Scratch Beginnings Reflection
The book Scratch Beginnings by Adam Shepard is a strong example of my position statement which is “This is the story of America. Everybody’s doing what they think they’re suppose to do. In Scratch Beginnings the main character Adam starts a new life with just $25, the clothes off his back, and the search for the American dream. “Me, $25, and the search for the American Dream”. Adam wanted to see if the American dream was still alive. To do so he wanted to start a new life with practically nothing and see if after a year he could be living on his own with a sustaining job. “After one year, for my project to be considered successful, I have to possess an operable automobile, live in a furnished apartment (alone or with a roommate), have $2,500 in cash, and, most importantly, I have to be in a position in which I can continue to improve my circumstances by either going to school or starting my own business.” (xiv) If he was able to accomplish this goal then he thought that that meant that the American Dream was still alive.
So Adam thought that what he was suppose to do was create an experiment to see if the American Dream is still alive. With just a few things he headed to Charleston, South Carolina to start what he decided to be what he was suppose to do, to figure out if the American Dream is still alive. That’s really what America is about, doing what you as an individual, think you are suppose to do. Whether it’s go to college and become a scientist or find out if the American dream is still alive like Adam did by conducting your own experiment. It’s all the story of America, it doesn’t matter what you are doing, as long as you are doing what you think you are suppose to do. Everyone is doing what they think they are suppose to do and not only that but they are doing it the way they think they should do it. “Some guys got into the shop early, got their work orders, and hit the road. Others arrived at the shop close to 9:00 A.M.- the time when we were suppose to arrive at the customer’s house. Others, still, would be on the schedule and wouldn’t show up. No call, no message; just wouldn’t feel like working that day.” (175) Obviously here some people thought that what they were suppose to do with their lives was show up late to work or not show up at all. They didn’t care what their boss said they should do, they just did what they thought that they should do with their lives. It was their American Dream, they were just following doing what they thought they should do to achieve their American Dream even if it disregarded their bosses rules, which is shown in this quote from Scratch Beginnings. Adam always showed up on time since what he thought he he was suppose to do was see if the American Dream was still possible by starting with nothing after a year be able to show great improvements.
At the end of the book Adam found out that the American Dream is still alive by achieving most of his goals. “While payin monthly expenses and buying food and fuel and funding my own social agenda, my bank account and cash on hand totaled just under $5,300 from wages and tips, more than enough to finance whatever my next dream would be. I was pumped.” (206-207) Adam succesfully did what he thought he should be doing, but not only that he discovered that the American dream was still alive. Adam from Scratch Beginnings is a great example of someone in America who is doing what he thinks he is suppose to do.
The book Scratch Beginnings by Adam Shepard is a strong example of my position statement which is “This is the story of America. Everybody’s doing what they think they’re suppose to do. In Scratch Beginnings the main character Adam starts a new life with just $25, the clothes off his back, and the search for the American dream. “Me, $25, and the search for the American Dream”. Adam wanted to see if the American dream was still alive. To do so he wanted to start a new life with practically nothing and see if after a year he could be living on his own with a sustaining job. “After one year, for my project to be considered successful, I have to possess an operable automobile, live in a furnished apartment (alone or with a roommate), have $2,500 in cash, and, most importantly, I have to be in a position in which I can continue to improve my circumstances by either going to school or starting my own business.” (xiv) If he was able to accomplish this goal then he thought that that meant that the American Dream was still alive.
So Adam thought that what he was suppose to do was create an experiment to see if the American Dream is still alive. With just a few things he headed to Charleston, South Carolina to start what he decided to be what he was suppose to do, to figure out if the American Dream is still alive. That’s really what America is about, doing what you as an individual, think you are suppose to do. Whether it’s go to college and become a scientist or find out if the American dream is still alive like Adam did by conducting your own experiment. It’s all the story of America, it doesn’t matter what you are doing, as long as you are doing what you think you are suppose to do. Everyone is doing what they think they are suppose to do and not only that but they are doing it the way they think they should do it. “Some guys got into the shop early, got their work orders, and hit the road. Others arrived at the shop close to 9:00 A.M.- the time when we were suppose to arrive at the customer’s house. Others, still, would be on the schedule and wouldn’t show up. No call, no message; just wouldn’t feel like working that day.” (175) Obviously here some people thought that what they were suppose to do with their lives was show up late to work or not show up at all. They didn’t care what their boss said they should do, they just did what they thought that they should do with their lives. It was their American Dream, they were just following doing what they thought they should do to achieve their American Dream even if it disregarded their bosses rules, which is shown in this quote from Scratch Beginnings. Adam always showed up on time since what he thought he he was suppose to do was see if the American Dream was still possible by starting with nothing after a year be able to show great improvements.
At the end of the book Adam found out that the American Dream is still alive by achieving most of his goals. “While payin monthly expenses and buying food and fuel and funding my own social agenda, my bank account and cash on hand totaled just under $5,300 from wages and tips, more than enough to finance whatever my next dream would be. I was pumped.” (206-207) Adam succesfully did what he thought he should be doing, but not only that he discovered that the American dream was still alive. Adam from Scratch Beginnings is a great example of someone in America who is doing what he thinks he is suppose to do.