Have you ever had a dream? In the stories Gotta Dance and Iqbal, there are two characters, Iqbal and Katie, who followed their dreams and took chances with very different outcomes.
Throughout the stories, both characters demonstrate their bravery. Iqbal overcame bondage and went on to become an advocate for all enslaved child workers. On the other hand, Katie left all her security and comforts of home, to explore an unknown world and future.
A second way that Iqbal and Katie were similar was that both were lacking in family support. Iqbal was sold into slavery by his family, while ten members of Katie’s family told her to abandon her dream of dancing.
Although Iqbal and Katie share many similarities, their lives were drastically different. Iqbal was forced to work at the age of 4 because of his parents’ debt, while money did not seem to be a problem for Katie, who spent money freely. In addition, Katie did not experience any violent obstacles in her life, whereas Iqbal faced violence on a daily basis. Iqbal was beaten, enslaved, physically tied to his loom, and verbally abused at the factory.
Furthermore, the motives of the two characters are different. Katie left home to fulfill her own dreams, whereas Iqbal’s dream focused on making a better life for all enslaved children in his country.
Although they both went on tour, their dreams resulted in different outcomes. Katie got to dance from town to town, while Iqbal was able to spread the news about the problem of child slavery around the world. Iqbal was ultimately killed, while Katie’s life dream continues.
