ipl-logo

Rhetorical Analysis Of Brandon King The American Dream

1116 Words5 Pages

The American Dream has a different meaning from what it once was, but according to Brandon King it is still alive. His beginning question, “What is the true state of the so-called ‘American Dream’ today” (Page #610, Para. #1) appeals to his audience’s own thoughts of his or her own personal beliefs for their futures. Most people have an idea of what they want in life, and their dream may not be the rags to riches dream of yesteryear, but is uniquely theirs. Also King provides data from expert economists to support his view. Many of the economists King presents do not believe this country is going in the right direction, which gives him a chance to present his ideas for keeping the dream alive. King effectively argues that the American Dream is still alive by giving statistics from …show more content…

Surveys are a good way to find out what people are thinking, the surveys King present support his ideas. One of the surveys provided was done by the New York Times “72 percent of Americans still believe it is possible to start poor, work hard, and become rich in America” (Page #611, Para. #2). This ultimately shows that the majority of Americans still are still motivated to work towards their dream and that it is possible to achieve their dream. The dreams of today are not so much about getting rich, most Americans today want a secure job with benefits, a stable home, and a secure retirement plan. King states that “more and more people now rent their homes instead of buying; a recent study showed a decrease in home ownership from 69% to 66.5% in 2010, and increase in renter households of 1.1 million” (King quote, Page #611, Para. #2). By presenting this survey, King shows that Americans may not have the dream of owning a home as they did in the past. Ultimately, King shows Americans do still believe in the American Dream; however, they are more conservative in their

Show More
Related
333 Words | 2 Pages

In King’s sermon The American Dream (Pg. 103-108) King reflects on the philosophies that the founding fathers had laid out in the Declaration of Independence. King

Read More
564 Words | 3 Pages

The ideals of American Dream may have changed from those of the past however “we have adapted the values that contained within the American Dream to meet new challenges” (615). The Great Recession and other mis-fortuned have not broken the American Dream, King believes that it was “necessary and imperative”(615)indicating that a change. Today as long as people have the “potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future” (611) a better life is to come. King created a contrast in the views of liberal economists and activists, who think the American dream is dead, with facts from a survey done in 2009 by the New York Times. For example, the “survey found that 72 percent of Americans still believed it was possible to start poor, work hard, and become rich in America” (611).

Read More
759 Words | 4 Pages

The American Dream To many the American Dream means a new beginning for their lives. In this paper I will analyze and explain my reasoning behind the previous statement through the writings of Phyllis Wheatley, William Bradford, and John Smith. I will also look at other stories from more recent times that show the American Dream is still alive today. In Phyllis Wheatley’s poem On Being Brought from Africa to America, she describes how she came to America and how everyone, no matter the skin color, can end up ion heaven.

Read More
1181 Words | 5 Pages

In “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?”, Brandon King boldly decides to redefine the concept of “the American Dream” and claims that it is “the key to climbing out of the Great Recession, overcoming inequality, and achieving true prosperity.” (573) In his essay, his new definition of the American Dream is “the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future,” (573) which contrasts against the original idea that it “is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement, regardless of social class or circumstances of birth,” as proposed by James Truslow Adams. While this is an impressive redefinition of the

Read More
483 Words | 2 Pages

This dream represents a personal concept of the ideal life of freedom, opportunity, and the potential for success. In the article “Is The American Dream Still Alive” it says “The beauty of the American Dream is that each person can craft his or her own definition of what it means and then choose the means by which to achieve it.” This statement stresses the adaptability of each person.

Read More
744 Words | 3 Pages

The American dream has been argued to have changed drastically over time, and even completely dissolved. Without something to believe in and strive for, living is pointless. For years the American dream has given people a goal that they wish to meet one day; but of late people have shown little to no interest in the American dream. The lack of hope in the dream has caused lessened motivation for a quality life, and promoted a way of mediocre living. I argue that media is the root of the change, along with politics.

Read More
899 Words | 4 Pages

America has always been portrayed as a place full of opportunity and prosperity, which is still is. The American Dream is still about becoming successful, but the way that it is achieved has changed over the years. The main flaw in the idea of the “American Dream” is the way it is depicted. The American Dream is talked about as if anyone can achieve it, but no one talks about the reality of how hard it truly is to achieve. The American Dream will always be a common idea in the American culture, but the way to achieve it will become more difficult with each generation that passes.

Read More
1143 Words | 5 Pages

Nhat Anh Nguyen Prof. Standford WRI102 10/03/15 American Dream, Are You Still Alive? I came to the United States for the first time in 2011, and I was grateful to be a part of the country's culture that promotes diversity and hard work. Hard work is really important, because it is what American Dream bases on, and American Dream has been the principle of Americans since the creation of this country. Although the Dream and its ideas are great, I wonder if it is still alive after we discussed Krugman, Piketty, Friedman and a lot other brilliant economists' articles. I have constructed myself a way to look at American Dream after this half of the semester:

Read More
1133 Words | 5 Pages

A person will get a thrill by going and buying that new phone or car ,but in reality another something will be coming out in the next week. The American Dream has drastically changed from living within your means to buying what makes

Read More
862 Words | 4 Pages

Those citizens have the mindset that the American Dream just is not possible in modern society. Is the American Dream Still Possible by David Wallechinsky addresses multiple view points from different Americans who don’t think the dream is accessible any longer. The excerpt states, “ But many average Americans are struggling- squeezed by rising costs, declining wages, credit-card debt and diminished benefits, with little left over to save for retirement” (55). Wallechinsky is correct in his statement that many Americans struggle. Most Americans come across problems that could potentially destroy their American Dream but the ones who succeed are the ones who don’t lose hope.

Read More
817 Words | 4 Pages

If I would have been asked that question I would be part of that percentage of people who don’t believe that it is still achievable anymore. Most people are just generally outworked for it because they are more eager to get it and when that happens other people tend to quit. It is also hard to keep your spirits up with a huge student debt on your back, and it’s not even their fault either because they have to try to become skilled in a trade because in some areas people are getting fired due to machines taking jobs over. While most people don’t even have enough money to support their dream because of how much it may cost. Those are some of the reasons why the American Dream is too out of reach for most people.

Read More
1999 Words | 8 Pages

Everyone has different perspectives on what their American Dream is like. While some dreams might be to have a stable job, a nice home, and a happy family while on the other hand, others dreams might be to finally be seen as an equal. Like President Nixon said, " we shall never be satisfied until we make the American ideal of equality of opportunity a reality for every citizen regardless of his race,creed or color. "In conclusion,the accessibility of the American Dream has fluctuated greatly and has been driven by a range of economic,political, and demographic factors. These changes have been prompted by a variety of factors, but overall it is clear that the American Dream is still a powerful force in American society, but its accessibility is constantly evolving and remains a subject of debate and

Read More
746 Words | 3 Pages

For every individual, it is instinctive to want the American dream and to want to provide a good life for his/her family. Source 2 states the foundation of the American dream: “A land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” As shown, the American dream is the pressing drive for peoples’ desire to move into gentrified areas. Reduced crime, refurbished houses, and good schools are appealing to anyone. Although, it is unfortunate that wealthier families have a negative reputation of being arrogant, greedy, and callous just because of their more ostentatious lifestyle.

Read More
1053 Words | 5 Pages

The “American Dream” as we know it is dead. The term was first used by James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book The Epic of America where he describes it as: “…that 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. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth

Read More
891 Words | 4 Pages

America’s wealth gap between middle class and upper class income is at its highest level in decades. According to Pew Research Center’s article “America’s Wealth Gap,” they report in 2010, the median wealth of upper-income families was 6.2 times the median wealth of middle-income families and by 2013, that wealth ratio grew to 6.6. This makes the American Dream a very difficult thing to accomplish, especially for the lower class. The American Dream means that all people have the equal opportunity to achieve success of rising in their social ladder through hard work, determination, and initiative. Some argue that the American Dreams is available and achievable by all.

Read More

More about Rhetorical Analysis Of Brandon King The American Dream

Related Topics

Open Document