How much power do church, government, school, etc have in our society

I think that they a lot of power because the government is what runs this country. Church's have a big role because of religion. Schools have another big role because of the education that we need now a days. Without the education we don't won't get any were.

While Americans tend to admire persistence, can one be to determined

I think one can be determined and it be good because I think that the more you try the better off you will be. If you aren't determined to do something then you most likely won't do it like all the others who can.

Do you agree there is darkness inside all of us

I think everyone has a bad side. Everyone has a bad said because god created us all which means we are in the same in some kinda way.  The darkness that's inside of us only comes out when someone brings it out because of something they do or say but yes I think everyone has darkness in them.

Why can dreamlike settings be so powerful

I think that the reason why they can be so powerful is because sometimes they can mean more and express more then what you could say. For example little kids sometimes don't really know how to express what they think about except through dreams.