"Dream of the Good Life" is actually presented in three different parts, so I will focus on "Extending the Dream" as a model for you to follow. As you read, look for the most important ideas in each chapter and then consider which quotes seem to demonstrate the significance of those ideas.

In his concluding chapter, Cullen argues that the Dream of the Immigrant has not yet been resolved—and perhaps it never will be. Instead, the anxieties toward various ethnic groups have simply shifted over time, from people of Irish to Italian to Mexican ancestry or nationality. In many ways, there has been an "increased awareness of demographic differences in American society," and Americans have reconsidered "presumptions ... of 'normal,' 'mainstream' " life in an effort to celebrate alternatives to those presumptions. This has successfully revitalized American culture in some ways. Despite this cultural shift, Americans of all ethnicities believe that we exist in a status of social fragmentation.

Cullen concludes by encouraging Americans to truly examine the American dream in ways that reflect more than a cursory nod to the ideals the dream supposedly encourages. For example, he asks us to consider what it really means to "leave no child behind," which is a common phrase used to presuppose educational progress for children in recent years. Similarly, he asks us to examine "how ... we define equality in our everyday lives" in ways that are "more than empty abstractions." He poses weighty and important questions which echo the sentiments of poet Langston Hughes:

What is the price of any given American Dream, and who pays it? Are some dreams better than others?

Cullen argues in his closing words that it is fundamentally important to construct answers to these types of questions in order to truly encourage national reform.

You will then need to examine these arguments, according to your instructions, and determine whether you agree or disagree with his position. I'm attaching a link about the No Child Left Behind legislation for further reading, just in case you'd like to consider that angle for your discussion.