Blog #6: Context and the American Dream

It's probably clear by now that we all see the world differently depending on our personal contexts. The values we hold, our personal experiences, and our education all create a context that changes our perception of the world. 

It's dizzying, really, because it means we can't neatly divide the world into neat either/or sides. In "Finding the Good Argument," Rebecca Jones asserts, "Rather than a either/or proposition, argument is mutiple and complex" (160).  By the way, this is not just about finding the middle ground. There are endless middle grounds. 

Good arguments, Jones insists, require "research, consideration of multiple vantage points, and quite often basic logic" (158). After all, without exploring the various positions, we aren't able to understand the basic issues, where they rely on flawed evidence or logic, or where they agree or disagree, and we'll never solve any problems or make any progress (Jones 160). 

And so here we are, looking at the American Dream one more time. You are going to do some research, but not yet. First you need to develop a little background information. 

Skim the book and see what's interesting to you, then pick one or two chapters and read them more closely.  

The titles give you some insight into the context. For example, "Dreaming in Black and White" addresses issues of race and segregation, and "Whose Dream? Gender and the American Dream" explores how society has limited women's opportunities. However, "Religion and the American Dream" doesn't only address the American Dream in the context of religion but also looks at generational contexts.  So read with an open mind. Perhaps you will find a interesting focus.

In this blog, identify the context and review some of the author's claims about the American Dream in that context. Be sure to reference specific things from the text, and be sure to use at least one quotation from the text--in context. (By now you're probably tired of that word.)

Most important, ask questions of the text. For example, if the chapter examines how Catholic faith complicates some aspects of the American Dream, you might ask how American Catholics overcome that apparent conflict to believe in the American Dream. You might ask how other Christian faiths view the American Dream based on their beliefs. And of course not all Americans are Christian, so how might another faith system influence belief in the American Dream or no faith at at all. 

And reference other things you know related to that context. 

And on and on it goes. Refer to what you know or what you have heard or what you just want to know more about. You're blogging, and this is the last blog.

Blog #5: What do you mean there are TWO American Dreams?!

No matter what's going on, Americans seem to hang on to the belief that "America is unique among all nations, because it is founded on the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity" (Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research 2008 qtd. in White and Hanson 8). 

It's kind of crazy when you think about it. Over the course of it's 200-plus-year history, America hasn't actually offered equal opportunities to everyone, even all Americans. 

So why is it that the American Dream endures as a myth (defining belief) in this nation? White and Hanson assert that part of this is because the Dream is continually changing depending on what's happening in the country.  They acknowledge acknowledge that although there is always an element of economic security associated with the Dream, it "has been broadened to include a greater sense of personal well-being and quality of life issues" (10).

In other words, the values associated with the American Dream (freedom and equality of opportunity, per White and Hanson, and individuality, per Althen) have been redefined to include new things like "access to quality healthcare and reducing the harmful effects of global warming" (White and Hanson 10).   

Whatever it is, the American Dream is a state of mind, and while Americans agree on the basics of the Dream, they visualize it differently.  

USC professor Walter Fisher expands this discussion by identifying two American Dreams. The first is the materialistic dream, which emphasizes values such as "persistence, 'playing the game,' initiative, self-reliance, achievement, and success" (118). The goal with this dream is to "reap the rewards of status, wealth, and power" (118).  The second dream is the moralistic dream which values "tolerance, charity, compassion, and true regard for the dignity and worth of each and every individual" (118). He contends that for the American Dream and the nation to survive, these two apparently conflicting beliefs must coexist equally (124).

Your task in this blog is to reflect on Fisher's claims. Identify a few claims, explain them, and apply these theories, developed in 1972, to your own context, 2017.  

As always, you need 500 to 750 words and at least one relevant quotation, presented in context, with analysis. And you need to reply to at least two other blogs. 

Btw, after this, there are only two blogs. (I'm not sure if that is good news or bad news.)

BONUS BLOG: Meet the Americans

Hi, my name is Erin, and I am an American. 

Seriously. It's the only way I know how to be. 

I used to think the American way was the only way to be, and then I met people from other countries and I traveled to other places.

And then I realized:

Some people find Americans annoying.

But why? 

I was in Paris, and everyone stared at me because I was wearing a white coat and white running shoes. I didn't realize. They all dress in black.

At least I spoke French moderately well. 

My friend didn't. And she got mad because you can't use American cash in Paris. She complained that she could use dollars in Tijuana. The sales clerk was not amused, and she said some very nasty things. In French. Clearly these two women did not understand or want to understand each other.

I thought that since my friend was visiting France, she should try to adapt to the French way, and I told her that, but my friend thought the French woman should do things the American way because that was the only way, or at least the best way, and then I thought maybe I might be annoying too. At least to French people. 

What are those factors that make Americans charming to some and annoying to others? 

Indiana State foreign student advisor Gary Althen identifies some of those unique characteristics in "American Values and Assumptions," a chapter from American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners in the United States. He is writing to help international students adapt to their studies in the US, but this chapter can also be enlightening to Americans. 

In this chapter, Althen identifies and describes widely upheld American values and the assumptions associated with these values. I am not his primary audience, but this chapter allowed me to see myself more analytically. I began to understand how my values influence my behavior and my beliefs. Moreover, I could see other Americans acted and believed certain things. 

In this post, identify and respond to a few of the values Althen names. Do you see these values in your life? How? How does this influence the way you live? 

There are many reasons why you might not hold these values in your life. If not, you might analyze why. 

Or perhaps you hold some different values. What are those? How does this make you different than Althen describes? 

As usual, write approximately 500 to 750 words, use relevant quotations, and provide analysis of your ideas. As usual, respond to at least two other people. 

BTW, this is a bonus blog. Extra points. That means you don't HAVE to write it. But you do have to read Althen.

Blog #4: Campaigns and Speeches and the Making of a President

So if you're reading this blog for Erin Flewelling's RWS 200 class in spring 2018, you are probably 18 or 19 or 20 years old. That means that Barack Obama was president of the United States for most of your lifetime, or at least the lifetime you remember. 

And so having a black man for president seems normal.

 But Obama was the first, and given America's history of slavery and ongoing racial oppression, his election, even his candidacy were momentous marks in American history.

It almost didn't happen.

Rumors surrounded Obama's campaign almost from the beginning, all designed to make it seem like Obama wasn't really very American.

Here are some of the things people said about him.

• His name sounds like Osama bin Laden.
• He is a Muslim. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but remember, this is post-9-11, and a lot of people viewed Muslims as terrorists.
• He doesn't wear an American flag lapel pin. 
• He was born in Kenya. 
• His pastor, the Reverand Jeremiah Wright, wants God to damn America. Yes, this was a Christian pastor, so it kind of messes up the "Obama is a Muslim" claim.

Obama largely let the rumors dissipate, but when an excerpted video of his pastor's sermon floated headlined the nightly news, he knew he needed to respond to the rumors and reconstruct his ethos. He needed to connect to the voters and show that in spite of the rumors, in spite of the fact he looked and sounded different than pretty much any other candidate in the history of America, he was very American. In order to win the Democratic nomination--or the election, he needed to demonstrate he was trustworthy.

Oh--and did I mention this is 2008, the height of the Great Recession? The voters know this presidential election matters. 

In this speech, Obama has to respond to the concerns Americans have about him, concerns they have for the economy, concerns they have about the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and concerns they have about the future of America. And he needs to demonstrate that they can trust him, that he is the right person for the job.

In this blog, analyze how Obama uses rhetorical strategies responds to all these concerns and builds trust for this very specific audience of Americans living in the midst of the economic meltdown of 2007-2008. (Btw, you don't need to sound like you're writing an essay. This is still a blog.)

At this point, I name all the things that Aristotle says will build ethos: 1) He seems knowledgeable; 2) he seems to share audience values; 3) he seems concerned for his readers; 4) he seems fair and objective; 5) he seems good. Obama doesn't need all of these things, but he needs at least some of them.

Remember, 500-750 words. Use at least one relevant quotation in context. And respond to at least two other people.

Blog #3: Academic Writing? (Please No.)

Most freshmen college students think they know what academic discourse is. After all, they've been writing in an academic setting for about 12 years by the time they arrive at university.

And then they get a grade on their first college essay, and they wonder what went wrong. 

What worked before doesn't work as well now. What do university professors expect anyway? 

Disclosure: They expect something more like Teresa Thonney and "Teaching the Conventions of Academic Discourse," the article you just read.

Why didn't they just say so? Why keep their expectations a secret?

That's Thonney's point to the college writing teachers she is addressing. (No, you are not the primary audience!) She contends that there are some common characteristics of academic writing and college instructors should teach those conventions in their classes in order to give them the tools to meet professor expectations.

Yeah, that's basically it.  Except she goes into detail about what those conventions are, why scholarly writers use them, and how it will help undergraduate students to begin using them in their own writing.  

In this post, talk about your experience reading this academic journal article, written by a scholar for other scholars. What did you like? What was challenging? After all, you are not the primary audience.  OR if you have read these types of articles in the past, what was that like?

And then talk about one or more of the conventions and how this style of writing is similar or different than what you have done in the past.  

Or you could talk about how these conventions, which are rhetorical strategies, use the appeals to persuade the primary audience.