Authorsnote

ThisanthologyisbasedonwhattheAmericanDreamformost Syrianswereandstillare.Syriawouldbeonecountrythatis mostlyaffectedandwouldhaveanAmericanDreamthattheyd wantachieved.Whatinspiredmetoincludeallofthesedifferent AmericanDreamsofSyrians,MuslimsisMalala.Sheinspiredmeto writethepoemofMyDream,MyEducation,becauseshe believedthatnotjustboyscanlearnbutalsogirls.Malalastoodup forhereducationwithpride,notevenabullettotheheadstopped Malalatostandupforgirlseducation.AlthoughMalalamightnotbe aSyrian,sheisMuslim.Malaladefendsherreligion,herreligion thatisbeingdiscriminated.AnotherinspirationIhadformysecond poemisthe9/11attack.Laterafter9/11muslimswouldbe discriminatedfortheirracetheywouldlosecustomersoftheir business,andithadabigimpact.ThepoemfromthepoetAmal KassirisbasedonthegenocideofSyriawiththeirleader,president notgivingthemtheirfreedomorequalityMyopinionisthatonce thereadershavereadthisanthologynotonlywilltheylearnthe americandreamsortroublesofmuslimsorsyrians,buttheyto, wouldmakeadifferencetohelp.Theywouldcallinaction,takea stand.Ifyouhaveafriendorknowsomeonewithoutanyeducation, helpthemout.Teachthemwhatyouhavelearnedandpassthe knowledge.Onelittlethingcanleadintoabigdifference.

ASYRIANAMERICANDREAM

ToanothercountryIgo. ToacountrywhereIcanearnmoremoney, toacountrywheremydreamwillbeachieved. MyAmericanDream. AnAmericanDreamofmine, tobefullofwealth, tobeabletosupportmyfamily. InAmerica, Iwouldbeable, tofindajob. Ajobwhetherinsomething, Iveexperiencedornot. Iwouldworkhard, becomemoreconfident, inthatjob. Anythingtosucceedinmy, AmericanDream.

This poem A Syrians American Dream explains the reasons in where Syrians or Muslims would want to emigrate from their home country to another. In this case its an economic reason where he wants a job that gives him better pay .

AchievingtheAmericanDreamPast&Present

Inthepastwesyrians, wantedabettereconomy, wewouldemigrate, toAmerica, toearnmoremoney, andsupportourfamilies. Thoseweretheonlyworrieswehad. Nowinthepresent, wefightforourequalrights, wearediscriminatedforourreligion. Since9/11peoplelookatus, asterrorists, wheninreality, wearejustlikethem. Wedontdeserve, beingjudged, forsomethingthatnotallofusdid. Wearethesameasanyotherhuman. Wedeservethesamerespectthatyouget.

In this poem The American Dream, Past &Present it wants to inform the readers about how the american dream for Syrians or muslims have changed. In the past all there was to worry about better pay or better jobs. Now the worries would be for Equal human rights. Since the horrific incident of 9/11 muslims have been discriminated by others because most people think that all muslims were involved.

MyDream,Myeducation

Peoplewouldask, whatmydreamwas. Iwouldtellthem, togotoschool, tobecomeeducated. Mostofthemwouldlaugh, orsaythingsas, Whatastupiddream, orthingslike, Girlsarentsupposedtobeeducated, theyrecreatedtoworkathome, doingchores, whilethemengeteducated. Iknewthat,thatwasnottrue. Womenandgirls, deservetheirright, tobecomeeducated, ThatisMY, Americandream.

This poem My dream, My education is stating that girls have the right to education. This is a major problem all over the world one specific place is Pakistan, where one young girl Malala stood up for girls education, and she now achieved the start of her dream of hers for girls education.

Mygrandmotheralwayshadfoodonthetable Evenwhenthetyrantputcheckpointsoutsideherdoor, Herdefiancemademealtimes Abattleherfamilywouldalwayswin. Whenthewarstarted, Eventheriversranaway. Forthehandsofamilitant Aren'tlikethehandsofafarmer, Bulletsandearthcan'tspeaktoeachother Bloodwillnotmakecropsgrow. Andthetyrant, Thedirtiswaitingforhim. Hewilllearnhisgrave, Feeltheweightoftheentirecountryonhischest, Andwhenthesoilaskshim: "Didyounotspillbloodinmyname? Thenwhydoyoufearmeso? Letthesemaggotsgiveyourbodybacktome, Loyalist.

AndBasharalAssadwillnotknow Howtorespond. Hedoesn'tspeakthelanguageofthiscountry. Hewillstruggle Againstthedirt Thatfedhim.

AmalKassir

I included this poem from Amal Kassir to show other problems that occur in syria, that syrians would want achieved. Problems such as same equality and respect that they deserve.

Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran wrote the following poem to his Arab American compatriots, the majority of whom came from the land known as "Greater Syria" in Gibran's time, which comprised today's Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. The poem is inspirational and particularly poignant in our post-September climate.

I believe in you, and I believe in your destiny. I believe that you are contributors to this new civilization. I believe that you have inherited from your forefathers an ancient dream, a song, a prophecy, which you can proudly lay as a gift of gratitude upon the lap of America. I believe that you can say to the founders of this great nation, "Here I am, a youth, a young tree whose roots were plucked from the hills of Lebanon, yet I am deeply rooted here, and I would be fruitful." And I believe that you can say to Abraham Lincoln, the blessed, "Jesus of Nazareth touched your lips when you spoke, and guided your hand when you wrote; and I shall uphold all that you have said and all that you have written." I believe that even as your fathers came to this land to produce riches, you were born to produce riches by intelligence and labor. I believe that it is in you to be good citizens. And what is it to be a good citizen? It is to acknowledge the other person's rights before asserting your own, but always to be conscious of your own. It is to be free in word and deed, but it is also to know that your freedom is subject to the other person's freedom. It is to produce by labor and only by labor, and to

spend less than you have produced that your children may not be dependent upon the state for support when you are no more. It is to stand before the towers of New York and Washington, Chicago and San Francisco saying in your hearts, "I am the descendant of a people the builded Damascus and Byblos, and Tyre and Sidon and Antioch, and I am here to build with you, and with a will." It is to be proud of being an American, but it is also to be proud that your fathers and mothers came from a land upon which God laid His gracious hand and raised His messengers. Young Americans of Syrian origin, I believe in you.

I also included this poem of Kahlil Gibran to show the American dream of his, as a Syrian. This is mainly about how Syrians that are in america should reach forward and succeed.

"AmericanDream" AllworknoplaymayhavemadeJackadullboy ButallworknoGodhasleftJackwithalostsoul Buthe'smovingonfullsteam He'schasingtheAmericandream Andhe'sgonnagivehisfamilythefinerthings NotthistimesonI'venotimetowaste Maybetomorrowwe'llhavetimetoplay AndthenheslipsintohisnewBMW Anddrivesfartherandfartherandfartheraway SoHeworksalldayandtriestosleepatnight Hesaysthingswillgetbetter Betterintime Andheworksandhebuildswithhisowntwohands Andhepoursallhehasinacastlemadewithsand Butthewindandtherainarecomin'crashingin Timewilltelljusthowlonghiskingdomstands Hiskingdomstands HisAmericanDreamisbeginningtoseem Moreandmorelikeanightmare Witheverypassingday "Daddy,canyoucometomygame?" "OhBaby,pleasedon'tworklate." Anotherwastedweekend Andtheyareslippingaway 'Causeheworksalldayandliesawakeatnight Hetellsthemthingswillgetbetter

It'lljusttakealittlemoretime Heusedtosay,"Whoeverdieswiththemosttoyswins" Butifheloseshissoul,whathashegainedintheend I'lltakeashackontherock Overacastleinthesand Nowheworksalldayandcriesaloneatnight It'snotgettinganybetter Lookslikehe'srunningoutoftime 'Causeheworkedandhebuiltwithhisowntwohands Andhepouredallhehadinacastlemadewithsand Butthewindandtherainarecomingcrashingin Timewilltelljusthowlonghiskingdomstands Hiskingdomstands AlltheyreallywantedwasYou AlltheyreallywantedwasYou AlltheyreallywantedwasYou

This song is included for the American Dream because I wanted to show the similarities we share with others as in muslims or an religion, race.