, however, my mom specifically states her view of the American Dream as a sort of common thought because everyone wants their children to grow up, fulfill their dream, and be successful but I understand her completely because she loves her children. I acknowledged both of their responses but I thought that my dad put a little bit more thought into his. I also realized that the American Dream isnn't accesible to everyone but those who are able to have the opportunity to prove themselves can succeed in many ways.