The American Dream is alive and well in 2002"...One nation, under God, indivisible, with justice for all." Most Americans have heard and uttered this pledge of allegiance hundreds of times. The question is: do we really believe in the power of its meaning? It is a shame that America, the land of freedom, is also the land of capitalism, scandal and discrimination. While we have the freedom to bear arms, freedom of speech, and freedom of religious and political affiliation, some Americans say they do not have the freedom to be themselves. Media images of aesthetic beauty and financial success bombard most Americans on a daily basis. It's natural to try to "improve" yourself by meeting the standards set by society. Unfortunately, the American brand of “self-improvement” often comes at a price. I agree with the definition in Webster's College Dictionary of the American Dream: "an American ideal of social equality and above all material success." While the American dream is very much alive for many, it is not necessarily a good thing for most. Ron Suskind, author of the national bestseller, A Hope in the Unseen, writes about the real-life story of Cedric Jennings. Jennings was a high school senior at a crime-infested school in Washington, D.C. Jennings beats the odds in Suskind's novel of American struggle and gains acceptance to Brown University (an Ivy League school). Jennings has faced more than the average high school riot in his four years at Frank W. Ballou Senior High School. He couldn't even accept the award for a year of perfect grades out of fear that his life was in danger: "Pride and such achievements are acceptable behaviors for excellent high school students across the country, but in Ballou and other similar urban schools, something else is at work" (Suskind 17). This is crab-in-the-bucket syndrome (a phrase coined by educators, Suskind explains) in which one crab pulls the other down and prevents it from getting out of the bucket. Although Cedric is aware of the ridicule he receives from his classmates for having achieved his successes, he continues to hold his head high when he thinks about his "green light": graduating from Ballou and continuing his studies at an Ivy League school . As I read A Hope in the Unseen, I thought about the injustice of the American ideal.