My American Dream

The American Dream is widely perceived by Americans, but it varies for every individual based on internal and external influences . In "Dreaming in Black and White", James W. Loewen asserts that, "We now live in two Americas at once...we live in an integrated America (on the job, on most college campuses, on American Idol , in the armed forces, in the White House, and in the Catholic Church), and we live in a segregated America (where we live and, too often, how we vote)" (73). Loewen  addresses issues of race and segregation in regards to the American dream. The context of his chapter begins from reciting the history of African Americans and how they have always been subjected to Whites and their views of them. Loewen argues that African Americans have never had the same Dream as privileged Whites because of residential segregation. African Americans have been perceived by the people around them as to not have any civil rights which made those people around them di...

In Walter R. Fisher's research column titled, Reaffirmation and the Subversion of the American Dream , he claims that there are two sides to the American Dream - a materialistic myth and a moralistic myth. He uses this idea to explain the outcome of the 1972 presidential election between Republican, Richard Nixon, and Democrat, George McGovern.  The materialistic myth consists of values, such as, "effort, persistence, 'playing the game,' initiative, self-reliance, achievement, and success" (114). The values are connected to characteristics of greed and selfishness. This part of the American Dream focuses on status, wealth, and power - which are all values shared by Nixon in the 1972 election. As Fisher points out, Nixon gained his votes by running on the theme of "Reelect the President" and this reflected his power. Nixon had already had the status as president of the United States, so when he ran in the 1972 campaign, he was already familiar ...

When my sister travels to different places around the world, she familiarizes herself with the language before she goes. Months before she traveled to Ghana, she would be studying from this tiny book and practicing the native language of Ghana - Twi. I thought to myself, why learn this language? But then, I realized that not everyone in the world does things the "American Way". My sister has taught me that it is very important to learn at least just a few simple phrases in the native language you are traveling to and to not assume that everywhere you go, English will be spoken. Just a few simple phrases, even if they aren't grammatically correct, are able to show the native your are speaking to that you are trying to speak their language and thats all that matters. It's a sign of courtesy and I believe it's important to use this skill wherever you travel and to adapt to their lifestyle. As I read the article,  "American Values and Assumptions," a c...

As I read Teaching the Conventions of Academic Discourse , written by Teresa Thonney, I was surprised that I understood most of it. I thought that  reading an academic journal article, written by a scholar for other scholars, would be filled with very academic jargon specific to professors, yet I was surprised that I could easily understand it for the most part.  I enjoyed how she broke down her essay into six main sections (and a section with suggestions and a conclusion at the end) and each section contained many excerpts from academic writers. Sh evaluated how each academic writer formed their argument and backed it up. This type of proof is influential for her audience of scholars, for they will be able to take note of how the academic writers express their opinions and be able to share it with their students. She pinpoints exactly what academic writers do: respond to what others have written about their topic, state the value of their work and announce the plan for t...

Throughout his book, Chomsky has built up the message that the concentration of wealth yields the concentration of power. This overarching claim is carried throughout the book and is backed up by the points Chomsky writes about.  In Chapter 5, Chomsky highlights the wealthy elites' desire to destroy the principles in which most of the population survives on: solidarity, both within social security and the public education systems. He states that Social Security is "of no use to the very rich, so therefore, there's a concerted attempt to destroy it. One of the ways is by defunding it" (66). This type of mindset that the upper class has is very dangerous for the rest of the U.S. This displays that the wealthy has always had control over policy and power. Chomsky supports this claim by referencing the Social Security Act of 1935. He wants to emphasize how beneficial the Social Security system in place is by describing that the act provides benefits to most of society....

Noam Chomsky presents a very controversial argument in his book titled,  Requiem for the American Dream . He presents a compelling argument as to why his audience and society needs to come together and take a stand if they want a dependable future. This book has a powerful message and it is relevant to today's society. Published in 2017, this book comes at a time when the American Dream is slowly fading out and developing a new meaning. The Dream is turning into an economic competition only reachable by wealthy people and people of power. As Chompsky points out, the Dream is solely obtainable by a small percentage of the American population - the upper class. Noam Chomsky explained that "...there's gonna be constant pressure-we can be certain of it- from systems of power to prevent any constraint on expanding their power, and the profit" (42). This excerpt stands out to me because no matter how hard people try to make something better, there will always be a g...

There is a prevalent problem in today's media that involves presenting untrue stories to the public. Big news companies chase after stories that will enhance their views on their television show rather than reciting factual stories. Big news companies report biased news reports rather than covering pressing issues and important stories. Many shows are filled with reporters who simply read off a teleprompter and feed their viewers altered information. The overall level of argumentation in today's society has dropped because of news sources that provide biased opinions to all its viewers. There is an epidemic of fake news in media today and viewers are subjected to the one-sided opinions news shows offer. In the exceprt  Finding the Good Argument OR Why Bother With Logic?,  author, Rebecca Jones, explores the problem behind faulty news sources and how their biased opinions depict a poor model of argumentation. She states, "On an average news day, there are entire ...