Red, white, and blue--the definition of freedom. In America, starting out with nothing, you can turn your life into your dream, your happiness, and your success.

Eminem grew up with a turbulent childhood. He went from living in public housing projects and dropping out of high school at 17, to being the world's richest rapper and winning a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for Recovery. Because he was living under the American flag, Eminem turned his life into his dream.

My grandpa struggled from day one of his life. He went from eating bread and butter for each meal, saving each penny earned, and having no parents by 17-years-old, to eating mouthwatering steak, and having enough money to retire comfortably with his loving wife. Because he was living under the American flag, my grandpa turned his life into happiness.

Bill Gates started out a failure. He went from creating a non-functional device, scraping by with each earned dime, to eventually creating a device used worldwide--making him the richest man in America. Because he was living under the American flag, Bill Gates turned his life into success.

Eminem, my grandpa, and Bill Gates didn’t let their struggles define who they were. They used their rock bottom as something to build on and created a new identity for themselves. This is because the red, white, and blue allows Americans to soar to the top, achieve their goals, and fulfill their dreams. Without the US flag, the American dream would be an impossible task to achieve.