Anjolie’s Writing Journal

Topic: The harsh reality of the american dream

Citation: Wright, L. S. H. (2009). The death of the american dream. The Virginia Quarterly Review, 85(4), 196-VIII. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/docview/205385361?accountid=6579

Hunter S. Thompson’s “The Death of the American Dream.” Thompson believed that the dream itself could’ve helped our society if it wasn’t so flawed. The analyzer of the story, Luke Wright, addresses the story as a life changing read. To understand the flawed system of injustice in America, Thompson endured various political and social protest events that permanently left a mark on his life, and not in a positive way. Wright states in order to jumpstart the halting project, Thompson convinced Silberman to obtain him press credentials for the Democratic Convention in August. Mingling among the protesters outside the convention and mixing among journalists covering the event, Thompson witnessed police violence, which would forever scar his psyche and become a constructive factor in virtually all his subsequent writing (1). This is when he knew, peace and unity was not a factor in the American dream, nor should it have ever been claimed to have ever been a part of what makes America great. We are divided subconsciously and historically, which leads into the hate crimes and police brutality we see on our streets every single day. Thompson finishes his story, ending it with the fact that he believes the notion of the American dream and everything it stands for is as good as meaningless. Wrights’ analysis finishes off with his own opinion, explaining that we have confused the American Dream with simple accumulation.

I learnt a great deal on how to write professionally, at a college level this semester and i plan to use that throughout my college career. I learned how to analyze, synthesis and research thoroughly! Honestly, I did not even know what an Authoethnography was until this class. It was a great way for me to expand on my writing skills and I am very thankful for it. My understanding of topics such as Ethos, Logos, and Pathos have expanded greatly and I am now able to analyze any piece of work thoroughly. I learnt through my topic of the American Dream that our country is actually one of the least economically fair countries regardless of our modernization. I learnt it through the usage of the CRAAP test and tested how vaild the information was.

• Your intended audience (who is the recast for?): The intended audience is for all Americans or anyone interested in learning about the overall change in the famous idea of the ‘American Dream.’
• Your purpose (what are you trying to do?): I am trying to inform others on this topic.
• The medium that would be best for your purpose and audience (why that medium? What are some others?) I think the best medium would be an infographic as this is a topic that goes back to the old days where newspapers with infographics were used. It is also very pleasing to the eye and easy to retain information as it is condensed.
• Outline what information from your research essay would be most suitable to include to help you achieve your purpose: Mostly the statistical data I used will help me create the fact boxes that will help me achieve my purpose.
• Tools you’ll need for composing. Do you have access to those tools? Canva is my tool and I have access to it.
• Go back through your research essay and make a list of significant points you want to represent in your multi modal recast. Post those points in your Writer’s Journal.: a couple of points are individuals experiences or the economy dropping stats.

I do not believe women are treated equally as men. Statistically there is still a pay-gap in what women and men make for the same job and that alone justifies how much we are not viewed as equal. Men have been always shown as the stronger gender and I do not believe that is always the case. Women are just as capable.

Overall, what I have learnt from my RA topic is that the research was very repetitive and I could not expand on the topic, therefore I have changed my topic to the reality of the american dream.

Four potential questions I have for my research paper are, where the notion of the american dream started / originated, why it targeted one race / demographic, how it expanded to other countries, and is it still used today and if so, is it used positively or negatively.

I’ll find my sources from the nova database, using scholarly articles and probably use a popular video discussing it.

I believe all Americans and immigrants should be invested in my topic.

One argument I hold on the topic is that the american dream is dead and should not be used to promote the face of american citizens anymore.

People who would be interested in this argument probably agree with me on this claim.

Sources beneficial to me come from journals or articles with facts that back up my statements such as stats, graphs, first hand experiences.

The texts main idea will cover the credibility of the authors and how their texts relate to my argument on the american dream.

Over the course of the two essay’s I’ve written this semester, I have changed topics. My first essay covered more of a science issue whereas my second essay covered a political issue. I am sticking to my political issue on whether the american dream is still alive, or even the fact that it all could just be a fake notion. My perceptions have not changed on the matter, I do not believe the idea of the ‘american dream’ exists today in our society. We now have a hierarchy most of us don’t realize that is determining our fate and success in this country. I believe I definitely need to do more research on statistics and first hand experiences on the misconception of coming to america on the notion of the ‘dream’ versus the reality of what it really like. With this information I can definitely write my research paper!

If my school got shut down due to the Coronavirus i’d be particularly happy about it. Not about the person getting diagnosed, I would feel sorry for them but not having to drive here every single day would be a great relief on me. I’d be able to wake up late again and not have to worry about missing classes because my class is online! It just would make my life easier if I did not have to always come to school.

Evaluating Resources: the CRAPP TEST

Cite the source you are evaluating:

 1) Leaders: Inequality and the American Dream – Inequality and the American Dream; The United States. (2006, June 17). Retrieved May 4, 2019, from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/abicomplete/docview/224018715/63023B7282EC4DF5PQ/4?accountid=6579

2) Hejne, R. (2011, July). American Dream VS. American Responsibilities . Retrieved February 7, 2019, from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/abiglobal/docview/879813486/BCDB0A6EE16742A4PQ/12?accountid=6579

3) Standard of living [Online image]. (2020). In World Book Advanced. Retrieved from

https://www-worldbookonline-com.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/advanced/media?id=pc325596

Currency: the timeliness of the information

• When was the information published or posted?

 1 – June 17, 2006

2 – July, 2011

3 – 2020

• Has the information been revised or updated?

They are all from the Nova Database, so they all have been revised to be credible.

• Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?

My first article is out of date, just to exemplify and grasp how ongoing this problem has been. My second article is somewhat current though it is almost a decade old, all of the points stand out clearly and are current.

• Are the links functional?

Yes! All three links are functional.

Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
  Yes my topic is on the inequality and reality of the American dream.
• Who is the intended audience?

Americans, college students and young adults.

• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?

It is all at an appropriate level, two are articles published and one is a image with background text.

• Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?

Yes, finding the articles were easy but the visual citation took a while to decide on.

• Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?

Yes they are all credible and have through views and explanations.

Authority: the source of the information

• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
  1- The Economist
• 2- R. Hejne
• 3- Standard Image – World Book Advanced
• Are the author’s credentials or organizational affiliations given?

Only the second article includes R. Hejne has his Public Management Masters (P.M)

• What are the author’s qualifications to write on the topic?

Both articles I’ve chosen relate on more of a research matter therefore are backed up by sources and data. They’re both credible researchers.

• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail address?
  No
• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?  Examples:
  • com (commercial),
  •  .edu (educational),
  •  .gov (U.S. government),
  • .org (nonprofit organization),
  •  or .net (network)

All sources are .com, which reveals it may have commercial value or use.

Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content

• Where does the information come from?

All of the information comes from articles sourced from Nova’s Library database.

• Is the information supported by evidence?
  Yes, they all have cited events and facts
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?

Not that I know of.

• Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?

Yes, a lot of the events regarding the American dream and its reality and actual inequality I’ve experienced first hand within my own family.

• Does the language or tone seem biased and free of emotion?

No, they’re unbiased articles mainly stating facts.

• Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

No.

Purpose: the reason the information exists

• What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade?

All articles chosen are used to inform.

• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?

Yes, every author is clear that they are discussing the truth about the American dream.

• Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?

The information in all three articles are facts.

• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?

No, none of these articles are impartial.

• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

Mainly political facts, little to none biases, and a lot of institutional stereotypes.

After evaluating this source, do you think you will use it for your paper? Why or why not? If you are not sure, explain why.

Yes , all three articles I’ve chosen are similar in regards to the truth about the American dream. They don’t stem far from each other which makes this paper easier to write.

If I had the opportunity to visit Puerto Rico, I would assemble a large group to come with me in order to aide relief to the people. First, I would fund raise to gather the funds to buy supplies to give back to the families and communities that need relief. Possibly, I could acquire wood to build temporary living quarters for families without a home. As a large group we could advocate for their government to provide relief more, and promote it’s community in unity. If we all stand together it may get the job done. Hopefully it becomes better in PR as the conditions there have been rough for a while. I also feel like ‘we’ as the United States should be providing endless amounts of support as PR is apart of our country.

If I was diagnosed with tinnitus, It would be a very complicated situation. I would be super irritated and stressed by my lack of hearing and not knowing what exactly caused it. I would definitely go to therapy focused specifically on my ear problems and how to cope with my new found illness. The reason why I would use therapy is because for the solemn fact that there is no cure, I would have to learn how to live with this problem, day by day. It would be the most resourceful use of support and I would definitely feel better about dealing with this issue.