He is the first African American President and he started with little to nothing. He began his Keynote Address by discussing how his father was from Kenya and his mother was from Kansas. Dreams of a better life were passed down through the generations because, “in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve potential” (paragraph four). To make those dreams a reality, his father got a scholarship to study in America which is where he met his mother, who had lived with a hard working mother and a father in the Army. The generations may have not completely achieved the American Dream but with their dedication, it allowed for President Obama to be where he is. Lastly, “Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper”, is about the narrator’s perseverance through the hard work at a paper plant while still attending high school at the age of sixteen. Many hours with, “no gloves: fingertips required for the perfection of paper,” (lines 11 and 12) at the plant but still continued with school. Ten years later, the narrator’s endurance through the cuts and stinging in the narrator's fingers allowed for the money to go to law