Promising a new life full of wealth, happiness, and opportunity, the American Dream brought over five million immigrants to the United States in the twentieth century. Through her memoir Heartland, author Sarah Smarsh reveals the less publicized perspective by taking the reader on a journey through her childhood, filled with prejudice, poverty, and struggle. Smarsh recognizes the threats that poverty poses to her family, such as unsafe work environments and abusive relationships. She describes the patterns that confined each generation before her and how, one by one, each of her family members fell victim to poor education and low-paying jobs, trapping them in a cycle of poverty. Although Smarsh herself manages to break her family's cycle of extreme poverty, a look at her background and family history demonstrates that the American dream is, in its essence, unattainable. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Born in 1931, the American Dream promises freedom and opportunity for everyone in the United States and creates great expectations in American life. James Truslow Adams, who coined the phrase “American Dream,” believed that “life should be better, richer, and fuller for all, with opportunities for each based on ability or achievement,” regardless of social class or from the circumstances of birth. Based on individualism, it promises equal opportunity for all and has even led millions of people to emigrate from their home countries to pursue the idealistic “white picket fence” life for which America is most famous. The United States, whose reputation promises a surplus of jobs, wealth and a perfect family life, guarantees both immigrants and American parents the freedom and security so that their children can do and be anything in the “land of opportunity.” ”. Despite what Americans are promised, every day they are forced to face the harsh reality of the American dream and learn that the perfect society may not be achievable. One of the most limiting factors in American life is social class and the limited class mobility that has existed throughout our country's history. The American Dream promises that regardless of your current status, anyone with a purpose and work ethic can rise through the ranks and find success; however, the cycle of poverty says otherwise. Although a high school diploma is free, children whose parents are unable to provide them with a college degree are significantly limited in pursuing career opportunities and will be forced to accept low-paying jobs. These children in turn will face the same difficulties as the generations before them and will likely begin the cycle again. In other words, children's prospects are dictated by their parents' economic situation, and without being born into a wealthy family, you simply don't have much social mobility. This idea that one's success or failure is dictated by the lives of one's children or one's parents is a common theme throughout Smarsh's story and is evidenced in the repeated influences that limit her family and keep her trapped in the cycle of poverty. One such pattern is teenage pregnancy, in which both she and her mother are born. Throughout her memoir, Smarsh acknowledges these pregnancies as a major contributing factor to her family's poverty, writing to her unborn daughter August and emphasizing that by not giving birth to a child, she saves him from becoming part of this cycle . He talks about his adolescence and howwere a crucial period in her life, as she was determined not to allow a pregnancy to force her into codependency, saying that "there are men... from whom a woman without economic means will have more difficulty escaping". Determined and extraordinarily clear-headed, she remains on the "warpath of fulfillment" because she carries with her the belief that she "deserves to be seen and heard in a way that no person ever knew." She attributes this persistent mindset and her escape from teenage pregnancy to the support of her grandparents. Another pattern in his family that Smarsh is able to escape is a lifestyle of constant moving and relocating. Due to hardship and abuse within her marriages, Smarsh's grandmother constantly moves across the country as a young adult, forcing Smarsh's mother, Jeannie, to move nearly fifty times by the time she reaches high school. This lack of stability is another cycle in his family's history and is an inhibitor of social and intellectual growth. To achieve the elusive American Dream you need to get an education; however, if one is forced to constantly change schools due to the threat of physical abuse, a child's education is no longer within his or her control. Smarsh details how her mother often missed opportunities due to changing schools mid-year, such as sports tryouts and auditions for school plays, and cites this as another reason her mother was stuck in a life she didn't ask for. If she hadn't been able to stay with her grandmother, Smarsh acknowledges that she, too, would have been forced to move home and school every year and would have fallen behind in her education. Individuals should not be forced to choose between depriving their children of opportunities and living in a dangerous environment. This reinforces the nonexistence of the American dream, showing that no matter how hard we work, sometimes there are forces outside of our control that have the ability to set us up for failure. Although it could be argued that by being successful and breaking the cycle Due to his family's poverty, Smarsh proves the existence of the American Dream. His success wasn't achieved by simply trying harder than the rest of his family. Belief in the American Dream leads to denial that poverty is a problem and leads many to assume that poor people must be lazy: Smarsh's family is anything but. While each member of their family faces more challenges due to poverty than many of us can imagine, each generation manages to stay afloat and provide for their family, which I would consider a success. The reason Smarsh is able to “get out” is not simply by working hard, otherwise every family member before her would have achieved the same – in her words, “if you're poor, chances are you'll stay poor, no matter how much you work hard.” He is successful because he grows up observing the effects of poverty on his family and is able to identify and counteract the series of events that appear to be turning points in the lives of his family members. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay While Smarsh credits hard work as a factor in his success, the real message of his story is that believing in yourself and your ability to effect change is what really makes the difference. In his deeply thoughtful memoir, he provides much-needed insight that, while there are many aspects of life that are beyond our control, recognizing them is the first step in overcoming them. Although it is true that not everyone in.