...Zalvin Prof. Jennifer Crane QU101 9/13/10 Creating An Identity In Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama he talks about his life experiences and how it formed him as a human being. The story also shows his interpretation of what a solid community should consist of, as well as how individuals should interact with each other within the community. Through out his life he was discovering who he was by new meeting people and trying new things. An individual’s identity is formed through life experiences and cannot be sustained because it is ever changing. A community is a group of people that are brought together by friends, family, neighbors, and people with common interests. Communities are important because it gives people a sense of belonging and being wanted. And in Dreams From My Father, those were the needs and values that Barack was searching for. Communities are sustained through shared values, trust, loyalty, and a sense of safety. In a community people have moral responsibilities to other people and the community as a whole. Communities have moral responsibilities to their individual members because they need to keep their community together. Sometimes you get put into situations where you want to look out for yourself rather than the big picture with the community. You have to be able to put others in front of you sometimes so that you can avoid these types of conflicts. My favorite excerpt from the text came when his father was insulted by a man who...
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...My Perfect Dream Vacation: There's No Place Like Home Almost everyone has their own idea of a dream vacation. It's the perfect place to get away from the reality of every day life and the stress that goes along with it, and the choices and ideas of the “perfect vacation” are as varied as the people who dream about them. Some fantasize about lazing on a warm, sunny beach with soft ocean breezes and a cold exotic drink at their side. Some dream of forests and wildlife, cool running streams, and fresh mountain air that is thick with the scent of pine. There are those whose ideas of the perfect dream vacation involves the thrill of stock car racing mixed with the roar of the crowd, the smell of fuel and hot asphalt that's mingled with the smell of hot dogs and fries from the concession stand, and the heart stopping excitement of mishaps on the track. So what is my idea of the perfect dream vacation? It's simple. It's the place where there are no crowds, everything is familiar, the food is prepared to my specific taste, and the bed is my own. For me, there is no place like home. With a little forethought and planning, even home can be turned in to a dream vacation getaway. A leisurely breakfast is the perfect way to start each vacation day. A plate of fresh fruits, fluffy scrambled eggs, toast with butter, and a cup of hot coffee is sure to chase away that sleepy feeling and energize you for the day ahead. Maybe your favorite breakfast includes a bowl...
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...Back to School A country thrives when its citizens contribute and make an effort to make the most of what they are offered in life. President Barack Obama is very aware of this and has made it an important subject and goal in his presidential career to inspire youngsters in the right direction, both for their own sake and their country’s. Barack Obamas’ speech “Back to School” at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia was held in September 8, 2009. The age of the present audience varied to children from kindergarten and all the way up to twelfth grade. In addition to that, the speech was also broadcasted to students all over the country. The audience is obviously extremely great, and the speech will therefore have a tremendous impact on several individuals. The first thing Obama seems to focus on in his speech on the first day of the children’s school day are in fact the children themselves. He speaks directly to them, and initiates the whole thing by telling everyone that being nervous is perfectly normal. He has obviously tried it himself when he was their age. Very easily he finds a way to make everyone relate to him by telling stories from his own life. Barack Obama did not grow up under the best circumstances. He was raised by a single mother whom was very passionate about doing what was best for her son. She even sought to homeschool Obama, when he wasn’t at school. She wanted to make sure he would have the best possible future. This particular section of the speech...
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...really means to be free and what the real meaning is. Do we as a society understand how some laws were meant for all and some that were really placed in law for others? There are rules and laws that are set in place just for people of color or minority and some that are set in place for all if the all fit in the category set forth in that particular law. To this day the law is not equal. Crucial Social and Political incidents When my parents moved our family from Newark, NJ to Piscataway, NJ in the early 70’s, my father wanted to find a place better than where we were coming from. He found a home in an area that the builder was told not to sell to blacks. The builder did not care, he cared that my father had the down payment and he was approved, so the builder let my father buy the home. There was a reason why blacks were not allowed in that area. It all started with the bomb threats, sugar in our car gas tank, screen door torn from off the front door and racial slurs written on the garage doors. That is just the tip of the iceberg. My father told us never to cross to the other side of the road. We could never figure out why, until one day we decided to ride our bikes to the school on the other side of the road. We were at the school no more than five minutes before three police cars pulled and with sirens hailing. They told us to drop the bikes and lay on the ground. He asked us where we stole the bikes from. We told them our father bought them for us. One of...
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...In the Name of Identity: Who are you? What makes you, you? How are you recognized as a human being? What makes you different than every other person in the world? These questions contribute to your identity regardless of what you look like or where you come from. Every single person in the world is different whether it is visible to others or not. Although we are all different, we connect and form relationships through common ideas, values, and goals. In the novel Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, by Barack Obama, he recalls many different issues involving his identity as a whole in addition to the communities he lived in and principle values he was raised to believe. Throughout the story Obama creates a theme of struggle involving his own identity. He relates these issues towards his own community and explains how certain occurrences shaped his character values and personality. The word individual can be defined in various ways. It is a word that can apply to many different aspects of life as well as raising questions about who exactly we are as individuals and how we became the who we are today. Some factors that contribute to shaping our identities are social, educational, economic and historical. While Obama was growing up, identity was something he struggled with deeply. He was constantly moving, which forced him to experience different communities and ultimately aided in forming his identity. Looking back on it now, it seems beneficial, but at...
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...My Dream Home Sonya L. Beal Virginia College My Dream Home My dream home will be an Old Mill Brick Ranch style home. I want my dream home to be a place of gathering for family and friends. I want my home to be approximately 2,500 to 3,000 square feet. I want Brazilian hard wood floors throughout except for in the bedrooms, kitchen, and bathrooms. I want a 3 car garage with customized garage doors. I want 3 bedrooms and 3 ½ bathrooms including master suite. One of the key focal points of my dream home will be the kitchen. I must have a huge eat in kitchen with a center island with bar stools surrounding the island. I want cherry wood cabinets with nickel hardware. I want stainless steel appliances with built in dual ovens, double door refrigerator, dishwasher, garage disposal and a wine cooler. I want a neutral tumbled stone and glass tile for my back splash. My two guest rooms will be equal in size to each other. I want walk in closets in both bedrooms. I want neutral colored walls in both bedrooms. I would like neutral color in carpet in each of the bedrooms. The walls would need to be painted a Quiver tan. My master suite will be the little retreat away from it all. I would like a sitting area with an electric or gas fireplace. I want and need a huge walk in closet and dressing room with built-ins. My master retreat walls I would want a mushroom in color. The floors in the master retreat will be a neutral Berber carpet. I want double doors entering into the master...
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...Describe your American dream My American dream is very difficult to describe. This is mainly because I came from a very poor country where opportunities were so few and far between that there really was nothing to dream about. When I found out I’d be coming to the US, I began watching more television and did begin to formulate what I’d like to make out of my time in America. In the beginning I wanted to finish my education at the university level, someday own a home, buy a nice car, and settle down with a nice man. I must say, I have already achieved 3 of those 4 goals and I’m in the process of achieving the 4th. I believe the American dream for me will be ever changing. As I see more of the opportunities available, my dreams and desires will continue to grow. At this point, I would have to say that my dream is now to grow my business into a full time job, help my husband buy our dream home which will the final home that we will raise our daughter and future children in, and finish my bachelor’s degree in nursing. My husband and I started a small online business several months ago and it has been growing rapidly. I am able to run that business during my free time between classes, but as school finishes, I’d like to be able to count on that business for a full time income while I look for a nursing job. After that, I hope to hire employees and still be able to make a profit. While my husband and I do own a home now, we do not consider this our final house. ...
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...2014 Home Sweet Home Everyday individuals are often forced to mature too quickly because of their environmental surroundings. The House on Mango Street, written by Sandra Cisneros, is an example of how a society has the ability to directly impact young lives, in turn creating necessary "rites of passage." Through her environment, Esperanza, one of the many girls living on Mango Street, learns how to survive in a world full the unknown. Some may believe that the setting for this novel has no bearing on young Esperanza; however, Esperanza's character and transition into adulthood are dramatically defined by her own surroundings and neighborhood. Sandra Cisernos's The House on Mango Street portrays the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago. She has a vision of what her dream home should look like. She dreams of a house with a large beautiful backyard, real staircase, more than one bathroom, and just a house that she is overall proud to live in. Her house on Mango Street is the complete opposite to her dreams. It was a small red house, with just one washroom, no private backyard or green lawns. Esperanza is clear that her house on Mango Street is not what she wants. More importantly through the process of finding herself she is able to put together a meaning of what it is like to feel "at home." Esperanza believes that to feel "at home" a person is comfortable, relaxed and at ease in their home. By the end of the book she does not find the home of her dreams in reality...
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...The American Dream Dreams can be big or small, sentimental or materialistic, from wanting five dollars to a nice car to world peace and everything in between. Everyone has dreams in life, they are what make the world turn, but only the person dreaming can put forth the effort to achieve that dream. I have a dream to become a cardiologist or heart doctor, which requires me to graduate high school, graduate college, and graduate from medical school. Although it won’t be easy, getting my high school diploma is the first major part of my dream in which I’ll need to get good grades, attend school, and give my best effort. Getting good grades is a key step to graduate high school. To do this I’ll need to attend school regularly and give my absolute best effort. I can do this by getting plenty of sleep, turning in all my homework, studying for every test and working my schedule around school. Even on those days where I’m feeling lazy or go hang out with my friends I’ll have to keep in mind the big picture and make sacrifices. All four years of high school will require every ounce of effort I possess, but in the end I know walking across that stage with a diploma in my hand, one step closer to my dream, it’ll be worth the sacrifices. In the next step, graduating college, I’ll need to be able to force myself to go to class, make the grades, and not get distracted by college life. During the college years it can be much easier to skip class and not do your work, considering you don’t...
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...and wealth, are said synonymously with the phrase "The American Dream". It seems that it takes money to be happy and economic stature to be accepted; however, many people who fall into this trap out of ignorance will never achieve "The American Dream" they strive towards. The cliché, "In America, you can be whatever you want," always brings a smirk to my face. I am not a cynical person, but this just isn't true. If I decided I wanted to be the star of the next Academy Award winning hit, no matter how much I "want" it, it is not guaranteed to happen. In defense, many people will argue that one shouldn't take the remark so literally, that it just means that the avenue's and highways to success exist, it is the person's choice weather they take them or not; unfortunately, that is not the case. In the Great Gatsby Nick Carroway explains his love as, “…it was full of money-that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbal’s song of it…”(127) Hundred's of people start off with the Idea of becoming someone, and as their life progresses, they must completely adapt to a change of pace and ideas. How many people have gone out, and achieved the correct degrees, met the right people, been hired at the perfect job-only to be let go for a reason they could not have controlled. This is the Idea that I discussed on the first day of class. The idea of the Mesa being like the American dream, “You climb and climb, only to reach a plateau, that you will...
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...It’s the game of life. Do I win or do I lose? One day they’re gonna shut the game down, I gotta have as much fun and go around the board as many times as I can before it’s my turn to leave”, these are the words that the famous rapper and poet, Tupac Shakur once said. He’s referring to life as a game and that we all have to make the best of. As a child everyone has dreams whether its something as realistic as becoming a teacher to something so unrealistic such as living in Narnia. Making the best of life is what I try doing, dreams that money can buy most importantly. My dreams and goals before I die are to build a home for a needy family in Mexico, having a big family and my last is to take my parents on a trip to another country. Yeah I know what your thinking just another bucket list, but this is a bucket list with realistic ideas that I plan to take with me on his stroll of life. Body; The feeling of giving and getting happiness in return is one of the best feelings of life. My biggest goal is to build a home for a poor family in Mexico. Mexico itself is a corrupted country with a high rate in poverty. Speaking from experience that I have visited Mexico and hearing the struggles my parents went through growing up in Mexico make me realize how much luck has to do with growing up. When I visit Mexico, one of my aunts lives in the poverty area, seeing how they barely have doors and they have go to the bathroom outside in a so called bathroom, makes me come back to the united states...
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...According to Merriam-Webster, a dream can be defined as a series of thoughts, images or emotions occurring during sleep. Form many people, sleep can be a disturbing time, but for others it can be a peaceful, longing time of the day. For me, I LOVE my sleep, as well as any dreams that may accompany my slumber. I would like to think I have a very vivid imagination, based on some of the dreams that I encounter. I do find that I can remember most of my dreams, at least for a few hours, however, by the end of the day, I honestly can say that last night’s dream has been long since forgotten. After having a late night talk with my brother a year or so ago, I discovered that he and I are even more similar than I thought. He revealed to me that he often times gets a sense of déjà vu, most frequently after “dreaming”. Ever since I was a teenager, many times I feel as though I encounter situations that I have dreamt about. For example, today while sitting in an office meeting, I was just sitting and minding my own business, when all of a sudden I turned my head and looked at someone giving a presentation, I felt as though I had just dreamt that very scenario a few weeks ago. It certainly can’t be explained, but I got such a weird feeling, that I interpret as déjà vu. I personally do not believe that my dreams solve my problems nor answer my problems. What I do believe however is that my dreams are often times prompted by situations going on in my life. For example, I started a...
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...My Dream House A house is a place to stay with your family. A good house is the one that makes the dweller feell comfortable. My dream house has all facilities and spacious garden. I want to do my best to have my dream house built. Actually, my dream house is so simple to make if I have a lot of money.I woud like to live in a vila because it is very big and peaceful with a beautiful panorama of the city. On the first floor I want to have six bedrooms, one bedrooms for my parents, one bedroom for me, and the other bedroom for my children. Every bedroom I should have a set of furniture and the facilities. Every bathroom will have a shower or a bathtub. The kitchen will be equipped with a fridge to store food a stove to cook and facilities,such as hot and cold running water,gas and electricity. On the ground floor of my house there will be a big living room,a place where my family will spend their leisure time. Every side of the second floor will have many glass windows, so that I could enjoy the view from the second floor. I will plant lots of fruit trees in my back garden. Behind my house I will place a swimming pool and tiny football pitch because my hobby is playing football. I will use the pitch to play games with my friends after work,(I cannot be imagine my life without football). I know that it will not be easy for me to build my dream house because it needs investment. So, I must be a successful businessman my family,and the other...
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...2011 My Dream “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe” Anatole France. Growing up I’ve always wanted to live on a beach. Always watching movies and seeing pictures made me want that dream even more. To make this dream come true, I know I have a great deal of work ahead of me. Create a goal to get through school and get a good job, saving up all the money I can, to pay for this place that I want to call my dream home. While making my way through high school I would always tell my parents how I wanted a beautiful home on a beach. They always told me to go get good grades and go to school to get a good job. Through high school I really struggled to get the grades that I knew would get me somewhere. When I realized that I could push myself to do better in school I took advantage of that opportunity. I went out and found tutors and got the help that I needed to raise my grades. As time went on I kept succeeding and I was getting A’s and B’s instead of C’s and D’s. Even if my dream of living on a beach didn’t come true I would still want to look back and know that I did well in school. After getting accepted into college, I’ve never felt so accomplished. Cause I knew that I was actually going somewhere in life. Deciding what I wanted to study was a big obstacle. Following a bunch of different research I decided what I was going to study. I decided to study Radiology. It was one of the career fields that fit my personality...
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...The Fall of Affordable Dream Homes How well can someone know the reasons for failure of a business? In my case, intimately. I partnered with my husband Dave for five years as a general contractor in our business Affordable Dream Homes. We became a statistic, one of the fifty-five percent of businesses that fail before their fifth anniversary (Hatten, 2009, p. 17). In the years that have passed since our business failed, I’ve mulled over why and have wrestled with what we could have done differently. Businesses fail for many reasons. Our case was classic. We failed in the long run first and foremost due to poor management. We also lacked capital, expert advice, marketing know-how, and we were pricing our product incorrectly. Off to a Great Start We started the business with great prospects, however. My husband Dave and I had dreamed of opening our own business for over ten years. Both of us craved the independence afforded us of working for ourselves, but between the two of us, we didn’t possess much in the way of small business management experience. I worked as an accounting and administrative clerk. Dave had a degree in construction management. He had managed a Winchell’s donut shop for two and a half years fresh out of college and then worked in residential construction as a construction manager and finish carpenter for five years. We became homebuilders in March of 1992. Our goal was to build beautiful, affordable new homes for clients and we named...
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