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American Dream

We all know the great country of freedom and hopes, called America. America is the country where big dreams can become reality. Throughout the years many immigrants, have travelled to America, in the hope of making their dream come true. We have seen many big personalities’ getting their chance in America, and many has later on become big stars in the whole world. The world-known bodybuilder, actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger is no exception.

In the text “Arnold Schwarzenegger Recalls Lessons from 25 years as a U.S. Citizen - Learn English, Participate in Politics, and Give back”, Arnold is describing how he came to America for his shot at the America dream. The America Dream is when immigrant’s travel to America, for the hope to live out their dream. Arnold came from Austria and he succeeded his American Dream. He became one of the most well known persons in America, and even in the rest of the world. Not only for his politician career, but also his title as “the greatest bodybuilder ever” and his career as an actor. His main point in the text is, that the immigrants who travel to America to live their dream, has a responsibility as well. They have to give something back. You have to be interested in American culture and history, to learn to speak English and participate in politics. This way you will give something back to America. Arnold himself is mentioning that he had the opportunity to give something back to America, when he was elected governor in 2003.

The writer of the text is Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. It was published the 17th of September in 2008, through the American newspaper called “Usnews.com”. The intention of the text is clearly that you have to give something back, when you travel to America. You cannot expect to go to America without giving anything back, and Arnold’s intention is to tell other immigrants this. The readers of the text are mostly people who are reading the newspaper on “Usnews.com”. But there will of course be a lot of immigrants who find the text relevant, because it reflects the move from a foreign country to America.

The tone and style of the text is mostly neutral, but with elements of both high- and low style within it. General there is some formal words and well-constructed sentences, which makes the text high style. Also the fact that Arnold is a politician could affect the way he is writing, because he has to operate in a formal way, and therefore high style would be obvious to use for him.. But there are also elements of low style in the text, for example contractions, which characterize the low style. “…it’s hard to take for granted the right to vote”.(p.1, l.29). For that reason you could argue that the text is written in neutral style.
In the text the writer is using rhetorical devices by the use of different kinds of appeals. Arnold is using Ethos in the way he is appealing to the readers trust. It means he sounds trustworthy, because he has experienced it himself. He has lived the American dream. The writer sounds more reliable, because the reader believes he is talking the truth, when the writer has been through it himself “Like other newcomers to this country, I came here for my shot at the American dream.” (p.1, l.3) “I have succeeded beyond my wildest imagination”(p.1,l.8)

The text is clearly expressive. It means that the writer’s opinion is visible. “But I also believe immigrants have a responsibility to America as well.”(p.1, l.10) The effect of an expressive text is that the reader gets to know the writer better. We see his feelings, emotions and opinion’s through the text. In an expressive text there are lots of argumentation, because the reader has to give a reason for his opinions. There are a lot of adjectives, and they are often with positive and negatives connotations, and in this text there are used a lot of positives to describe America.

Arnold’s history is a very happy history, of an immigrant, who made it in America. He is describing the good society with freedom and hope America has. But does he make it sound too good? If you should criticize Arnold you could say, that he makes it sounds like America is perfect. He is only mentioning all the fantastic, like all the freedom and the chance to have a shot at the “American dream”. The society is not only a bed of roses, and the freedom is not unconditional. He makes it sound like, that if you go to America, and take your shot at the American dream, you will succeed. You could argue that this is far from truth, and there are a lot, who ends up as nothing when they come to America as immigrants. On the other hand, the positive sides of Arnold’s text, is that he gives people inspiration and believe. The immigrants have a person who they can admire. A person who made it himself, and gives hope for other immigrants for their shot at the American dream.