SUCCESS OPPORTUNITIES IN USA

TaiLam CaliforniaStateUniversity,USA

The concepts of success and how to achieve it are not new topics. Although these concepts can be reduced to either in the field of ones profession or in terms of accomplishment, the definitions of individual success opportunity can differ from culture to culture and can be affected by one's socio-economic status. Why? What affects our consideration of success? Is there a standard of success that is universally recognized? These are the commonly concerned matters. In one of ragto-riches stories, "From Ragged Dick" by Horatio Alger, was intended to be inspirational that hard work always produces the reward of upward mobility. The Alger Myth provides the notion that anyone can achieve success and can be what they want to be in America if they are persistent. But Dalton, in his "Horatio Alger", criticizes the ideas that presents America as a place where opportunity for a success is possible for all hard working and talented people regardless of races and their social status. He believes that Alger's messages as a myth are socially destructive. I agree with Dalton in his belief of the Alger myth through social realities as racial discrimination. But I do not completely agree with him exaggerating that such myth does much more harm than good to the society. Individual worth is still the social criterion we should care about. Furthermore, Alger myth has a worth that means to illustrate a moral point; without it, individuals will lose their motivation to struggle for a improved future.
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Dalton is probably right to imply that Alger myth's equality for success is only a wishful thinking. It can never come true unless there is a big change in social-economic structure and resource relocation (Dalton, 280). One might think that everyone in America may be able to reach their true potential providing that they have enough willpower to obtain. It is acceptable, however, it's not easy to achieve depending on social class within the economy. Inferior-class individuals who want to betterment themselves might at first have job opportunities at lowestpaid workplace where people of upper-class, namely the Whites, will never accept to. Generally the Whites are more successful in many situations, as the Whites can be facilitated by their preferred social positions, while other Americans believe that they can simply "lift themselves up by their own bootstraps (Dalton, 280). Another phenomenon of inequality can be observed in employment recruitment. For example, in certain instances, the information obtained through preemployment interviews and employment application forms might have been used to deny employment opportunities to the candidates. Race, ethnicity, color, national origin and even political affiliation, etc could be considered as the priority factors of recruited opportunity. The hiring standards are said to be equal to everybody, but in fact, they're only in favor of whoever sets them. Additionally, in "Ragged Dick", Alger provides hope for those (especially children) who are not raised in better backgrounds. By "Hard work, persistence, initiative, and daring invariable to transcend station in life", one can change one's life and move upward (Dalton 150). Yet, I agree with Dalton that this is a useful myth only for upperclass, and just an utopian scheme for the counter peers. Children from the "lower 2

class", i.e. colored races, have no actual tangible evidence to witness that someone around them can achieve the type of success they've dreamt of. The messages of merit in Alger myth is in fact a misleading notion, it cannot support an equal playing field for every American in the country. I partially agree with Dalton's belief that Algers messages are nothing more than a false myth that in many ways does more harm to the lower-class than good. Because success in life, as Alger myth suggests, has nothing to do with anything beyond individual control like race, class background, gender or national origin. Those variables may exist, but they play no worthy role in how individual actions are evaluated. The idea that individuals are solely judged on their worth is true only when it means to the Whites. Not all other races are looked at or treated the same regardless the color of their skin. Colored people can only be compared against their same race peers, they cannot be judged by the same standard as the Whites. Stereotypes give society a conception of each race not based solely on their worth. This provides society the deviatory expectation of each race and leads people to believe certain races to possess certain characters. For example, only White-Americans could be considered as more efficient and trustworthy professionals, while others would make people have a psychological distrust of their performance. Although I agree with some of Dalton's criticism in the Alger myth, I do not concur with his argument in Alger myth that there is a fundamental tension between the realization of the "American Dream" based on the Alger myth and the harsh realities of a racial caste system (Dalton 282). The main point of such a
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system, as Dalton believes, is to promote and retain inequality. This obviously is converse to the main point of the Alger myth as to proclaim that everyone can rise above her station in life. Despite this tension, it is possible for the myth to coexist with social reality" (Dalton 282). Although there are many Non-Whites who support the myth even though they do very well understand it to be untrue, they live in discord between myth and reality because both are at least helpful in dealing with the adverse of life. However, the Whites resolve the conflicts between those in favor of the myth. For them, the Alger myth provides them more opportunities to be successful. Education is a means of retaining social-class boundaries. Education is a criterion used to determine individual's promotion in life, and is the threshold to be socialized into the dominant status culture. A person's worth is all the society should care about. The meritocracy is, after all, the core of governing and leading the country. "Where there is a will, there is a way" is a profound proverb used to educate the children as a motto of coping with the life. Those who are more "hard-working, persistent, initiative and daring" (Dalton, 278) will acquire more opportunities to success. The proverbs that go, "When misfortune reaches its limit, then prosperity comes", and "God help those who help themselves" express a profound implication related to this. Like any other fable and fairy tales, the Alger myth has a significant value of a moral lesson for those who want to betterment themselves. Just think that if there's no such kind of legend, individuals will not be motivated to struggle against with adversity, conversely, they will believe that they are born to be predestined and that they will never be able to make any changes more than they are fated to accept.
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Let us defend our beliefs that we are living in a country of freedom and of meritocracy. The United States of America is a place where everybody should be treated equally as promised in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution and where every citizen should be judged by his or her talent and merit. Whatever untruthfulness the Alger myth has been, whatever ineffectiveness it will be, the myth has, more or less, contributed its own significant worth as a exemplary lesson to children and anyone who have hopes for improved future. Life is a realistic thing. There's no "tomorrow" without "today"; there's no "good time" without "bad time". Tomorrow's accomplishment has to be exchanged by today's worth that is perseverance and striving against variety of adversities. Let us believe that hardships do not always remain, let us also believe the wheel of times, with our " hard work, persistence, initiative and daring invariable" , we shall be able to change our lives to better ones.

Reference: 1 Colombo, Gary et al. (2007). Rereading America. New York. 2. "Racial Discrimination in America During the 1920's." 3. 123HelpMe.com. 05 Jul 2009 <http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=23257>