Topic 2
Introduction
A common theme in American Creed is that everybody in the film had come from different backgrounds and grounded their perspectives and commitments in family and community history. Most of the families weren’t born in America but moved there for freedom and better opportunities than they could have. The people in the film wouldn’t be living their dream if their families didn’t take the risk and travel to America. They showed their gratefulness by being in the film and discussing their family and culture. They followed their paths and the generations ahead can thank them for that. My family came from a different background to America to have a better life and to live the American dream. They had to adjust to the culture and the environment of moving to a new country. Everybody has different versions of the American Dream, but they all are dreams that they want to pursue and be content with.
About my family
My grandparents and parents came to America from China in the early ’90s to start a family. They were married and interested in having children and leaving China. My parents were born in China and that’s also where they met. They were born in a city in China named Guangzhou and grew up working with their family. My father was a police officer and my mother worked at a local market. They both didn’t have very fortunate lives and they wanted to give their children the lives that they didn’t have growing up. They went to America with other families and eventually became American citizens. They began their adventure in New York City and had my oldest brother in 1993. They worked at little spots and planned to move to Florida to start a business because it’s more expensive to live in New York. They opened up a Chinese restaurant called the Fortune Cookie because they have experience with the culture and how to make the food. This brought the Chinese culture and food to a place that didn’t have one before. My parents settled in Fort Myers, Florida and we’ve been living there ever since. Between this time my second brother and I were born and my parents were finished with having children. I grew up moving from home to home and I made a diverse group of friends from the people that I met in school. My grandpa along with my parents started a Chinese Restaurant around 1994 we’ve had the same restaurant for around 26 years now because my parents worked hard for their goals and lived their American Dream.
Relating the film to my family
I can relate my family to the families in American Creed because they worked hard to get to their version of the American Dream. Another theme in the American Creed is that people are living free lives that they wouldn’t have been able to live if they weren’t in America. I can relate with the college kids because I’m also the first generation in my family to go to college. My brothers and I even graduated and that’s also something my parents never got to do. My parents had to work a lot when they were young so they never had time for school. My aunts and uncles followed the same path as my parents and opened up other Chinese restaurants all around Florida. Most of my aunts and uncles also came to America after my parents did and also have children that got a high level of education and attended college. The dreams that my family had for themselves and their families worked out and they were able to give their children lives that they weren’t fortunate enough to have.
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