The aim of this exercise is to identify the main idea of “Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising.”
Estimated time: 30 minutes
Due by 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 6th
Read the first 5 pages of “Masters of Desire.” Quote 1-2 sentences that you believe represent the thesis or main idea of the essay. Post your response as a comment below.
“We Americans dream of rising above the crowd, of attaining a social summit beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. And therein lies the paradox.” (Solomon, 402).
“Rather than fostering contentment, the America dream breeds desire, a longing for a greater share of the pie.”(402)
“…, advertisements are designed to exploit the discontentment fostered by the American dream, the constant desire for social success and material rewards that accompany.”(402)
“America’s consumer economy runs on desire, and advertising stokes the engines by transforming common objects from peanut butter to political candidates into signs of all the things that Americans covet most” (Solomon, 402).
Appealing to our subconscious emotions rather than to our conscious intellects, advertisements are designed to exploit the discontentments fostered by the American dream, the constant desire for social success and the material rewards that accompany it. (402)
“We Americans dream of rising above the crowd, of attaining a social summit beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. And therein lies the paradox.” (402)
“We Americans dream of rising above the crowd, of attaining a social summit beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. And therein lies the paradox.” (402).
“For behind America’s mythic promise of equal opportunity, Tocqueville discovered a desire for unequal social rewards, a ferocious competition for privilege and distinction.” (Solomon, 401)
and
“We Americans dream of rising above the crowd, of attaining a social summit beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. And therein lies the paradox.” (Solomon, 402).
“We Americans dream of rising above the crowd, of attaining a social summit beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. And therein lies the paradox.” (402)
“We Americans dream of rising above the crowd, of attaining a social summit beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. And therein lies the paradox.” (402)
“For behind America’s Mythic promise of equal opportunity, Tocqueville discovered a desire for unequal social rewards, a ferocious competition for privilege and distinction.” (401)
“[W]alking quick and cleaving a way is precisely what Americans dream of. We Americans dream of rising above the crowd, of attaining a social summit beyond the reach of ordinary citizens”(Solomon 402).
The American dream in other words has two faces the one communally eligatarian and the other competitive elitist.this contradiction is no accident it is fundamental to the structure of American society.
For behind America’s Mythic promise of equal opportunity, Tocqueville discovered a desire for unequal social rewards, a ferocious competition for privilege and distinction.” (401)