Wouldn't it be nice to have it all? Wouldn't it be nice to live in a society where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed in life? No one looks at race or anything like that solely solely on merit and it doesn't matter where you come from or what you go through, you have the same opportunities as the next person. Merit is the quality of being particularly good or worth enough to deserve praise or rewards. Well, this is the message that Horatio Alger gives to his readers that some people think it is a myth as opposed to others who think it is great guidelines or a great blueprint for success. In a chapter selection on money and success in "Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing," a professor at Yale Law School, Harlon L. Dalton criticizes the Horatio Alger story "Ragged Dick" as a myth. Dalton says you can't simply overlook the fact that people are still based on race and class. The myth of Horatio Alger conveys three fundamental messages. The first says that each of us is judged exclusively on our own merits. The second stated that each of us has a fair opportunity to develop such merits. Last but not least, the third implicit merit would come out. Each of them is, to be charitable, problematic. The first message is a variant of the ethic of rugged individualism. . In this form, it suggests that success in life has nothing to do with family tree, race, social class, gender, national origin, sexual orientation – in short, with anything beyond beyond our individual control (Dalton). The second message conveyed by Horatio Alger is that we all have the opportunity to reach our true potential. To be fair, neither Alger nor the myth he champions suggests that we start out as equals. Nor d...... middle of paper ...... Money and class was the context in which this work was written because in Horace's theory people are equal, start out equal and have equal opportunities. I took it for granted that the author Horatio lived the American dream and didn't see the reality of society and that's another thing I feel rich people tend not to notice is the reality of society. Bottom line, I know everyone would love to have it all and I just wanted it to be this perfect plan or blueprint for success. Who wouldn't, but that's not the case. You can do it, but it will be easy, some maybe easier than others, but stay focused and you will get there. I'm with Dalton's point of view 100%, although Horatio's point of view would be cute and sounds really cool and gets your attention. Even though people do not have equal opportunities, they continue to work hard, remain consistent in doing so, and never give up.