http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anya-kamenetz/generation-debt-at-the-ba_b_1004110.html
This article connects the current Occupy Wall Street movement with the issue of student debt--an issue that concerns everyone in the class. The author claims that the bleak economic outlook has finally caused the youth of America to stand up and fight for their own self-interests. The comments also include an interesting debate on the role of college education in the "American dream" and the question of who's responsible for student debt.
Who is the target audience for this article? How does the article use the idea of the "American dream?" In what ways does it appeal to a sense of history or progress? How do the comments contribute to the discussion?
Be sure to use a prompt from the Blog Project assignment in order to focus your analysis.
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The author of this piece identifies her status as part of the generation that finally began fighting against the struggles of college debt and finding a job in our society today. She builds her ethos by being relatable to her audience, being one of us with the struggles. She's not just a 50 year old person at home with a good career commenting on how it must be hard to find work today. She's experiencing it, building credibility with her audience. She uses the pronoun "us" in her final sentence, "The future belongs to US now." This appeals to the audience as a sort of call to action, to do more than fight back but to actually change it for future generations.
At first, I was 100% on board with the article and it’s supporting text. The cost of college education is too high and students shouldn’t have a large amount of debt after getting a degree! Then I read the comments. T-Haight, left an opposing comment about the article. The comment to me was interesting with a lot of support and reasoning. The “American Dream” has no college education directly involved. Someone can still have a house in the suburbs, two cars, and two children without a college education. Also, there is a lot of money a student can get from grants and scholarships. Choosing the proper Major is also a factor in order for someone to seek employment after College. Not saying I’m pro or con on the article itself. Just after reading that comment, I find myself in the middle of the pack now.
The article is in part meant to show that the American dream is dead and has been dead for several years now. Economic progress has turned into regression, and students of our generation are learning quickly that most of us will have to struggle for survival in this economy. For most students, college isn't an option directly after high school, and if it is, with rising tuition, loans are becoming almost necessary for almost all students. In order to acheive anything close to the American dream, college is a must, but once college is completed, there is still the issue of whether or not graduates will be able to pay off the loans during their lifetime. It's pretty sad. I wonder why it took students so long to fight for lower tuition, because tuition ruins the hopes of having an American dream ever again.
Although the article is talking about younger people (around the age of 26), it seems to be directed more towards everyone in America. The so-called "American Dream", consisting of a big house, white picket fence, and 2.14 kids, is commonly seen as being achievable only after a college education. However, the idea of that dream has, as the author put it, "...gone hollow".
As a college student, I think I speak for everyone else when I say it really is unfair. College tuition has increased more than any other good or service. Why? Simple: Supply and demand. More supply for these seemingly "required" educations, and not enough colleges to support these educations. Higher prices exclude those who can't afford the loans needed to pay for college. Unfair, right? Why should a motivated and inspired teenager be forced to repress his dream, just because he can't pay for a degree?
So it's about time that we take a stand.
Anya Kamenetz's article "Generation Debt at the Barricades" is targeted towards the American population as a whole, in order to draw their attention towards the issues that the youth, and more specifically college graduates, of America are facing in society today. The article uses the idea of the "American Dream" to show that youth in today's society are finding it harder to accomplish the same life goals as the generations of the past did. Children are raised to believe that a college degree is almost a necessity in order to maintain a good job, and earn enough money to make a decent living. But in today's society, the college debt that graduates acquire is becoming overwhelming to the point that a college degree becomes more difficult to earn. In past decades, a college degree meant success, but that is becoming less of a given these days. Many jobs are looking for a masters degree to coincide with a bachelors, which piles on the debt even more.
The comments on this article tend to agree with Anya, and side with the students that they have a right to be upset about college tuition costs. Some people are opposed, stating that it's possible to reach the American Dream without a college degree. I agree with that statement, but I feel as though it is the exception to the rule. I think that it's odd to look at the cost of college for a quarter/semester, and take notice that tuition itself costs substantially less than the cost of other extremities, such as room and board, meal plans, books, entertainment fees, etc. I agree with Anya that students have a right to be upset about the burden of such high debt they collect throughout their college career.
I really enjoyed reading this artcile. I felt like the author understands the struggles that some college students go through and is also taking a stand along with them. Our generation is beginning to realize that "college is the centerpiece of the American Dream". College is basically the key to anything now-a-days so it does tie in with the American Dream. I feel that this article is directed towards college students and the generation before ours. Letting that generation know that our generation is fighting back. The auhtor wants the generation now to take a stand so change can come for the new generations.
This article is very true and this movement is growing larger and larger. The article in itself gives off a vibe that we need to fight. The author tells that we are the generation that has been basically screwed. We've been told we need to go to college and yet we can not possibly afford it which in itself incites the idea of a disadvantage to us who are not as well of. She tells how the days where, with enough work, anyone could make it to college are over and the comments mirror her frustration. The people agree and point out how we are being put in between a rock and a hard place. Drown in poverty or drown in debt... neither way is beneficial to the youth of America or its future. This article was very inciting and did a very good job of riling up angry college kids to a cause that they can all agree on. This movement is going on in Ohio right now and i am interested to see how many of the students choose to take part in Occupy Columbus.
We have always been taught that you need to go to college to have a successful future, but people always seem to leave out the part about how much debt you will be in afterwards. Sure there are scholarships and grants that are available for students, but not for everyone. It is hard to find money to go to college, especially if your not a minority. Tuition has nearly tripled since our parents went to college and the economy is worse then ever to try to find a job in the field of your degree. Many students come out of college with a degree... and over $50,000 in debt.
This article's target market is college students. The writer is encouraging people to protest against student debts and loans. What I thought really made the article hit close to home is when they mentioned the American Dream. The American Dream has been a term used for generations and it describes what people want to achieve in life as an American citizen. That dream has now changed drastically.
A good question that the author brings up is, "What kind of America do we want to live in?" What we do now will change the future and future generations. Do we want a future better then our parents? Do we want the next generation to be better then ours? Should we lower our standards and have more realistic dreams because of the society we are living in now? How should we change the world?
Economic justice are two words rarely heard together in a sentence. The journalist Anya Kamenetz expresses her opinionated view on the subject of student debt in the United States. Her main focus in this article is the betrayal our young generation feels towards our supposed "opportunistic" homeland. We've been lead to believe if you go to college you will enter the work field with little problems in finding a profession, earning a respectable pay, and beginning your life. I'm astonished the average student debt has grown to be more than 24,000 dollars in recent years and I can only imagine the typical Ohio State student falls into this unfortunate median. This argument has opened my eyes to how another individual may portray our country's financial flaws and what actions we should persue to fight back for our generation and the ones to come!
The author does a good job of building a close relationship with the readers. Words such as "us" and "we" are commonplace in this article. The whole time she is trying to build up emotion by stating the high college costs, the lack of emotion or anger being expressed about the ridiculousness of college costs, the fact that since the 70's we have been making less money than our parents, and then finishes up with an attempt to get us to do something about it. She mentions that WE need to do something about it, and cannot just let things continue to go on as usual, or things will become too much to overcome.
The author loses my support when she starts advocating her ideas of how to fix things (stronger welfare state and more progressive tax system). I feel like, as a journalist, she lacks the expertise to really try and inject policy into young people's minds. If you want to get young people to change something, get them out to vote. You change things by voting, not by marching and protesting wealth, of all things. If you want to make a real difference, get people who think likewise elected-- this will insure that your ideas are heard rather than going to waste.
The author of the article makes us to engage with her position to protest the a huge amount of tuition and the current society which has few chances to get a job by repeating some aggressive words such as 'betrayal' and 'fighting back'. In reading these words, readers can feel that they are living in the society which needs economic imporvement and there are something they have to do. These words and her critical position effectively help readers to focus on this article and move them to next actual reaction.
Agreeing with Olivia, the author of this piece attempts to utilize ethos to establish herself as a credible peer in the struggle for the youth. By mentioning the word "us" she tries to appeal to the reader by situating herself as a fellow woman. "What we do in response", she again mentions the audience and her as single entity to convey the message to continue the fight against the betrayal of the American dream.
This article is one that directly relates to me and probably everyone in the class. The author does a great job engaging a younger audience, claiming we are the ones who are getting the proverbial short end of the stick. The reality with college as brought up by some of the comments on the articles is that it is really up to the individual to decide how much they are going to pay. It is completely possible to get a college degree for cheaper than a lot of us do. That being said many of us have a “dream” school that may not be a plausible option due to the cost of tuition. In reality the “American dream” is still possible; it just takes more work and dedication than previous generations. The question is does the youth of America have that will power to achieve the success despite the mounting financial opposition?
The article is about the student loan debt. I think the target audience of this article is all the people such as the students, the government, the parents and the school. The author used the phrase “American Dream” to explain the feeling of betrayal of the students. In the article, author pointed out that college is regarded as a centerpiece of the American dream. American dream includes the house, the money, the status in the society. So, high student debt is a serious problem for the college students. Although the student debt in the US becomes a controversy topic now, compare to some other countries, the student loan debt in the US still gives benefit to the students.
The author of this article definitely feels strongly about the need to change policies regarding our current economy. Many of the economic topics that she touches on are currently impacting millions of people, and I believe that many readers would agree with her statements on "fighting back". However, I believe that the author is just trying to blame someone for all the current problems. Yes, getting a college degree is expensive, but students know this before they even begin attending college and should keep in mind that they will be responsible for paying back their debts. Society as a whole equally shares the blame of the difficult economic times and I do not think that the author should be so quick to push the blame off on someone else.
While I completely agree with college being an essential part of the American dream, I think everyone should take a step back and look at the argument. This article is based around the fact that a large part of college students are full-time and need to take out loans in order to afford college. I propose a solution to the problem. If you can't afford to pay for four straight years of undergrad, don't do it. Get a job and go part time. If you can't afford to go to that fancy out of state school, try one of your state's public schools (i.e. Why go to $50,000+ a year Michigan when you have OSU right here?). If you can't afford in-state tuition, go to community college. I hate the fact that it is so expensive, but if students are willing to keep paying insane tuition rates, then the colleges will keep setting them. Protesting is fun and all, but the only real way to stop all the madness is to stop playing their game.
The author is trying to say that young people are now finally fed up with being told that they will live the American dream, but getting short changed in the end. She is saying that they are venting their concerns through the Occupy Wall Street movement. Tuition costs and student loans, however, have little to do with Wall Street and more to do with the Universities. The Universities, after all, are the ones who raise the cost of tuition. It seems as though the author is trying to connect two things that are more or less unrelated. Because occupy Wall Street is a popular topic, she used it as an opportunity to express another concern among young people.
This article has truly reflected the situation of American. The American dream has gone away and dead. Entering in college is no longer a promise that you will get a high pay job or you will have a better life. The collective student loan debt and the unemployment are going up all the time in recent years due to the financial crisis. The high tuition fee has become a great burden on students after graduation. As a college student who is also in this situation, I think we need to think about what we really want to do, who we really want to be and what is valuable for us. Not the high pay job is the best job to have, but the job have interests in and we really want to do is the worth to get.
This satirical article focuses on a current issue associated with students in terms of student debt. From my point of view, it’s typically written for college students. The author greatly supports this movement and encourages college students to fight for their own. In this article, he criticizes the meltdown of economy, the rapid increase of college tuition and the difficulty to realize the American dream, saying that it’s like “a betrayal”. The growing debt makes it harder to achieve the American dream. The author thinks it’s a great time for students to fight back. What’s more, we students should figure out what our new American dream is and put effort to make our future better.
I agree with Zachary's comment that the journalist loses my attention when she pushes how she would change this finanical crisis. This is an obvious issue that needs to be discussed but her suggested actions are unrealistic. Does she really believe our generation can change our superiors opinion and raise taxes to put kids through college?
The author discusses the issue of student debt that is pretty controversial. He points out that the college tuition inflates faster than any other service and the current average amount of student’s loans become larger and larger. What he does in the article to persuade audiences is providing the average student loan amount of 24000 dollars, which makes his statement more convincing. In the next part of this article, the author mentions “American Dream” that he points out the old American dream is going to be bogus. He states “every generation since Plymouth Rock in America has made good- they have made more money than mom and dad.” This kind of statement makes his argument more relevant to current students and draw audience to think about the current society situation about college tuition and students debt. This truth he points out gives audience a sense that student debt is becoming a big problem in this society. In the last paragraph, the author claims that the current situation should be changed.
In addition, I think the audiences he writes for is the whole society, Probably the college staff, the government, the students and their parents.
In this article, the author wants to illustrate the fact that student debt has become a social problem in American modern history. It is so sad in this article that the author said the old American dream has gone hollow. With the global economy meltdown, people feel more tension in their debt. This creates most stress among students debt. Students, which are believed the centerpiece of the country, are the country’s motivation that pushes the country moving forward. However, right now, with the bad economy the world suffer nowadays, students, with mounting debt on their credit card and so on, could not get enough money to pay for their education tuition fee for their college. They are making less money than their mother and dads. That’s what really happens right now; No paid internship, part-time job. But it is not the country that should be blame but the bad economy we are facing right now. So, it is our duty to change and reform the economy to solve the existed problem.
This article is a great read and relevant to today's issues, especially as the national debt continues to soar. After reading the comments on the article, it is obvious that many of the respondents agree that something needs to be done. However, one writer argues that going to college is not part of the "American Dream". Instead, only a quarter of American citizens have a college degree. He also argues that it is up to the parents and students to decide if college is right for them or not. If the student is only going to go a college just to party for four years, they are going to end up in massive debt and have no reputable degree to show for it. However, if a student works hard and graduates with a degree in engineering/medical/math, then there is a good chance they receive a job out of college with a high starting salary. This, in turn, leads to all debts being paid off sooner and with less interest. After this comment was posted, most people still agreed that students are entitled to have a positive future and not be held responsible for mistakes by todays leaders.
In author’s opinion, it is harder for young generation to chase their “American dreams” than it was in past time. As the tuition of college is getting higher, author wanted to remind new generation to rethink about if college degree is really necessary for better access to the society. In my consideration every youth has right to find what they are really interested in and to maintain his profession. I understand that because of human’s indolence most of modern-day youth would prefer to become an office clerk rather than a mobile mechanic, even though the salary of a mechanic is usually higher than that of an office clerk and going to vocational school is much less costly than going to college. In another hand I think not the new generation but the society itself should be blamed. With the economic developing higher education should have become more fundamental and public, but as author mentioned it is becoming more costly and a main barricade for students. Changing the social wealth’s attribution should be a more doable way to fulfill author’s purpose.
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