Imagine life as a monopoly board game. Two players are selected to play but the only difference is one is granted with double the money, not one die, but two, and along with the ability to get 400 dollars rather than 200 every time they passed go. The notion of the American Dream is that everyone has an equal opportunity; you just have to decide to play. What happens when the prospect isn’t there? Equal opportunity is a superlative, but it’s not reality. Fundamentally, the American Dream is an idea which proposes that all people can succeed through hard work, and that all people have the potential to live happy, successful lives.
To live in complete bliss that something amazing is going to come from your hard work used to be the way to live; but today hard work doesn’t guarantee anything. Unlike most sophomore high school students I’ve known since the day I started writing stories in third grade that I wanted to grow up to become a writer. College has always been expected for my future. According to Bloomberg News, the cost of college has gone up more than 500% since 1985, college is becoming impossible for many. From creating my own school newspaper in fifth grade to keeping endless amounts of journals throughout the years, writing has always been a strong passion of mine. Dreaming of one day making it to New York City and working for the New York Times as the Wedding journalist kept my hope of something better alive for many years. Independently supporting yourself while doing something you love has become more of a dream than a reality. Although the American Dream may be departed, my hopes and dreams for the future will unquestionably stay alive. Lennie French grew up in poverty, watching his parents work to provide for himself and his sixteen siblings. Born in Quebec, Canada, Lennie understood struggle since day one. With little food in his house always his father did the best to provide. Once he was old enough to work ,he was sent to work on a farm and received fourteen dollars a week which he gave all to his father in return for 50 cents of it. In search for a better life he moved to Connecticut in his earlier twenties. He worked on building log cabins while trying to support his wife and six kids. With no job, no bread, and no light coming from the end of the tunnel, Lennie continued to do all he could for work. A miracle needed to be answered for this family of eight and so it did: 91820272931, eleven numbers that would change his life forever. While Lennie and his wife sat in front of their TV one cold winter Tuesday in 1986, they would have never have predicted their lives would by no means be the same. “Lennie French, local 4.4 million dollar lottery winner,” ran across all local news stations. Never would he have to struggle with keeping his head above water again. He decided to evenly distribute the money to his six kids giving them each 20,000 per year. Winning the lottery for Lennie was not only about the money but being able to provide a better life for his children and grandchild. Lennie started out with just a dream of making it and ended with a comfortable lifestyle. His story helps define the American Dream.
Eighteen and graduated with not only a high school diploma