Jimmy Bliss 11/22/16 blog

Today in English class, Mr Rivers instructed us to participate in a strategic activity. We were split into 4 groups, each containing 6 or 7 students. The goal of this activity was to obtain multiple resources, in order to complete the tasks with pieces of paper. We had to construct a "hamburger" with three different pieces of paper, each 3 inches by 3 inches. We had to make a mineral by combining a paper clip to a piece of paper that is a half inch long. We had to construct a box to represent shelter, containing a few small pieces of paper. Lastly, we had to construct a book, with a few pieces of paper and create a story. The winning group earned themselves a free bagel in tomorrow's class. My team, however did not complete this project, as we ended with only a mineral.

Did your group achieve SUCCESS today? How do you know?
I do not believe that my group achieved success today. Out of a total of four activities that needed to be completed, we completed one. In my mind, the only way to be successful is to be the winner, and my group failed today, by my standards.

What helped your group to succeed? What held you back?
I believed that the reason that my group did not achieve success today was because my group was given the 3rd envelope, containing 5 paper clips, a piece of wood paper, a piece of paper with a unique, squiggly line and a pen. Honestly, I take the responsibility for this loss because I was the person who selected number 3 as my group's choice. The envelope assigned to my group really crippled my group's chances of success early on.  

What does our experiment reveal about success in capitalism/the American Dream (e.g. hard work = improved status)?
This experiment demonstrates that because of our misfortune of the unlucky draw of the card, we were unable to recover, leaving us to suffer. The experiment also reveals that people can only do so much with the cards they are dealt, because groups 3 and 4 had a major disadvantage over groups 1 and 2, due to the resources provided. Those that are privileged more will end up with more success and will have an easier road than those that are not privileged.