The American Dream

The myth of the American Dream is a theme explored throughout T.C. Boyle’s novel, “The Tortilla Curtain” when two of his main characters cross the border into Southern California. The illegal immigrants, Candido and America, travel to the United States in hopes of finding a better life, also known as the American Dream. America mentions several times in the book what her personal definition of the term means: buying an apartment. To America, living in their own apartment with running water and a refrigerator means that the couple has finally reached the better life they dreamed of. Using the links and sources I have provided for you below you will gain an understanding of what the American Dream was, what it is now, and how it varies from person to person. After using the research to develop your own opinion on the matter, you will use the questions below to guide you and then create an original blog post. Although you must read the information I provide, you are not required to have research in your blog post; the blog post is purely your opinion.



Questions to focus on for your blog post:

How has the concept of the “American Dream” changed? Do you think there is a general understanding of the “American Dream” now, or has it become a personalized goal? Considering the downward spiral of America’s current economy, do you think it will continue to be a place to come for financial security and employment opportunity?



Sources:

Delicious: http://delicious.com/giordaki
(make sure you listen the song on the youtube link AND read the lyrics)

Itunes: Go into itunes and type into the search engine “illegal immigration” then click podcasts, then from podcasts go to the second row, the last one on the right and suscribe to the podcast, “I’m the Divider”. You must listen to these episodes of the podcast.

Peer Blog: http://www.csquaredc.blogspot.com/ Corey Cantor's Blog

Blog from outside of class: http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/mtarchive/002173.html

School database: http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&docId=5025008152



Quotes to think about:
"His dreams were real. He wasn't flying through the air or talking with the ghost of his mother or vanquishing his enemies-he was stalled i the garbage dump in Tijuana, stalled at the wire, and America was sick with the gastro and he didn't have a cent in the world after the cholos and the coyotes had got done with him" (Boyle 18).

"He was dreaming still, dreaming with his eyes open, images shuffled like cards in a deck till he didn't know what was real and what wasn't" (Boyle 20).

" I want one of those houses. A clean white one made out of lumber that smells like the mountains, with a gas range and a refrigerator, and maybe a little yard so you can plant a garden and make a place for the chickens. Thats what you promised me, didn't you?" (Boyle 29).

"He was saved. He was alive. There was no sky, there was no earth and the wind drove at them with pellets of rain and the water crashed at his feet, but he was alive and breathing and huddled in the arms of his wife, his thin beautiful shivering girl of a wife" (Boyle 354).