American Dream critique essays

American Dream critique essays The implicit critique of the American Dream in Sea Oak. The notion of the American Dream is widely used describing the American Society in general. Sometimes we hear: He is the real embodiment of the American Dream. But what does it mean? Is he famous? Is he successful? Has he much money? The answer is YES. He is prosperous and wealthy. But how has he reached that? The answer is he believed in the American Dream. What is the American Dream, then? The American dream is the idea held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity. These were values held by many early European settlers, and have been passed on to subsequent generations. The origin of the American dream stems from the departure in government and economics from the models of the Old World. This allowed unprecedented freedom, especially the possibility of dramatic upward social mobility. Europeans came to America to escape a poor quality of life at home. They wanted to embrace the promise of financial security and constitutional freedom they had heard existed so widely in the United States. That was the time when some poor people coming to a new Land could achieve wealth. Nearing the twentieth century, major industrialist personalities became the new model of the American dream, many beginning life in the humblest of conditions but later controlling enormous corporations and fortunes. Perhaps m ost notable here were the great American capitalists Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. This acquisition of great wealth appeared to demonstrate that if you had talent, intelligence, and a willingness to work extremely hard, you were likely to be a success in life as a result. There are hundreds of such examples, in fact. But, still, is that so simple? Is that really a formular that works? That is the question. The American Dream is the part of the American culture. It is the ma...

Absolutely!

Absolutely! Absolutely! Absolutely! By Maeve Maddox Not a month goes by that someone doesn’t write to complain about the ubiquity of the word absolutely. The following objections to this word are typical: Please answer a question without starting with the word absolutely. Its driving me mad, please please stop. What’s wrong with responding, â€Å"without a doubt,† â€Å"you bet,† â€Å"of course,† â€Å"for sure,† or simply â€Å"yes†? It [strikes] me as ironic that perfectly good English words and phrases like thats correct and yes [are] being usurped by the invasive absolutely. Complaints about absolutely have been circling the Web for at least 18 years. It was on the Lake Superior State University’s list of banished words in 1996. It continues to be the object of wrath on many blog sites, and it made another appearance on the LSSU list in 2014. Perceptions that absolutely as a synonym for â€Å"yes† is a recent tic have led people to speculate as to what or whom to blame for introducing it into popular speech. In 1996, a critic put the blame on the movie Rocky (1976). However, the citations in the OED indicate that absolutely has been used as an affirmation since 1825: Is it permitted me to ask your majesty whether the opinion of the queen is conformable to that of your majesty? Yes, absolutely; she will tell you so herself. (1825) Is such really the state of matters between you and Rivers? Absolutely, sir! (1847) Do you mean to say that if he was all right and proper otherwise youd be indifferent about the earl part of the business? Absolutely. (1892) Absolutely is not confined to use as a word for â€Å"yes.† It is also used to modify words in every type of context, from baby clothes to wartime atrocities: Fifteen Absolutely Darling Onesies Pablo Hernandez scored an absolutely outrageous no-look back-heel against Atletico Madrid this evening. The Absolutely Most Delicious Wrap and Sandwich Recipes Cookbook Killing reporters during battles in southeastern  Ukraine  is  absolutely unacceptable. In each of these examples, absolutely is being used as an empty intensifier, the way awesome is so often used. Sometimes absolutely is used functionally, as in this household tip: Get all the  clothes  that you want to store  absolutely clean and dry. Here the meaning is, â€Å"to the fullest extent.† In a 2009 article on the CNN website, Rex Bossert, an assistant dean at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, is quoted as blaming O.J. Simpson for introducing absolutely as the ultimate modifier. Bossert points out that when Simpson was arraigned in 1994 and was asked how he pled, he didn’t say simply â€Å"not guilty†; he said, â€Å"Absolutely, 100 percent not guilty.† Why does a word that ranks so high among verba non grata continue to remain so popular? The CNN article also quotes an account executive who has embraced absolutely as her word for â€Å"yes† because it sounds reassuring: Absolutely sounds confident and sure. In times of ambivalence, people could use a bit of semantic surety. When you use it, you just feel more confident. Unfortunately, many speakers perceive absolutely as the contrary of reassuring. In the view of one college student at the University of Oregon, [Absolutely] now means â€Å"a lot of bull.† It’s like â€Å"whatever,† or â€Å"sure.† It grates on me when a professor or another student says â€Å"absolutely† because saying it means they’re a phony (2010). Bottom line: Absolutely as both a synonym for â€Å"yes† and a meaningless intensifier will probably be with us for some time. Professionals need to be aware that promiscuous use of the word is annoying, and that many speakers view such use as evidence of insincerity, untrustworthiness, and mental vacuity. vacuity (noun): complete absence of ideas; vacancy of mind or thought. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?Ten Yiddish Expressions You Should KnowA "Diploma" is not a "Degree"