¶ … Horatio Alger" by Harlon L. Dalton. The Horatio Alger myth is the 'rags to riches' story that America likes to represent itself as. Hard work and perseverance can pull the poor out of poverty and make him rich. The problem is that this myth is only partially true. Analysis of the myth shows that accompanying conditions necessitate integrity and honesty. It is only the privileged few who can possess wealth within the framework of integrity and honesty. Dalton insists that the myth is false when applied to people of Black extraction. It seems to me that the myth is false when applied to individuals of any extraction for conditions of the corporate world, particularly of the world of today and particularly for the disgruntled poor, necessitate conniving, Self-centeredness, selfishness, and other omission of values to succeed. Black people -- as any -- can become wealthy; they may need to renounce some of their values to do so.

The Horatio Alger myth was a set of rags to riches messages, popular in its time, coined by Horatio Alger Jr. during the Teddy Roosevelt era. The characters in his novels inevitably achieved wealth and did so (and this many forget) by leading exemplary lives. America has become enthused with this Horatio Alger story. It has come to epitomize the reputation that they wish to disseminate about themselves: those rags-to -- riches odyssey are possible here as...

And that this rags-to-riches journey is possible for anyone regardless of background. The stories may do more bad than good since many work hard their entire lives, persisting, and fail. Their failure causes others to decline from assisting them on the basis that they are allegedly refraining from working hard enough.
Harold L. Dalton, Professor of Law at Horatio Alger romance for he attributes it to be misleading and duping the Black people. To him, the Alger myth refers to anyone else but the individual of minority -- or rather, Black -- extraction. The myth, he says, contains three messages: Each of us is judge on his or her merits; we each have fair opportunity to develop these merits; and our merits will eventually win us this wealth and pull us out of our misfortunes. The Horatio Alger myth, therefore, is typical of quintessential pop. Psychology in that it maintains that success in life has nothing o do with extraneous factors such as pedigree, race, class background, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, and so forth. Will it, and you will get it. Perseverance and labor dictates the day.

For Dalton, the myth is appealing in that it pulls people, forward, gives them reason to get up in the morning even though all they want to do is die. It gives them a sort of optimism even though this optimism may be unfounded on…