The American Dreamer

While reading through “Teaching the Convention of Academic Discourse” by Teresa Thonney, I learned several things that we, as first-year college students, are doing wrong. Although that I am grateful that I am being introduced to these concepts prior to writing my first official college paper, it is also a wake up call and a mild slap in the face about the differences between high school and college writing. I have heard stories of friends who have spent days on their college papers only to receive a C at best. Obviously this is not the grade they were going for, and they could not figure out what they were doing wrong. They say that after the first few papers they begin to figure out what their professors are looking for because they were never taught to write in this particular style. This is an interesting topic because as Thonney mentions in her article, scholar David Russell believes “...there is no ‘autonomous, generalizable skill or set of skills called ‘writing’ that can...

Our country is simply the best. That is the only way to put it. I have grown up knowing and believing that statement thanks to endless reinforcement through television, the media, popular figures, and from the biased opinions surrounding me. Immediately after diving into Requiem for the American Dream by Noam Chomsky, my previous thoughts about America are torn apart and questioned. What I thought I knew about our country was completely obliterated. Obviously I knew that America has several issues that in need of addressing; however, I was not aware of the complexity nor the extent of the problems in our so-called “opportunistic” society. Once upon a time, America represented a symbol of hope, a symbol of optimism, and a symbol of desire for a new life. Past settlers came to our new and amazing country in search of a fresh start and equal opportunities. Unfortunately, this reality of the American Dream is no longer a roaring flame, it is nothing but a small ember. As Chomsky ad...

What you think you know about America’s system is about to be tragically reversed. Typically, when we think about the concept of the American Dream, we look towards ultimate wealth, equality, or whatever else we desire most. However, Noam Chomsky presents an opposite approach to the idea throughout his book Requiem for the American Dream. He lays out the 10 greatest issues that are responsible for ultimately destroying the American Dream. Personally, I found Principle #2: Shape Ideology to be most interesting. This principle deals with the concept of the modern education system. He takes what we know about the system (the fact that universities are expensive, the belief that Charter schools provide the children with a better education, and the truth that children raised in areas corrupted with poverty have a more difficult time focusing in elementary school) and flips it on its axis to reveal the truth behind the common misconceptions set forth by those in power. Whe...

War is the conceptual basis of all arguments. This underlying foundation to the majority of all arguments gives them a bad reputation. The word “war” on its own radiates a negative connotation and often makes people fear what is to come. In the article “Finding the Good Argument OR Why Bother With Logic,” author and English professor at University of Tennessee Rebecca Jones explains points risen by linguists George Lakoff and Mark Johnson and their stance on the basis of arguments: “We see the person we are arguing with as an opponent. We attack his position and we defend our own … Many of the things we do in arguing are partially structured by the concept of war” (61). Although typically people try to avoid arguing, or argue to win to gain a sense of self-pride, arguments are actually beneficial to the community. Arguing is necessary to resolve conflicts; however, it is rarely done in an effective manner. As Jones points out, we as humans argue inefficiently everyday. This is pro...