A Dream with Deceit Essay -- American Argumentative Persuasive Essays

A Dream with Deceit In a world of uncertainty and disappointment, many people welcome the promise of happiness by any definition. In response to this, society offers the "American Dream," a guarantee of success through hard work and perseverance, as a path to contentment. Corporate America cunningly markets the "American Dream" to the public, and as a result the allure of wealth and status dictates the lives of many Americans. The elite and large corporations intentionally feed the idea of an "American Dream" to the general public because they depend on its widespread acceptance to maintain their undisputed power. The media has become a powerful tool for corporations to spread the ideals of the "American Dream" throughout the population. Television and newspapers, two specific channels of the media, have a vast influence over the people that the "American Dream" targets. The power that the media has over the general population is strong, influencing society's ideals and view of the "American Dream" through methods equivalent to brainwashing. Society continues to uphold a destructive "American Dream," giving people a false perception of success and ignoring the reality of limited opportunity that exists today. Society has imposed the "American Dream" on individuals for as long as the United States has been in existence. People are manipulated into believing that hard work and perseverance will lead to their ultimate success in life. The government, the media, and corporations alike create and exploit the "American Dream" as a system of mass control. Greed propels the dream by adding to the power it hold over individuals. Society is told that everyone should be striving for success, which is defined a... ...bert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, Boston: Bedford / St. Martins, 2001. 305-310. Dalton, Harlon L. "Horatio Alger." Rereading America. Eds. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, Boston: Bedford / St. Martins, 2001. 311-317. Fallows, James. "The Invisible Poor." Rereading America. Eds. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, Boston: Bedford / St. Martins, 2001. 356-369. "Money and Success: The Myth of Individual Opportunity." Rereading America. Eds. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, Boston: Bedford / St. Martins, 2001.295-297. Mantsios, Gregory. "Myths and Realities." Rereading America. Eds. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, Boston: Bedford / St. Martins, 2001. 318-333. Terkel, Studs. "Stephen Cruz." Rereading America. Eds. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, Boston: Bedford / St. Martins, 2001. 335-339.

Comparing How Two Short Fiction Writers Effectively Convey a Common Theme Essay

â€Å"A Visit of Charity† by Eudora Welty and â€Å"The Use of Force† by William Carlos Williams are both engrossing short stories featuring two young female characters who must face an ailment. Eudora Welty touches on a social ailment, using an indifferent teenage girl as takeoff point, and portrays the abandonment of the elderly in a home that is as cold as the treatment they are subjected to. On the other hand, Williams tackles a physical ailment, and he depicts how a medical practitioner will go to great lengths not to neglect his duty, even if he encounters resistance. Welty takes on a serious, somewhat mocking tone, while Williams is thoroughly amusing and almost comical, yet very realistic. In Welty’s short story, a teenage named girl Marian is the protagonist who temporarily leaves the confines of her cloistered existence to visit a home for the aged to fulfill a requirement for Campfire Girls, a group that seeks to develop character in the young.   Instead of gaining the expected social benefits from the visit, Marian ironically develops great uneasiness and retreats. Both short story titles reflect their themes and plot, although the titles may have other implications. â€Å"Visit† in Welty’s short story implies Marian’s fleeting and superficial encounter   with elderly women in the institution. Another possible meaning of the title, â€Å"A Visit of Charity† is that in the world of   apathetic young people, there may be an instance when life offers an opportunity to look beyond themselves and show helpfulness or compassion for fellow human   beings. The title may be seen then as a case of Charity paying Marian a visit by offering her the opportunity to help or give solace or relief to the needy.    Being young and preoccupied with her personal agenda, though, she fails, as most young people do, to enrich herself from a special opportunity to reach out and be of service to others. As for â€Å"The Use of Force† by William Carlos Williams, the title at first glimpse conjures a serious or frightening situation like the application of brute force, a common subject in many literary works. In â€Å"The Use of Force† by Williams, we see instead the firm hand   of a physician who responds to the call of duty as he overcomes the temporary setback of an unwilling and naughty, young patient who resists him. The setting, characters, events and situations in both short stories come alive through the use of vivid language. When Welty describes the home for the aged as   having walls that bounce off † the winter sunlight like a block of ice† (Welty 245) and corridors that â€Å"smell like the interior of a clock† (Welty 246), she lets readers in on the pitiable plight of the elderly women who endure not just the poorly illuminated and unkempt dwelling place but also the neglect and contempt of people entrusted to care for them, or society as a whole. Welty uses a lot of similes like these as the story progresses. William likewise uses figures of speech like personification as he amusingly narrates his experience with the impish Mathilda, the sick child with overprotective parents who are easily swayed by her whims but who care for her well-being. Williams, for instance describes the antagonist as follows: â€Å"The child was fairly eating me up with her cold, steady eyes† (Stuber). There are also symbolisms in each short story.   In â€Å"A Visit of Charity,† the potted plant that Marian brings to the home for the aged is just a thing or gift that is expected of a visitor.   In the same way, the elderly ladies are placed in the home because it is the right thing to do, even if they are not given the genuine warmth and attention they deserve as human beings. In â€Å"The Use of Force,† the parents of the sick child represent a bygone era, when medicine was not yet fully developed as a science and old-fashioned remedies were resorted to.   The doctor may therefore represent the western world’s modern man or â€Å"savior† of those afflicted with illness. In â€Å"A Visit of Charity† by Eudora Welty, the main character desires or concentrates on her own personal advantage.   In contrast, â€Å"The Use of Force† by William Carlos Williams depicts a doctor’s selfless concern to be of help to his patient. In both short fiction stories, the characters interact and engage in dialogue as part of a first-time encounter. The dialogue breathes life to the personalities of the characters, allowing readers to visualize and relate to them better, while also advancing the plot and making the story even more interesting. Both authors lend credibility to the main characters’ views by first establishing their age, gender. task or occupation, and the social class they represent as seen from their mode of dressing and speech. Overall, both William Carlos Williams and Eudora Welty are masters of the short story form who are effectively able to convey important social themes through imagery and characterization, among other elements of short fiction. Works Cited Stuber, Irene. â€Å"The Use of Force by William Carlos Williams (1883-1963).† Classic Short Stories. 1995. 17 July 2008 . Welty, Eudora. â€Å"A Visit of Charity.† Modern Satiric Stories: The Impropriety Principle. Ed. Gregory Fitzgerald. Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1971. 245-246.

Film Opinion Essay

When I decide to drive to the movie theater or to sit down and enjoy a film, several factors play in my choice of movie. Most of the time, it depends on the mood that I am in. Am I in the mood for something light and funny? Or do I want to submerge myself into a detail-oriented film such as Inception? I take into consideration whether I have enjoyed the actors in previous films, and if I think they will provide the entertainment I am looking for. Has the trailer engaged me long enough to make me interested in the film? Or has the advertising flooded me with information that makes me feel as though the film will be another flop and not worth my time? These are all questions I ask myself when I start to think about watching a movie. Generally, I don’t take movie critic reviews into consideration because I have been disappointed several times in the past, but I will listen to what friends have to say about their experience with the movie. I enjoy most films across all genres. I enjoy when the stories are detailed, and provide a history of the characters, whether through flashbacks or dialogue. I prefer comedies to be humorously dark, sarcastic, or dry. With dramas or action flicks, I prefer for the protagonist to have some tragic faults that lead to their outcome or victory to be sweeter or to justify a better cause than them. I enjoy dialogue-heavy films with actors who can portray the character in a way that makes me believe in them. The recent run of comic-based movies is thoroughly enjoyable to me, due to the rich storytelling and deep backstories from the comic books that the movies accompany. Seeing those characters given life by actors that pull off the mannerisms and attitudes helps ensnare new fans into the world of comics. Science fiction films draw me in because I have always been intrigued by the idea that our technological advancement will eventually cause issues that could lead to humanity’s downfall. When I can watch movies over and over again and find new, interesting subplots or Easter eggs, it makes the experience more rewarding. I do not enjoy films with plotlines that do not make sense, create a story too difficult for the medium to translate properly for the audience, or when movies start plotlines but do not see them through. When watching horror films, slasher films do not pique my interest as much as psychological or religious horror films do. I try to stay away from the general run of the mill action films that come out every summer, that tend to have the same formula as a lot of other action movies. In rare instances, the soundtrack of a film will turn me away if it does not fit the mood and movement of the film. This makes them very predictable and unenjoyable to me. I also find it difficult to watch movies that are based on books but take too many liberties and do not follow the book’s storyline. All in all, I enjoy watching movies and do so several times a week if I have the time. Whether it be new films or favorites that I have watched many times, it is always good to escape from reality for a short time and to relax. Movies have always been a good conversation piece for my circle of friends, and are usually what we choose to do when we get together. I find that I have no problem sitting down and starting any movie at home to see if it will capture my interest, but when it comes to paying for a ticket, I am more picky because I do not want to feel as though I wasted my money.