Jackie Ly
Professor Jacoby
English 205 Tuesday & Thursday
14 April 2013
Mid-term Exam In the article Deluded Individualism by Firmin Debrabander, he explains to the readers the conflicts of Individualism and how controversial this topic truly is in the eyes of Americans. Debrabander express his thoughts on individualism and how it is just a misleading belief American citizens have created to make themselves feel like they are truly individuals because they are capable of making their own choices and decisions. The speaker makes a valid and convincing argument on why he believes it is called Deluded Individualism rather than Individualism by providing proof related to politics and using Sigmund Freud, a famous figure in psychology, to prove his argument is indeed valid. Debrabander’s argument is profoundly persuading due to his use of evidence, the way he organize his essay, and the choice of words he used. Out of all the evidence Debrabander could have used, he chose to use the article, “Even Critics of the Safety Net Increasingly Depend on It”, because it would most likely relate to his targeted age group readers and because politics and government is controversial itself which fits in with the topic about Individualism. In addition to using politics as evidence, he also used theories of Sigmund Freud to further validate his argument by explaining to the readers the importance of the Ego and the Id and how it connects to the reason humans like to regard themselves as Individuals. Debrabander makes his argument even more persuasive by choosing his words carefully. For an example he uses the word “Self determining” and “Self conscious” to stress his point that Americans are ignorant beings who only focuses on the self and not the “we.” I personally believe this controversial topic is an eye opening theory because it makes everyone question whether they are really individualists or is it the thought of having free will and rights that makes them believe they are individualist, which is deluded individualism. We interact with each other because we are all inherently social. We need to interact with each other to be sane. One high school student in Virginia, Madlin Mekelburg, expressed her thoughts on what she thinks about Individualism, “Until this country, the so-called "United" States of America, can live up to the exaggeratedly united image it has created for itself, America will forever be divided by the desire for individual accomplishment and power. Greed and egotism have claimed a place at the top of the list of American characteristics. (Huffingtonpost)” She also talks about how Americans are greedy and egocentric and how they want to take all the credit to themselves, not acknowledging the helping hands of others. Mekelburg also mentions the Pledge of Allegiance and how we are supposed to be “one” nation but seek for individualism. Despite the arguments of Individualism being a misconception, there are others who believe Individualism does exist. Take for an example this article One nation under individualism by Maryam Hamedani and Hazel Markus explains why Individualism exist in this world. “We found that, for Americans, thinking about their ties to others sapped their motivation compared to thinking about their freedom from others. Also, “thinking we” led participants to feel weak and give up sooner than did ‘thinking me.’ (nydailynews).” Individualism throughout American history: As James Bryce, British ambassador to the United States (1907–13), wrote in The American Commonwealth (1888), “Individualism, the love of enterprise, and the pride in personal freedom have been deemed by Americans not only their choicest, but [their] peculiar and exclusive possession.” (Britannica.)

Annotated Bibliography
Mekelburg, Madlin. "United We Stand?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 06 June 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.
Hamedani, Maryam and Markus, Hazel. "One Nation under Individualism ." NY Daily News. NYdailynews.com, 8 Apr. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.
"Individualism (politics and Philosophy)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.