The Low-Wage Worker wanting the American Dream

What she rattling experienced was someone stepping egress of her comfort zone into a life that she was not born onto. Again, though, her main idea was to find a job and be able to survive income for expenses. In reality, those work in a commencement- pay job argon besides trying to survive, and hoping by the block off of the daylight they flip broke even, even though most dont. In Winter Coat, Terrier Griffith, tells the story of what its identical growing up suffering and abstracted to be divers(prenominal). Griffith states that the thing virtually cosmos poor is that you know what it mover to be poor and at that places al expressive styles someone poorer than you. (Tea 61 ) Griffith talks well-nigh what it was like wearing hand me d turn overs, being in the free tiffin program, and other classifications, like standing in the free lunch line, that past embarrassed her. Her mother wanted her to have a future different than the one she was raising Griffith in. Beca use of the pressure from her mom, she realizes that with let on the protection economic stability provides, this is no room for pop offure. She had no room to fail. (Tea 64) She was raised to take the safe road. Griffith talks about the class of battalion, especially by what they are wearing, and explains that by analyse the different rise ups people wear on the train that she rides. She realizes that many people continually contest tit wanting the Ameri toilet Dream everyday. What about the American Dream, the theory that with secure work and perseverance people can transcend in the class in to which they are born? command to intend in it, but I dont. Class is about much than money its about safety and security, knowing that what you have today, you go out have tomorrow.Its about having faith and feeling safe in the knowledge that when my coat gets worn out, there will be other coats. (Tea 65) No librate what class people are in, I believe everyone is trying to detain out their definition of the American Dream. The cost for this hope can be life hanging. In The Just-Add-Water Kennedys and Barbecue Bread Violence, Polyester, starts off her story charge on the American Dream. Polyester states, Fewer than one percent of Americans break out of the class they are born into. (Tea 67) She goes on to tell about her parents and their fantasy of class jumping, and how they devote their lives to it.To her parents, the working class neighborhood, where they lived, was only temporary. Her parents wanted better. stock- lock her grandparents wanted better. It was infix into each generation that you could move higher up in class, with just the right job, the right education, and the right privileges. Her family struggled with this for years. The only procedure of the children was to become rich. When her father landed a job that provided to a greater extent money, her parents felt that they had fulfilled their dream, the American Dream. Polyester states Their dream for us hadnt died.Higher education, to my parents, was still a way for their children to jump class No matter how hard they tested to wrestle us into just-add-water Kennedys, all fifths posturing failed, and so did college. The bottom line was that were swallow class, and there was no way we could be any different. (Tea 73) though the stories are different, the results are the same. Just as Polyester states, very few Americans break out of the class they are born into, though many want to believe its possible. In Rehearings journey, she tries to become light class, but does not succeed.She sets rules and limits, whereas, most begin class dont have rules or limits, only their basic subscribe to is to survive. The bring down class tries to make it to make it to the next month, with the hope that tomorrow they wont need as much. Their dream is that their children will do better than they did, with the hopes that one day, just maybe class can be jumped, if not by them, past maybe their children. When it comes to the relationships of the lower class, look at the relationship Polyester had with her parents. Her parents tried and pushed hard to come out of the class they were in.They tried to fit in, to be different. It was embedded into them by their parents, that they were not worth anything unless they succeeded. This was their reward. Her parents pushed, both them selves and their children. When her father failed, he couldnt deal with the shame and later committed suicide, only apologizing to his parents for failing. To him, to succeed was to be rich to fail was to be poor. After his death, her family went their separate ways. Polyesters family was only unitedly to become rich, to jump a class. But when life showed them that they couldnt they didnt stay together.I dont think it matters which class you are, if your family falls apart, it was together for the wrong reasons. I look at my own family situation when I read all three of these stories . Grew up in a lower class family. Both parents had to work to make ends meet. We were not the poorest of the poor, but there were times where we had to rely on the DOD pantry to eat or sign up for help at Christmas just to get presents. L, in no means, thought I would ever stay there. My parents never pushed me to be better then they were, but believe they wanted more for my siblings and me. My parents divorce when I was young and both remarried.I lived with my mom and step dad, where money was sozzled and I wore hand me downs from my cousin. My dad and his wife had a different life. Though both worked, their kids always had unexampled clothes, and the latest video games. They had a new house, where mine flooded every time it rained. I was on the beach of lower and middle class. I went on to Bible College, where I pursue a dream of working in childrens ministry. To my father, it was a waste of my time, as I would make no money from it. When was done, I found myself working in a call center, at a low wage job, making just enough to make ends meet.After I was married I became a nanny, barely making minimum Wage and having to pay my own taxes. Now we had one child. My husband and I struggled for years, as he was determined off from his job and then tried to start his own business. thither were many health issues that got ignored because we didnt have health insurance. I tried selling Mary Kay Cosmetics, buying into he notion that I could be rich like her if followed the dream Mary Kay laid out for us. The dream stop as a business loss, and costing us more, than I had vest into it at the beginning.Reading all three of these accounts had me relating to many of the situations the authors found them selves in. Griffith accounts of being poor and wanting to be different, reminded me of when I was younger and use to tell stories of my parents being a pilot or working for the government, just so I could fit in. Though the story wasnt true, the desire to fit it was deep rooted, and to this day I even find myself wanting to dress icier, and even more up-class, just so the world wont know I am still lower class. Who is to know that my clothes came from faithfulwill or a garage sale?Polyesters parents remind me of my own father, who believes that a stay-at- home mom doesnt marrow to much, and that a college degree really shows what you are worth. My father wasnt the extreme like Polyesters father, but am continually asked about how much I make, or when I will graduate. I have been promised many things, as great as I finish my degree, because to him, that is all that matters. As for Rehiring, the people she worked with in err low-wage jobs remind me of myself sometimes, I still dont think she could ever truly feel the true emotions of what it is like to be in a low class family.Struggling to make ends meet. Would love to switch places with her and see if she could handle the separate out that seems to follow when you are a low-class worki ng family. I have dreamed of living the American Dream. To own a home, have good schools for my children to attend, to not worry about how much I spend at the grocery store, or even be concerned when or if the bills will get paid. Want a life where health insurance isnt an issue, and Im not living paycheck to paycheck. I have to believe its possible to master it, to have hope.