A P | L A N G U A G E

“There’s no way like the American Way.”: a 1950’s billboard showing a perfect white family, completed with the white dog. With the start of the baby-boomer generation, came the start of suburban America. Which eventually lead to the “ideal” American way. 1970’s funk artist Curtis Mayfield challenged this billboard’s message on his album cover, stripping the original piece of all underlying meanings, and reducing it to what it really is, a pretty picture on a board. An unrealistic dream that makes it almost impossible to live comfortably. In the album cover, the viewer is presented with a multitude of objects that each draw attention. Things such as: the line of presumably povertous people under the large “There’s no place like America Today!” billboard, which was changed from the original “American Way”. When comparing the billboard to the line of people below it, it shows a bright, vibrant, image. Which contrasts with the dark, unsaturated people below. Both components in front of...

Tupac Shakur: arguably the most influential rapper in history. Born and raised in East Harlem, New York, Shakur grew up in a life of poverty and crime. In his poem, “Rose from Concrete”, he brings the idea that although you make it, become the best of the best, reaching this “American Dream” people will always look to your background to judge who you are. In this poem, Shakur presents a rose that has miraculously grown out of concrete. Though seeming impossible, and no matter how damaged the rose may be, it still grew. With the quote, “When… some ghetto kid grow(s) out of the dirtiest circumstance, all you can talk about is my dirty rose... “ The torn up, dirty appearance of the rose is more distracting than the nearly impossible fact that it grew through the concrete. Earlier in the poem, Shakur states “... even if it had messed up petals… you would marvel at just seeing a rose grow through concrete.” Showing that this rose can be accepted by people, but will always stand out give...

Burger King: known for the Whopper, paper crowns, but most of all “having it your way”. Brad Blum, past Burger King CEO, portrays Burger King to be a place of opportunity, something more than just a fast food experience. Starting as a smart marketing strategy, this concept of “having it your way” is a strong representation of the way the American Bill of Rights spreads and is perceived by foreigners. This all ties into “The American Dream”, the glorification of the rights and liberties that America offers to all. Holding true to a certain extent, both the US Bill of Rights and the Burger King Bill of Rights are liberties limited simply to those who could afford it, and both have very similar underlying meanings. In his statement, Blum starts with the infamous “You have the right to have things your way.” Throughout the statement Blum goes on about the different rights you have as a Burger King customer like “the right to a Whopper sandwich with extra tomato, extra onion, and trip...

“Teen Whisperer”, John Green, known for his soppy, angst-filled teen novels, expresses his thoughts on the American Dream in “Let it Snow” with the same sarcastic humor that can be seen in “Paper Towns” or “An Abundance of Katherines”. “The American Dream” is the glorification of the opportunity and success that the United States can offer, sparking foreign interest, and bringing immigrants to the states. Green’s statement translates to The American Dream being a joke, something as ridiculous and fantastic as having sex with a cheerleader in a waffle house restroom. John Green wrote in the voice of a Korean-American, whose parents took refuge in the US, went through numerous hardships, and fought for their rights, all for their son to reach this All-American right of passage, by having sex with an All-American Cheerleader in an All-American Waffle House, the ultimate confirmation that their son is a true American boy.  Stating that his parents ran off to the states with “nothi...