Premium Essay

The American Dream Dead Alive Summary

Submitted By
Words 1294
Pages 6
Critique: “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?”

Although the idea of the “American Dream” may be outdated to some,Brandon King’s The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold effectively represents and explains the truth behind the american dream, and why people feel that way. Many liberals believe that the dream is dead because the income gap known as “income inequality” but despite the fact that liberals have that belief, income inequality actually helps people acquire the “American Dream”. Income inequality acts as a motivation for the less fortunate, or even a wake up call. So this gap is what help humans gain this area of success in life known as “The American Dream”. The “American Dream” is more than just making money or having a job, it …show more content…
Yes, going from poor to rich would in fact make one “successful” but that is not what the dream is all about. The dream is about being comfortable with oneself, and financially stable. In study done from 2005 to 2010 calculated that less people bought homes, but instead started renting them to save money. The study had a decrease from 69% of people buying homes to nearly 66.5% by 2010 (King 611). In a 5 year window Americans decreased by almost 3 percent in buying homes equaling around 1.1 million more renting homes rather than buying. This is a substantial increase, showing that more and more people are realizing it is not just about spending so much money but actually one needs to start saving to become prosperous. King expressed a logos appeal by presenting factual information to prove his argument on Americans wanting to obtain stability rather than being rich in regard to the reaching the “American Dream”. King was convincing with his use of the rhetorical appeal of logos by supporting facts to show that people are actually not trying to get rich , but trying to spend less money and be more comfortable with

Similar Documents

Free Essay

The American Dream

...English 101 1 April 2015 The American Dream In 1931, James Truslow Adams published a book titled "The Epic of America". He states that the American dream is a "dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement." Throughout the years since publication, the American dream was something many families were able to achieve, that is until, perhaps, starting around 2008 when the "Great Recession" hit. Many Americans lost their jobs due to the country's fourth-largest investment bank going bankrupt. There was a job shortage, many Americans were laid-off, income was falling, and poverty was rising. Seven years have passed and slowly America has been recovering, but has it recovered enough for the American dream to be alive? For the average American the dream is perhaps a owning a house, car, children, a stay at home parent, medical insurance, vacations, and savings for retirement along with savings for college tuition. In today's society, the American dream is unobtainable because a stay at home parent is rare, bills are a struggle to pay for, vacations are rarely taken, most are not able to save for retirement because of debt, and many college students have to work while in school to pay off their college tuition. The American dream is in fact alive, but out of reach for the average American. In the article "7 facts that show the American Dream is Dead", Eskow states, "There was a time...

Words: 1533 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Is The American Dream Still Alive

...question, burning in every American’s heart; Is the American Dream, the thing many died in hopes of, still alive today? Many would say no, that we are in recession and that no one is born in equal opportunities, but those people forget the fundamental principles behind the dream. The American Dream is the idea that everyone has the ability to have equal opportunity and lead successful lives, and that idea is still alive because we still have the same laws protecting our rights and the only thing that could rob us of the dream is our own attitudes towards it. The United States Constitution has gone through a few changes over the years, the addition and revision of the first ten amendments and other clarifications being examples. However, every U.S...

Words: 657 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Sykes

...Military Science 402 General George Sykes Summary General George Sykes was born on October 9, 1822. In 1842 Sykes graduated and commissioned from the United States military academy. When he became a second lieutenant Sykes’ military career officially began. Not long after commissioning Sykes waited before his leadership and gallantry to be tested. In 1847, Sykes was sucked into the Mexican American war, during the Battle of Cerro Gordo, where his skills were put to the test. Being the leader and expert in war that he was, he excelled flawlessly. The battle was fought so well and displayed so much leadership that Sykes was later recognized for it. In recognition for his selfless service and amazing gallantry in battle, Sykes was promoted to captain. Though Sykes served with a flawless record and an excellent name in combat, his largest feat was yet on its way. Sykes’ newest focus of conflict would be the civil war. It was at this time that Sykes was promoted to the rank of major and given a battalion commander position over a group of infantry regulars. This was something very unnatural. With such a high profile war, to find a unit where every person in it was an actual soldier was like a dream made in heaven. During this time absolute chaos was not unlikely, especially with the poor training of the volunteers. Unlike many, all of Sykes troops were “regulars”. Because of this, nothing but sure success was highly expected. He continued the war with wins in battle until...

Words: 955 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Marshall Plan

...Nazis and the Rise and Fall of Soviet Communism, and the possible eventual winner of the Chinese version of Communism. Learning from the mistakes of the First World War, when the allies of America, principally France sabotaged Woodrow Wilson’s dream of a League of Nations, President Truman ensured that not only did Europe re-emerge as a strong economic force, but that American culture has been the dominant force in the world ever since . The Plan was named after the Secretary of State of the time, General George Catlett Marshall, who was army chief of staff in World War II, Secretary of State 1947–49, and Secretary of Defence from September 1950–September 1951. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1953 for launching the Marshall Plan for European economic recovery in June 1947. However, James Reston, among others has suggested that maybe the Acheson Plan would have been more appropriate name. Acheson was working in the State Department with Marshall and the internal memos certainly give a clearer indication of the aims of the plan than the rather toothless speech that Marshall made at Harvard in June 1947 to launch the program. An anonymous scribe in the Department outlined the aims of the programme succinctly in a Summary of the Department’s position on the Content of a European Recovery Program: “The Basic objective of program is to move an entire area progressively from present condition to working economy independent of abnormal outside support, taking full account...

Words: 2108 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Fast Food Nation

...America. Millions of “Rosies” may have quit riveting but they did not quit working, and the Civil Rights Movement resulted in fundamental changes in American society that have leveled the playing field for most workers today. A costly police action was fought in Korea that is still smoldering today, and the last vestiges of the Vietnam War were finally played out in the most recent presidential election. During the last 50 years or so, America succeeded in landing a man on the moon and safely returning him to the Earth, and winning a costly Cold War. During this turbulent period in U.S. history, life has become faster-paced and more women have joined the workforce, all of which have been to the detriment of “traditional” American family meals, but all of which has been to the enormous advantage to the fast food industry. People around the world today may criticize America’s politics, but the fact remains virtually everyone loves American fast food and the industry has become firmly established around the world. This paper provides an overview of the fast food industry from the 1950s to the present, an analysis of what social effects were caused by and reflected in the industry, what marketing and advertising changes have taken place in the industry during this time, followed by a discussion of current and future trends. A summary of the research is provided in the conclusion. Review and Discussion Background and Overview. It would seem that the explosive growth of the fast...

Words: 2578 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Reflections

...Read the following articles from Unit 5, jotting down your first impressions of each article to use in the reflections. * Sleeping with Guns by Bruce Holbert * My Daughter Smokes by Alice Walker * A Drunken Ride, A Tragic Aftermath by Theresa Conroy and Christine M. Johnson * Young and Isolated by Jennifer M. Silva Sleeping With Guns By BRUCE HOLBERT THE summer before my sophomore year in high school, I moved into my father’s house. My father had remarried and the only unoccupied bedroom in his house was the gun room. Against one wall was a gun case he had built in high school, and beside it were two empty refrigerators stocked with rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. My bed’s headboard resided against the other wall and, above it, a resigned-looking, marble-eyed, five-point mule deer’s head with a fedora on its antler rack. The room had no windows, so the smell of gun oil filled my senses at least eight hours each day. It clung to my clothes like smoke, and like a smoker’s cigarettes, it became my smell. No one in my high school noticed. We all smelled like something: motorheads of motor oil, farm kids of wheat chaff and cow dung, athletes like footballs and grass, dopers like the other kind of grass. It did not appear to anyone — including me — that residing within my family’s weapons cache might affect my life. Together, my three brothers own at least a dozen weapons and have yet to harm anyone with them. Despite their guns (or, arguably, because...

Words: 6088 - Pages: 25

Free Essay

A Rose for Emily

...A Rose for Emily Summary How It All Goes Down You might want to look at our discussion of the novel's setting before you enter here, or at least know it's there to help if you get tangled up in this story's crazy chronology. Also keep in mind that the narrator of this story represents several generations of men and women from the town. The story begins at the huge funeral for Miss Emily Grierson. Nobody has been to her house in ten years, except for her servant. Her house is old, but was once the best house around. The town had a special relationship with Miss Emily ever since it decided to stop billing her for taxes in 1894. But, the "newer generation" wasn't happy with this arrangement, and so they paid a visit to Miss Emily and tried to get her to pay the debt. She refused to acknowledge that the old arrangement might not work any more, and flatly refused to pay. Thirty years before, the tax collecting townspeople had a strange encounter with Miss Emily about a bad smell at her place. This was about two years after her father died, and a short time after her lover disappeared from her life. Anyhow, the stink got stronger and complaints were made, but the authorities didn't want to confront Emily about the problem. So, they sprinkled lime around the house and the smell was eventually gone. Everybody felt sorry for Emily when her father died. He left her with the house, but no money. When he died, Emily refused to admit it for three whole days. The town didn't think...

Words: 6285 - Pages: 26

Free Essay

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Plot Overview

...Plot Overview The first chapter of The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter introduces us to John Singer and Spiros Antonapoulos, two good friends who live together in a town in the Deep South and who are both deaf-mutes. Antonapoulos works in his cousin's fruit store, and Singer works as a silver engraver in a jewelry shop. They spend ten years living together in this way. One day Antonapoulos gets sick, and even after he recovers he is a changed man. He begins stealing and urinating on buildings, and exhibiting other erratic behavior. Finally, Antonapoulos's cousin sends him to a mental asylum, although Singer would rather have Antonapoulos stay with him. After Antonapoulos leaves, Singer moves into a local boarding house in town run by a family named the Kellys. The narrator then introduces us to Biff Brannon, the proprietor of the New York Café, the establishment in town where Singer now eats all his meals. Biff is lounging on the counter watching a new patron named Jake Blount, as the constantly drunk Jake is intriguing. Blount goes over and sits with Singer and begins talking to him as though the two are good friends. Then Singer leaves. Once Jake realizes in his drunken stupor that Singer has left, he goes into an alley and begins beating his head and fists against a brick wall until he is bruised and bloody. The police bring Jake back to the café, and Singer volunteers to let the drunk stay the night with him. The narrative shifts to the perspective of Mick Kelly, the young teenage...

Words: 7300 - Pages: 30

Free Essay

Teacher Against Students

...4 Main Idea • • • • • What is a main idea? What is a topic? How do you recognize the difference between general and specific ideas? What is a stated main idea? What is an unstated main idea? Everyday Reading Skills: Selecting a Book Copyright ©2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. 118 CHAPTER 4 Main Idea What Is a Main Idea? The main idea of a passage is the core of the material, the particular point the author is trying to convey. The main idea of a passage can be stated in one sentence that condenses specific ideas or details in the passage into a general, allinclusive statement of the author’s message. In classroom discussions, all of the following words are sometimes used to help students understand the meaning of the main idea. thesis main point central focus gist controlling idea central thought Whether you read a single paragraph, a chapter, or an entire book, many experts agree that your most important single task is to understand the main idea of what you read. Topic Main Idea Major Detail Major Detail Major Detail Minor Detail Minor Detail Minor Detail Minor Detail Minor Detail Recognize General and Specific Words The first step in determining the main idea of a selection is to look at the specific ideas presented in the sentences and try to decide on a general topic or subject under which you can group these ideas. Before tackling sentences, begin with words. Pretend that the sentence ideas in a selection have been reduced...

Words: 18835 - Pages: 76

Free Essay

Outlines

...Luis Hernandez Psychology 2301 Prof. Ray Saenz October 10, 2015 Book Report I. Title/Author Richard Rawlings II. Main Characters Richard Rawlings III. Setting/Time Fort Worth, Texas 1969, 1990 Dallas, Texas 2005 IV. Main Theme How to start up a car business from the ground up. V. Summary The year is 1969 the infamous all-American year in the city of Fort Worth, Texas where Richard Rawlings was born. Blame it on the free-love era, but he was basically the product of too young of a dad and mother. He’s Mother left him at the age of two years old. He’s father ending up quitting high school to support him and his sister. In the 1970’s they moved into their first apartment he describe it with having shag carpet, fishing nets hanging from the ceiling, a bunch of liquor bottles filled with color water. Richard says it was not the best but it was a start and quickly found out that his dad straighten up grew up and put his kids first. He started working all three of them and when I say work, I mean work. His dad was holding down two or even three jobs to pay the bills and put a roof over their heads to live. He says that he would spend all day with his father at his primary job at the grocery store manager because there was nobody to take care of him and sister. The job that he remembers is when he was about seven until he was a teen he would wake up at three or four in the morning every day. His dad would put him in the back the backseat of his car surrounded...

Words: 3822 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

The Fault

...become a writer. He lived in Chicago for several years, writing book reviews, writing for radio, and working in publishing. During this time he wrote his first novel, Looking for Alaska (2005) to immediate, and increasing, success. He followed that first novel with An Abundance of Katherines (2006), Paper Towns (2008), and The Fault in Our Stars (2012), which reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for children. Green currently lives in Indianapolis with his wife and two kids, where he continues to write, produce videos, and speak publicly about an array of topics. chronicle his artistic journey in making the film adaption of his novel. The film's trailer gained over 3 million views in less than 24 hours after it was released. PLOT SUMMARY PLO Hazel Grace Lancaster is a seventeen-year-old living with cancer. At the request of her mother, who believes she is depressed, Hazel attends a cancer support group in the basement of a church. Hazel does not like the support group, but goes to make her mother happy. One day upon...

Words: 40116 - Pages: 161

Free Essay

Mormons in the 1830's and 40's

...proved to be crucial to the growth of the U.S.A. in every aspect. After the establishment of religion in 1827, Mormons have been the target of persecution and discrimination by many. The bulk of this persecution occurred in 1836 when a group of rebel militia attacked Mormon headquarters located in Northern Missouri. This ambush against the Mormons sparked an onslaught of hate crimes to come. After being exiled from Missouri and Illinois, Brigham Young led an intrepid party of immigrants into the Great Salt Lake valley in 1847. The population grew rapidly, and by 1849, the Mormons had managed to form a civil government with Young at the helm. This brief summary has set the stage for this report, where I will evaluate Mormons of the 1830’s and 40’s and enlighten you on their beliefs, culture, and impact throughout American History. Establishment of Religion The establishment of the LDS church is a very interesting story that many people do not understand. “In the spring of 1820, a 14-year-old boy named Joseph Smith went into a grove of trees near his home in Palmyra, New York, and prayed to learn which church he should join. In answer to his prayer, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to him, just as heavenly beings had appeared to prophets like Moses and Paul in biblical times.” Joseph learned that the Church originally organized by Jesus Christ was no longer on the earth. Joseph Smith was chosen by God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ to the...

Words: 4385 - Pages: 18

Free Essay

Technology

...This book captured my heart it taught me a lot   Probably the greatest book I've read. Brought me to tearssss.   "learn how to die and you will learn how to live."... i could never forget this quote from mitch's professor.. this story was posted in our book way back when i was third year highschool.... it's full of lesson.. it values life.   From childhood to senility, the very people who made beautiful contribution in our lives always seem to have special place in our hearts, minds & souls.   This movie/book was one of our projects. As a teenager, I really had no interest to read this kinds of books but after a few more chapters, I realized that this book contains lots of valuable lessons. It changed the way I see things. It also made me realize that life is very important so we should not waste it but instead make it a very happy one. We should also spend our lives with our loved ones because we dont know how long we will be with them. I relly love this book/move. ily Morrie!!!!!!!!   I'm so happy that finally I got a copy of Mitch Albom's book, Tuesdays with Morrie. I have been wanting to have it. This is the best book I've ever read. I've shed a lot of tears, laughed out loud and pondered about the reality and wisdom shared by an intelligent, compassionate, loving and very kind old man. I love you Morrie Schwartz. Forever I will cherish your words.   The movie as well as the book inspired me a lot. This was the 3rd time i read an inspirational...

Words: 19539 - Pages: 79

Premium Essay

Frankenstein

...Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Key facts full title ·  Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus author · Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley type of work · Novel genre · Gothic science fiction language · English time and place written · Switzerland, 1816, and London, 1816–1817 date of first publication · January 1, 1818 publisher · Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones narrator · The primary narrator is Robert Walton, who, in his letters, quotes Victor Frankenstein’s first-person narrative at length; Victor, in turn, quotes the monster’s first-person narrative; in addition, the lesser characters Elizabeth Lavenza and Alphonse Frankenstein narrate parts of the story through their letters to Victor. climax · The murder of Elizabeth Lavenza on the night of her wedding to Victor Frankenstein in Chapter 23 protagonist · Victor Frankenstein antagonist · Frankenstein’s monster setting (time) · Eighteenth century setting (place) · Geneva; the Swiss Alps; Ingolstadt; England and Scotland; the northern ice point of view · The point of view shifts with the narration, from Robert Walton to Victor Frankenstein to Frankenstein’s monster, then back to Walton, with a few digressions in the form of letters from Elizabeth Lavenza and Alphonse Frankenstein. falling action · After the murder of Elizabeth Lavenza, when Victor Frankenstein chases the monster to the northern ice, is rescued by Robert Walton, narrates his story, and dies tense · Past foreshadowing · Ubiquitous—throughout...

Words: 51140 - Pages: 205

Free Essay

Momoland

...Complex Systems in Education CSE ESSAYS COURSE Complex Course on Writing English and American Essays for Advanced Students English Language Programs Division Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Writing 2 United States Information Agency, Washington, D. C. 1999 2 3 How to Use this Complex Course Частные уроки Английского Языка 387-1231 MIND Speaks to MIND – Selected American Essays 4 Preface Some years ago, a visitor to our office, a professor of English at a large foreign university, asked if the English Language Programs Division had published a book of American essays for foreign students – especially students at the advanced level. Having to respond in the negative, I was, nonetheless, “intrigued” by the idea of a collection of essays that would form a source of stimulating ideas or thoughts that could be thoroughly examined in the EFL classroom, discussed and debated in free conversation, and perhaps, ultimately, lead to a significant growth in the exchange of information between cultures – via the printed page. From this rationale, then, there issues an explanation for the title, Mind Speaks to Mind, which itself is an “exchange of information” between the editor and Edward Hoagland in his essay, “On Essays”! And, readers are encouraged to study this essay first as a type of guideline concerning the nature/purpose of the essay. It is found on page 26. For ease of reference, the essays are presented in alphabetical order according...

Words: 42425 - Pages: 170