Class Matters... Short Description of a Section of the Book Essay Example for Free

Class Matters Short Description of a Section of the Book Essay Class Matters by Bell Hooks, the section â€Å"The Me-Me Class: The Young and the Ruthless† examines how the mass media influences ideas that everyone living in the united States is rich, into the minds of foreigners. This section further notes that the media makes it seem as though social and economic backgrounds have little or no influence on the world of spending because most advertisements seem to make items seems affordable and cheap to acquire. The media reveals the fantasies of life to make people think that the things shown in the media are reality, especially in the eyes of teenagers. This section notes that the media brings about the â€Å"psychological torment; envy† amongst teenagers. The way the media presents issues regarding children/students, makes it seem as though it is easier to acquire money wealth on an outward appearance. This may be done to bring about competition into society, which develops envy amongst individuals if they are unable to acquire a particular item. In this section, it states that it is easier to acquire money and goods than it is to find meaningful values and ethics. This is a really profound statement because it portrays the influence the media has had on the youth to the extent that their values and ethics don’t really have as much meaning to them as that of the money and goods the acquire. This further demonstrates the culture of the youth and how materialistic things have an impact on the way youth view today’s world. The media is indirectly educating the youth with items that seem relevant in the world rather than showcasing the importance of education. This may be the reason why many schools have decided to enforce a rule that students need to wear uniforms. This lessens the amount of items students will be competing with each other. Although the world is set up in a way that competition exists, the fact that students have the same items means that they are less likely to be envious of each other.

Student resources Essay Example for Free

Student resources Essay Being an athlete comes with a very big price. Many people say collegiate student athletes have it just as hard as a normal college student. I have to disagree though. There are multiple examples that separate athletes from the regular or average student. Time constraints, stereotypes, class attendance, physical and emotional fatigue, and also the athletic sport the student is participating in, are just few of the many burdens athletes have on the shoulders that the common student does not. Although regular students do not have it easy, I just believe student athletes have an incredible responsibility to keep their grades up and do well in whichever sport they are partaking in. Athletes also have an enormous amount of pressure on them, because they have to represent their school in a very good way. Time is indeed one of the major obstacles between student athletes and academic success. The major student athlete time demands include games, travelling, film and video sessions, weight training, and injury or recovery treatment. Time affects everything from study time, to absolutely no free time. Being a football player, I can say from experience that time is your biggest enemy. It is always against you. Waking up for seven o’clock workouts, then going to having class immediately after, then going straight to practice after, then getting out late at night. There is very few hours left for study time. This process is an everyday cycle. Time has its biggest impact on studies and academics. For a student to learn, he or she must invest time and energy into the pursuit of learning. This demands effort, time, and commitment to being a student. The problem with all this is that student athletes don’t have the time, as do the regular students. Having to maintain good enough grades to stay eligible on the team is already a hard enough task due to no free time. Wanting to exceed and get all A’s and B’s is where athletes tend to struggle though. Normal students don’t have to worry about time being against them. They have class and then able to focus on school work. Another issue with student athletes is stereotypes. Stereotypes with athletes have to deal mostly with class professors. Unfortunately athletes carry around the label that they don’t care about school, and academics come after athletics. A lot of people put them in the category as arrogant and unfriendly. So not only do other students not want to be in class with them, but also none of the professors want the athletes in their class. Also, when athletes have to leave for games during the week these certain professors will count the student absent and give them zeros for whatever was due in class that day. So, it becomes very tough for the student athlete when the teacher doesn’t want to help or pass him or her. The fact of the matter is athletes want to succeed in all areas of the classroom, and that academics come first before anything we do on the field. Fatigue is an unending feeling in an athlete’s career. It has an impact on both the physical and mental state of the athlete. The cumulative physical toll throughout the academic year can potentially wreak havoc on a student athlete’s ability to concentrate on studies. Being sore, tired, and just plain worn out from either practice or games makes it hard for the student. It makes the student sloth and takes away any desire to do homework, for all he or she wants to do is rest and recuperate from the exhilarating exercise, training, and practice the athlete’s body takes on. Apart from the physical exhaustion, mental stress and weariness takes a huge toll on the athlete’s mind. Competition with other teammates or opposing teams leaves the mind tired all the time. Worrying about a starting spot on the team or not making errors on plays only hurts the weary mind. This causes the athlete to dose off in class or failure to complete assignments and turn in on time. In season performance in the classroom is lower than out of season performance, because of all the stress on the athlete both physically and mentally. Research shows the athletes graduate at a higher percentage than non-athletes. Also, looking at students highly involved in college is very successful during their years of college education. Therefore athletics can be tied in with this. Being very involved in and athletic sport helps the students learn better and teaches the student athlete how to organize and be responsible for one’s time and studies. I also believe that keeping the student busy with athletics can keep him or her out of trouble that the ordinary student can be faced with. Substance abuse is a huge deal with both athletes and non-athletes. Research shows though it is a much bigger deal with non-athletes though, and has a greater effect on the non-student  athlete’s life. In conclusion, I have to say that athletes take on a bigger challenge. I feel as if the athlete takes on the same as the regular student and the time consuming activity of their sport. Some will say the normal student will take harder classes or that he or she will be involved in extracurricular activities, but nothing is as time-consuming as a college sport. The time an athlete is given to get their academics done is in no range of what a non-athlete has to study and do school work. I am not making excuses though for the athlete to slack off just because the academics will be much tougher due to their dedication to athletics. I feel as if student athletes should go out of their way to engage with their professors to show them they want to learn and will respect them as a teacher. Studies also show that student engagement is related to positive outcomes such as persistence, better grades and college satisfaction. This leads to the number one motto for a student athlete, â€Å"student first, athlete second†.

Apple Macro Environment

Apple Macro Environment Apple Inc Company, started by Steven Jobs, Steve Wozinak and Roynald Wayne is 30 years old now; Steven Jobs is the man behind this successful company. Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over these years and lot of changes has occurred during these periods, which obviously happens in any creative industry. In the month of January 2007 the name was changed from Apple Computer Inc to Apple Inc Officially. Some of the products of apple over a decade are power Mac g4 cube, I pod, Mac book pro, I phone and the latest one is the I pad. In the marketing system economic environment plays a major significant role. It is concerned mainly about the consumer purchasing power and spending patterns. According to high economic growth assures higher standards of employment and income, which leads to marketing boom in many industries. Marketing plans are influenced by many economic items such as current income, prices, savings and credit. The major trends of income and consumer spending in the market should be known to the marketers. The economic factors of Apple Inc revenue in 2008 was less when compared to 2009. The revenue growth of 2009 was projected to increase by 10%. The sales of I phone and I pod increased enormously during this period. The iPod has contributed majorly for apple computers. The sales of personal computers decreased about 8% in 2009. They have updated the softwares in new iphone. Apple tv which was 40gb has been changed to 160 gb during sept 2009. They upgraded the imac by replacing the cold cathode fluroscent lamp with mercury free LED. These frequent changes in the products made the consumers to buy more. Since 2006 Apple inc has set and met the important goals to reduce the impact on the environment. Every product which is shipped has assessed the full life cycle of green house gas emissions (GHG). Green house gas emitted from the production, transport, use and recycling of products is over 95% and the rest 5% is used for facilities. Everyday operations and environmental impact is managed carefully by apple. Energy consumption by them is reducing year by year to control carbon emissions foot print. Apple has introduced a renewable energy in the year 2008 which has converted 100 % of energy to renewable sources. They have introduced recycling and composting programs to reduce the waste. Continuous environmental, health and safety managements are done to improve the product, process and services. Innovative ideas create a new product, changing the old product by updating new softwares. Factors and trends related to innovations that affect the development of new products or the marketing process. New technologies make the consumers to buy the product imperatively. Advanced technologies can bring forth latest industries, gives rise to new business and advance products for existing business. New technology factors can also create negative sides for business. To improve their positions marketers should constantly monitor the vocational environment to look for better opportunities. Apple inc is mainly dealing with computers and electronic gadgets so technology plays an important role. They update their softwares regularly so people tend to buy the new version one. In the year 2009 apple has updated many specifications like, desktops and mac notebooks earn epeat gold status, mac mini, imac and mac pro has met the energy star 5.0 specification, mac book pro has been updated by built in batteries and iphone 3GS has a power adapter which performs global energy efficiency standards. Apple inc is Planning to introduce the latest mobile device Ipad which is something very thin and has multi touch screen where you can experience the web, email, photos and videos within seconds. It is very convenient to handle also. Mostly all the functionalities will work in any orientation. This way you can check your mails, messages and chat with your friends immediately. Political Environment: The political environment consists of the laws, government agencies and pressure groups that influence and limit various organizations and individuals in society. The social and economic environment is related closely to the political one. Some of the issues you must know are , what is the governments perspective on the economy, culture ,religion and finally on marketing ethics . Apple has invested approximately $ 580,000 since 2002 for political activities. The Cost cannot be determined exactly because reporting at the state level is incomplete and can be misguided. It has failed to publicly disclose its political contributions. It is a member of the retail industry leader association (RILA) acts as a solicitor for the retail industry. They are main members of American electronics association (AEA) .It represents mainly the technology segments, because apple is dealing with sophisticated electronic equipments. By doing this it modifies the governments at the state, federal and international levels; business opportunities and capital access are provided, Offering several business services and networking programs. Cultural Environment: This environment is mainly concerned about the peoples behavior and trends, cultural factors like values, ideas, attitudes, beliefs and the population of subgroups which affects consumers purchasing behavior. The cultural characteristics and trends in different markets must be carefully understood by the marketers. Apple inc targets the younger generations with more advanced technologies .The I phone, ipod and mac computers are spread worldwide. The companys target includes almost all sectors of the society, for younger and the older generation. They have designed the gadgets softwares and colors according to it. This kind of target market is larger sources of income. Most of them in the UK and the US are using apple inc products from ipod to the iphone. Hope in forthcoming generations it will be the ipad. SWOT ANALYSIS: This analysis is done after the PESTEL analysis. It tells about the External environment impact on the strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and threats that affect the business. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors. Opportunities and threats are the external factors (S)trengths: Strengths of apple inc are the speculations are given in detailed, Delivery to the customer is done perfectly in a controlled retail experience like apple store. Customers prefer apple inc products because of the quality and service they provide. (W)eakness: The weakness of apple inc is the cost which is very high for research and development when compared to other laptops like dell, hp etc..The unit sales will be limited because they never compete at the bottom end of the market. (O)pportunities: Opportunities of apple where I phone and virtualization can be re-entries to corporate market. I phone has been successful in corporate market by developing multiple price points. (T)hreats: The close competitor to the apple is Microsoft. Microsoft is good in the dominant PC operating system player it could stop the market shares. Microsoft has refined many OS from the XP to vista and now it is windows 7. OS 7/8 was one of the major disasters. Marketing Mix: To make a business achieve its objectives by marketing its products with different kind of strategies and services effectively to different consumer groups. The 4Ps plays a major role in any kind of business they are Product, Price, Promotion and Place. In addition there are 3Ps People, Process and Physical Evidence is called has the extended marketing mix. Any concern needs to make sure they are marketing the right product to the right person at the right price in the right place at the exact time with the necessary promotions. You should identify your target customer groups. For example: If you are taking bags and decided to target childrens of school and college, it would be appropriate to market Different designs of bags (Product) At a moderate rate (Price) Selling at stationers places (Place) Promoting some products with discounts (Promotion) Product Life Cycle: Product means tangible or physical items you are selling to the consumers. Marketing is about identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer needs. Product can be characterized by its means, materials, form and functions. A product will consist of a brand name, packing, service, maintenance and warranties. There are 3 levels of a product; The core product: Which is tangible and it is actually to satisfy the needs of the customer. Actual Product: The product is defined by such things like color, style, branding and fashion and how people are purchasing it. Augmented product: All the services offered after buying the product like warranties, guarantees, customer services and installation services. To keep the customers interested you should make clear that creating innovative products is becoming increasingly necessary for business. So consumers prefer apple Inc products. One of the booming industries in the world is mp3 players. Apple Inc has become popular in this market category. They are the innovators in the mp3 industry. Some of the hardware products include Macintosh computer, I pod, I phone, latest I pad and many more. Apple has created more portable devices where in the user can watch movies and videos through it. Through the use of proper strategy and varied opportunities, apple has achieved rapid growth and development within a short span of time. Services: The website of the company has all the support services which is available for the clients. If the product is not functioning properly the client can check it on the website and fix the problem. Consumers can get the helpful information about the product and can also download support systems. Company has different services centers all over the world. Price: According to the consumer point of view, price is a substantial factor. Value of the product or service at the market which is fiscally expressed is known has price. The price must be fixed according to the products quality and brand. Price fluctuates in certain periods which are done according to the market value. This P of marketing mix plays an important role in business because it tells about the revenue generated. To be stable in a business you should study about your competitors price Apple inc has a standard price for most of their products. They are targeting brand loyal customers. Fluctuation of products is done very rarely. Different market segments has various prices, clients will have lesser doubts about taking a look at the companys product and the products that they can afford. The starting price of Mac book is from  £816 is expensive when compared with other laptops. They have lot of good features when compared to others. When you are comparing the zune and the ipod, zune does not have WAV uncompressed and Bmp Photos file compatibility. They have the feather touch facilities and its very easy to handle. Services are done for free for a particular period of time. This is one of the major reasons many people choose apple products. Apple products range starts from ipod shuffle - £46 to the expensive mac pro which is  £1940. Customers know about the product standards and the services that are available. The 16gb ipad which is the latest gadget ranges fr om 499 -899 £. Customers will be definitely satisfied with the price, because they are getting the latest technology product with more features in it. Place: Place is also known as channel, distribution or intermediary. It is the means of distribution on the product which you select or service you are marketing. Pricing and promotion decisions will impact on your choice. Product can be sold through wholesalers and retailers. Distribution must be done in an effective and efficient manner in order to meet the marketing objectives. Two type of distributions they are Indirect and direct distribution. An Intermediary is used like the wholesaler and then to the retailer in indirect method. In the direct method dealing is directly done with the consumers and manufacturers . Intensive distribution is used to sell low price products. Exclusive distribution takes place in a single outlet and the product is highly priced. Selective distribution is where consumers are willing to shop around and small number of outlets are selected to circulate the product Apple inc products can be reached to customers through net by online purchasing. They use a very diverse distribution mix. The products can be purchased from apple directly. Products are available through various channels. Some of the online resellers are Amazon, eBay, Wal-Mart, cellular and electronic retailers. Apple has 286 retail stores worldwide and the latest one is opened in the New York City. The largest apple store is in regent street London. In India, Reliance retail has opened istore. Apple follows both distribution strategies like exclusive and the selective one. They have opened 31 stores in the year 2009, the first one was opened in village located in downtown and the last one was in Bristol at cribs causeway on Dec 12th. Apple is going to open many stores in the future and the rough figure is about 70 specific locations. Promotion: Promotion is done by communicating and explaining about the product uses to target customers. It is mainly made up of these factors like advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing and personal selling. By doing lot of promotions the customers can be updated about the products and also know the value of it. This activity takes place in the initial stage of marketing, for the customers to be familiar with the product. The communication process must be conveyed properly to the customers end and the promoter should get a feedback. With the feedback they can analyze and improve their strategies. The concern should start with the identification of prospects and customers should be kept informed what is happening and how the staffs are handling customer complaints. Apple inc uses many promotional methods the main is through advertising including the internet (website, banners and pop up ads). They are advertising also by means of TV commercials, magazine ads and also in store advertising. They have done lot of promotions like Think different campaigns and the ipod people. Apple has advertised couple of rebate offers for products last year they are iwork software, mobile me and printer promotions. Back to school offers was like getting a Mac for college and get a free ipod touch was the latest. Apple can change the terms and conditions of the promotion at any time without prior notice. The promotional activities attracted more number of customers to buy apple products. The touch rebate has changed its cost to  £229 when compared to the last year. Conclusion: From the above analysis macro environment and marketing mix is substantial factors for a concern to do good business. We feel that Apple must focus on several key aspects to continue to grow and succeed. They must continue a stable commitment to licensing, push for economies of scope between media and computers, and become a learning organization. In the Demographic part you can see that Apple Inc has opened more stores last year. More revenue has been created in the sales of ipod and iphone. Forthcoming year the revenue will be increased by ipad. Energy consumption and the resources are utilized in a proper way. Apple is so unique from other products because of its innovative design. Technology is improving day by day to make things very easier to the customers. Latest ipad will be one of the reasons for high technology. From the socio-cultural factors we come to know that they are targeting all age groups. By getting feedback from each and every people worldwide, they are improvisi ng the product. From these given factors they can know their positive and negative feedback. The 4 Ps of marketing mix describes about different marketing strategies. The marketing mix will focus to reach more marketers. In the coming years it will be able to provide a deeper analysis of marketing problems and also give direct solutions to it. It will be an analytical tool for various marketing solutions. The whole of marketing mix is important in developing effective positioning. The services of apple Inc have satisfied lot of customers. Product is purchased directly through internet mostly. Apple is planning to open many retail stores worldwide and the count is still going on.

Indicactor Lab: What is in each Test Tube? :: essays research papers

What is in each test-tube? What proof do I have of this? Test-tube A: Test-tube A had water in it. I can base this on the fact that it was a neutral, reacting neither to red or blue litmus paper. Phenolphthalein also did not react to this substance. The pH value was 7, neutral, also adding to the proof that this substance was water, because water is neutral. The substance was clear and odorless, and all of these reactions combined led me to my conclusion of substance A being water. Test-tube B: Test-tube B had spoiled milk in it. The substance reacted to blue litmus paper, and red litmus paper underwent no change. Phenolphthalein did not change, and the pH value was 6, a weak acid. The appearance of this substance was a thick, white liquid that had a horrible odor. These observations led me to my conclusion that substance B is spoiled milk. Test-tube C: Test-tube C had ammonia in it. The substance reacted to red litmus paper, and it had no effect on blue litmus paper. Phenolphthalein turned a hot pink color very quickly, and the pH value was about 11.5. The substance was clear and had a strong odor to it. These results led me to my conclusion that substance C is ammonia. Test-tube D: Test-tube D contained lemonade. The substance reacted to blue litmus paper, and red litmus underwent no changes. It had no effect on Phenolphthalein, and its pH value was 3, a strong acid. Knowing that lemons are very acidic, and that the substance was yellow and sweet smelling, I concluded that substance D was lemonade. Test-tube E: I could not come to a conclusion on what substance E was. It reacted weakly to blue litmus paper, and it did not change red litmus. It had no effect on Phenolphthalein, but its pH value tested as 7. This cannot be correct however, because all acids have a pH value less than 7. The appearance and smell were not of any help, because it was a clear substance with a slight odor I couldn’t key in on.

Odyssey Hospitality Essay -- Essays Papers

Odyssey Hospitality Hospitality In The Odyssey by Homer, hospitality plays a very important role. There are certain rules of hospitality needed, such as inviting a stranger into your home, not asking them their name before they have dined at your table, and sometimes even gift offerings. If these rules of hospitality are not carried out, the consequences are very severe. Hospitality is to be given to all by all. Being a good host is very important in The Odyssey, even to the gods. It is a sign of respect for all no matter where they are from or how poor they appear to be. This means that as soon as you see a stranger, you invite them into your home to sit at your table just as king Nestor did. "As soon as they saw the strangers, all came crowding down, waving them on in welcome, urging them to sit." (III, 38) After you have invited them into your home, you must invite them to dine at your table. Only after they have dined, you have the permission to ask for their names, like King Menelaus did, "'Help yourselves to food, and welcome! Once you've dined we'll ask you who you are.'" (IV, 68-69) Many times before dining "...women had washed them, rubbed them down with oil and drawn warm fleece and shirts around their shoulders..." (IV, 56-57) If the host enjoyed the company of the guests, many times they will honor them with gifts. The kind of gifts given varied depending on the wealth and generosity of the host. For example, Aeolus, the king of the winds, gave Odysseus a...

The History Of Rave Music :: essays research papers fc

The history of Rave Music is quite interesting. It has been around for decades. Some enjoy it, some don’t. There is some conflict as to where Rave Music actually started. Some people, non-ravers most likely, ask what is Rave Music? Rave Music is made up of technologically advanced beats that are mixed with other beats to form music. Rave Music has a culture of its own, as so does any other music type. The history of Rave Music is hard to sum up, but here it goes... The controversy in â€Å"Who started Rave Music, U.K. or U.S.?† is going to forever live on. But in all actuality, the U.S. sparked the flame that started it all. It all started back in 1970, in Detroit and Chicago, when Djs, like Frankie Knuckles, would program drum rhythms and play disco records over the top of his beats. He would play this â€Å"music† in the â€Å"club environment†. In 1977, in Chicago, the first club, playing this â€Å"music†, opened and was called The Warehouse. This is where house music received its name (shortened version of the clubs name). The U.K. heard of this and adopted the music. The music blew up over seas. Meanwhile it was still on the low in the U.S.. That is why people say the U.K. started it. House music was being played in gay clubs, in England, for 2 years before any sign of acceptance in the straight scene. While that was going on, the Djs in the U.S. were playing around with their music and somehow came up with the idea of mixing house music and hip-hop together. In 1985, Hip-house was born. This is when house music blew up in the United States. In 1986, Underground was born. Djs started getting creative with their music and in 1987 Deep House and Techno were born. In 1988, came Acid House. This was invented by 2 Djs who were hooking up their equipment and someone accidentally hit the on switch and on came the speakers making an â€Å"acidy† noise. The Djs liked the noise and decided to mix house music in. Thus, making Acid House. The U.K. began feeling left out and started experimenting themselves. In 1989, they came up with New Beat, a mix between Acid, Techno and House. While this was going on the U.S. came up with Hardcore, some really really fast house music. In 1990, LA finally decided to step away from the rap scene and give House/Techno a try. The History Of Rave Music :: essays research papers fc The history of Rave Music is quite interesting. It has been around for decades. Some enjoy it, some don’t. There is some conflict as to where Rave Music actually started. Some people, non-ravers most likely, ask what is Rave Music? Rave Music is made up of technologically advanced beats that are mixed with other beats to form music. Rave Music has a culture of its own, as so does any other music type. The history of Rave Music is hard to sum up, but here it goes... The controversy in â€Å"Who started Rave Music, U.K. or U.S.?† is going to forever live on. But in all actuality, the U.S. sparked the flame that started it all. It all started back in 1970, in Detroit and Chicago, when Djs, like Frankie Knuckles, would program drum rhythms and play disco records over the top of his beats. He would play this â€Å"music† in the â€Å"club environment†. In 1977, in Chicago, the first club, playing this â€Å"music†, opened and was called The Warehouse. This is where house music received its name (shortened version of the clubs name). The U.K. heard of this and adopted the music. The music blew up over seas. Meanwhile it was still on the low in the U.S.. That is why people say the U.K. started it. House music was being played in gay clubs, in England, for 2 years before any sign of acceptance in the straight scene. While that was going on, the Djs in the U.S. were playing around with their music and somehow came up with the idea of mixing house music and hip-hop together. In 1985, Hip-house was born. This is when house music blew up in the United States. In 1986, Underground was born. Djs started getting creative with their music and in 1987 Deep House and Techno were born. In 1988, came Acid House. This was invented by 2 Djs who were hooking up their equipment and someone accidentally hit the on switch and on came the speakers making an â€Å"acidy† noise. The Djs liked the noise and decided to mix house music in. Thus, making Acid House. The U.K. began feeling left out and started experimenting themselves. In 1989, they came up with New Beat, a mix between Acid, Techno and House. While this was going on the U.S. came up with Hardcore, some really really fast house music. In 1990, LA finally decided to step away from the rap scene and give House/Techno a try.

American Dream Is Still Alive

American Dream is Still Alive My whole life I grew up believing that there is such thing as the American Dream. The last couple years my faith in that has been tested for sure. Today there are many problems with the economy; there are many people out there who think there's no such thing as the American Dream anymore. â€Å"The creation of a government that is out of control, and thus out of touch, robs every citizen, preventing fulfillment of the original American Dream (Thomas 569). I agree with this, however I am still proud to be an American and I believe that no matter how hard it is, you can do anything you put your mind to. It's not going to be easy; in fact it will be much more challenging than it used to be when the economy was different. But that doesn’t mean that the American Dream has been lost forever. The American dream may not be exactly what it used to be, and it may be harder to achieve than ever before; however, it is still alive. One reason the American dre am is harder to achieve is because America is in a financial crisis.Costly war after costly war is being fought. Our men and women are fighting wars in other countries and are gone for years on end†¦many don’t return at all. Our economy has taken a nose dive, and at a rate that many wonder if there is any hope of it ever coming back up. It seems that more people are unemployed than working, and even those who were highly employable before can’t seem to find a job anymore. The top 4 percent of Americans hold the largest amount of money, and is not trickling down. Many believe we are going through another depression. Children are starving and standards of living are lowering. Wherever you choose to look—at the economy and jobs, the public schools, the budget deficits, the nonstop warfare overseas—you’ll see a country in sad shape (Herbert 564). † It is evident that things need to change. The American Dream may be buried, but we can dig it up and find ways to make it live long and prosperous once again. The news shows that unemployment is slowly dropping, but I can’t help but wonder if that is because those people who receive unemployment benefits are no longer receiving benefits, not necessarily because they have a job, but because their money has run out.In order to make it at all we need to be earning an income. Not to mention the fact that when we are working, most people aren’t even earning a living wage; but what makes matters worse, unemployment is so high these days, just finding a job is becoming next to impossible. The high unemployment makes things so difficult these days. So many people are scrambling to make a living or to make ends meet. With the economy as fallen as it is, even highly educated people are without a job. Many people are finding out that you can be too educated for a regular job.Others are finding that employers don’t want to hire you if you are unemployed. Again, othe rs are highly trainable and would make excellent employees, but employers don’t want to take the time or spend the money to train. During a recession like this, many people need to be working two jobs just to make ends meet. But even fast food restaurants have raised their standards to high that they expect a resume before the consider you. With so little people hiring and those hiring having such high standards, people are becoming desperate just to find a job. State and local governments, faced with fiscal nightmares, are reducing services, cutting their work forces, hacking away at health and pension benefits, and raising taxes and fees. In many cases, the austerity measures are punishing some of the most vulnerable people, including children, the sick, and the disabled (Herbert 565). † These cutbacks have had many ramifications on the American Dream. People who were well on their way to achieving it had their dreams snatched out from under them as employers let peop le go, lowered wages, took away bonuses, and raised the fees on benefits or cut it all together.Suddenly new grads needed more experience and education to get their foot in the door while earning barely enough to pay their rent, let alone their student loans. America has recently fallen into a great recession, and though some claim we are no longer in a recession, our country and has never quite bounced back. Our economy is fragile and unstable. â€Å"In June 2009†¦. native born workers lost 1. 2 million [jobs] (Herbert 565). † Businesses are afraid to hire more workers; for fear that consumers aren’t comfortable spending money quite yet.Consumers are afraid to spend money for fear that they won’t be earning any more. People who were once financially stable are barely getting by, some even homeless. This recession has been said to be equal to, if not worse than, the Great Depression. â€Å"The human suffering in the years required to recover from the reces sion will continue to be immense (Herbert 565). † Recovery may be happening, but is definitely an unstable process. Jobs are still hard to come by and a living wage is still almost unheard of. â€Å"The U. S. needs to develop a full-employment economy that provides jobs for all ho want to work at pay that enables workers and their families to enjoy a decent standard of living (Herbert 565). † In this day and age, it is as much about earning a wage that pays the bills as it is to have a job. What’s the point of working 45 hours a week if it doesn’t pay all your bills? Many people are willing to work the jobs that they may have never considered before, but those jobs don’t come close to paying a living wage. Potential small business owners are having a hard time starting up, as banks are uneasy about giving business loans, slowing job growth even more.Another hindrance in the comeback of our beautiful country is the enormous gap between our wealthiest and our poorest. â€Å"As long as income and wealth keep concentrating at the top, and the great divide between America’s have-mores and have-lesses continues to widen, the Great Recession won’t end, at least not in the real economy. Weak national real estate markets, sluggish job growth, and slow recovery of liquid assets lost during the recession are obstacles to a full recovery (King 574). † There was once a time where you could not exactly be rich, but not exactly be poor.You could afford to live, have a decent job, and even go on vacation. Maybe you couldn’t afford to own two brand new vehicles and put your children in expensive private schools, but you had a savings account that had money in it and were happy with where your hard work had taken you. That, my friends, is what used to be called the Middle Class. It is quickly becoming something of the past, and without those striving for the American Dream, may become a mythical fairytale that we tel l our children and grandchildren about. The importance of education has fallen to the back burner as cuts to public school become greater.As the saying goes, children are our future. They are the people that will be, one day, running our government. When cuts are constantly being made to public schools, children aren’t getting what they need to get the kind of education that allows them to grow up to be critical thinking adults. â€Å"A monopolistic government school system keeps the poor from achieving their dreams, as many remain locked, producing graduates who lag behind other nations in subjects that matter (Thomas 569). † The subjects children are taught were chosen with care.Every child has different talents, and those talents need to be fostered. When subjects get cut from schools, many children miss out on learning what they need to learn in order to grow and become who they are supposed to do. â€Å"There was a time when the United States understood the impor tance of educating its young people and led the way in compulsory public schooling. It also built the finest higher education system in the world. Now, although no one will admit it publicly, we’ve decided to go in another direction (Herbert 566). † This is sad but true.Somewhere down the line, we must have forgotten that a poor education creates a poor society. There is only one teacher per classroom, but each classroom has over two dozen children, each having separate learning needs, and each having different learning styles. With funding being directed places other than public education, the result is schools closing. All over America school after school after school is being closed. This puts hardworking teachers out of business and crams the classrooms even more with children who require a proper education that consists of one-on-one time. Public figures talks endlessly about ‘transformative changes’ in public education, but the years go by and we see no such thing (Herbert 566). † Lately, it seems the only changes we’ve seen have not been what are best for our education system. â€Å"School systems around the country are being hammered with dreadful cutbacks and teachers are being let go in droves, not because they are incompetent, but strictly for budget reasons (Herbert 566). † This leaves kindergartens with waiting lists and parents who have to pay upwards of $300 a month kindergarten fees.Some children are put in part time daycare, while others get full time. However, both go to first grade. I can’t help but wonder if one is more prepared than the other? But I believe there is a silver lining to all of this. The American dream is still alive there is always hope for a better future. The fact that there hasn’t been an overturn of government proves that we are strong. We can adapt to new challenges that come our way. We may get knocked down a time or two, but it’s that light at the end of the tunnel—the one some call the American Dream—that get us back up to try again. As a nation, we have dealt with economic downturns in the past, and the American Dream has faced trials and tests before†¦We have adapted the values contained within the American Dream to meet new challenges (King 577). † Many people have been hit hard with the economic changes. They acclimated to new situations, new ways of living, reinvented themselves, and in doing so, they have found their way back on top. One way we can help bring back the American Dream to its full potential, is to support local business and buy locally.Entrepreneurs create businesses, hire people; people get paid, people shop. People have nice things and money in their pockets, they aren’t so scared to help pay taxes and fund good schools. â€Å"I believe it is necessary and imperative to continue to support the business mechanisms that sustain our economy (King 577). † Without a booming economy, we don’t have a functioning society. We need to support our brothers and sisters. We need to help those around us, and not let it burden us. All this will help create more jobs, and will in turn help the community.If anyone works hard enough, they can â€Å"climb out of hardship and achieve success (King 577). † Hard work is key. It pays off. Sometimes it takes longer than we want it to, but if we don’t give up, we will reap the reward. If we have proven anything in this day and age, it is that we are persistent. â€Å"Despite the recent recession, many have faith that as long as people believe they have a chance of becoming better off than they are today, then the American dream is intact (King 577). † We all have the American Dream inside us, and we will work to achieve it, doing whatever it takes.I believe the American Dream is very much alive. It may not look exactly like it did 50, 60, or 70 years ago, but it is here to stay. Society has ad apted and changed, and so has the American Dream. No longer is it about becoming as rich as one possibly can, but about being financially secure, having a job that pays a living wage, as well as having a savings. Stability is more important that material wealth. It’s a good dream. It may not be so easy to obtain, but it is within reach. With hard work and a positive attitude, I believe it is much closer than we realize.Work Cited Herbert, Bob. â€Å"Hiding from Reality. † They Say, I Say with Readings. 2nd ed. Eds, Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russell Durst. New York: WW. Norton Company, 2012, 564-67. Print. King, Brandon. â€Å"The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold? † They Say, I Say with Readings. 2nd ed. Eds. Gerald Graff et al. New York: Norton, 2012. 572-79. Print. Thomas, Cal. â€Å"Is the American Dream Over? † They Say, I Say with Readings. 2nd ed. Eds, Gerald Graff et al. New York: Norton, 2012. 568-70. Print.