The All-American family with the wife, the husband, one boy and one girl, the steady income, the nice house, the two-car garage, the family pet, perhaps a Golden Retriever, and of course the white picket fence: all included in what many Americans believe as the "American dream", where life is good, life is comfortable. But is this dream accessible? Can you have this convenient lifestyle? Or is it just that, a dream, a fantasy, a myth? The idea that virtues of hard work and ambition will only lead you to success has become a part of many Americans' mentalities. Yet there are also those who do not believe in it. These people lacking faith, believe that factors such as discrimination and unequal opportunities provide barriers to one's chance of reaching this "American dream". While others believe anything is possible with determination and overcoming obstacles. If kids once living in poverty and in slums can becomes lawyers or doctors, if an immigrant can become California's governor, if handicapped kids can play basketball, if ordinary people can become extraordinary people, then the American Dream is quite possible. Though fate, chance, and luck have a lot to do with one's success, so does willpower, the control of ones behavior. It is in one's hands to shape life, seize opportunities, get an education, resist failure, set goals and ultimately become somebody.
             Although some believe that the "rags to riches" idea is only a myth, many have lived it. Oprah Winfrey, now the richest woman in the world, was an orphan raised by her grandma with little money. Kevin Garnett was just another street "baller" with love for the game, but is now one of the top professional basketball players in the nation. Tupac Shakur, once lived in a homeless shelter, and later became one of the most popular rappers in history. Jim Carey, who at one point in his life lived with h...