THE AMERICAN DREAM
or
Some keys to success in College

Welcome! This course is designed as the first step to improve your ability to succeed by learning to read, write and speak college level American English. You may or may not have a High School diploma or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED). In any case, this course will remind you of what you once knew, teach you what you didn't learn back then (in High school) and introduce you to some new ways of thinking about writing, speaking and reading for success.

You have heard of the 'American Dream". It is what you, me and all Americans aspire to! For many people, it is an education, a house, a car, a family, and a career with a good salary. It could be different for you; your personal American dream might have different components. But whatever your American dream is, it will take hard work to achieve. Learning to communicate in standard (formal) English and becoming more familiar with American cultural references and values are two basic steps for succeeding and achieving your dream.

In the United States, we are all supposed to look out for ourselves ("Number 1"); while, at the same time, we all depend on each other all the time. Even while we are looking out for ourselves and our loved ones, we need the cooperation of others to succeed. And to cooperate, we need to be able to communicate.

Here's what I mean: Did you know that every subway car in New York City, has an emergency brake handle that anyone can pull at any time? (It is reserved for an emergency.) Every day, every individual on every train has the power to stop that train at any time. Of course, to pull the emergency brake on the train without an emergency is illegal (it is against the law, a crime) and would cause inconvenience for many people, who would be late to their destinations (and perhaps worse).

Everyday, thousands of subway cars carry millions of people, and no one ever pulls the emergency brake except in a true emergency. Why? Because for any one of us to succeed in society, we must consider each other - we must cooperate.

Another example, familiar to all in America: on every major highway on every road in the United States, there is a white line down the middle.

Sometimes it is dotted, sometimes it is solid, and sometimes it is a double solid line. Sometimes the white line is yellow But that line means that you, as a driver, do not cross. You stay on your side of the road!

Millions of cars, millions of people, take their lives into their hands every day, TRUSTING that everyone else will do the same and stay on their side of the line. Millions of people driving extremely fast resting secure in the knowledge that the other drivers will cooperate and stay on their side of the line. Each of us trusts strangers so completely that we risk our lives. Why?

It is because, as Americans, we depend on each other to cooperate, to act in our own self-interest, and to be loyal to the nation as a whole. Most importantly, to succeed, we must all obey the law. In America, one of the conditions of life is that everyone is subject to the same laws, rules and regulations. We are a nation of laws; no one is above the law. The country was founded on these principles. In the United States, each individual gives up very little to participate and gains a lot: the opportunity to succeed.

The American dream depends on hard work, so you must think as you read!

Learning the language means learning the cultural references

It is not enough to learn some more vocabulary, some phrases and some grammar. To communicate effectively in the United States, especially in formal situations, one must understand and be able to recognize and use many American cultural references. In this course, along the way, I shall refer to (and teach you) some of the basic references and  symbols that will be useful to you in your effort to advance at work and/or pursue a college career.

Right now, we will begin with words, word tools, sentences, paragraphs and then essays.

Copyright: 2004 English 4 All, Inc.