Rags to Rags

The idea of "rags to riches" made famous in Horatio Alger's stories,  encapsulates the American dream.  This idea is what made America so appealing to English settlers.  This idea is what empowered thousands to make a treacherous journey to an unknown land.  A large amount of settlers came as indentured servants, for it presented an opportunity of social mobility.  This social mobility was in part made possible by the public schools.  Today the Chicago Public School system doesn't seem to offer the hope that it once did.  There exists a large discrepancy in the quality of Chicago high schools.  Malcolm London an activist, poet and graduate from the Chicago Public School system speaks on this issue in his poem 'High School Training Ground', below is an excerpt: 

"Reading textbooks is stressful. 
But reading does not matter when you feel your story is already written"

 These students feel there 'story is already written' meaning due to their social standing their destiny has been predetermined.  This leads to lack of academic engagement, London states that at this point 'reading does not matter'.  This is evident in Kelvin Park high school a Chicago Public School, which is composed of 90.3 percent low-income families, 89.7 percent of these families are minorities.  The lack of engagement is evident with the 16.3 percent drop out rate.  

At New Trier High School where only 1.2 percent of the student body is below the poverty line, the drop out rate is only two percent.  Students at new Trier start out with an advantage, since it is a primarily high-income and predominantly white school. 

 What does this say about the American society?  It shows that the idea of rags to riches has developed into a story of rags to rags and riches to riches.  Ideals that were once fundamentally American are now more prevalent in other Nations: “The world’s most equal developed nations have significantly more social mobility than the distinctly unequal United States”.  This shows a great shift in the fundamental ideals that originally shaped America.  

London performing his poem 'High School Training Ground'