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AndrewMonette
7/9/2016
English1010

RhetoricalAnalysis

BackinFebruaryof2014,DanKadlecwroteanarticletitled,MillennialsPutTheir
SurprisingStampontheAmericanDream.Inthepiece,KadlecwritesabouthowtheAmerican
DreamhaschangedforthelatestgenerationofMillennials,andisnolongerwhatwasonce
consideredthetraditionalAmericanDream.HestatesthatMillennialsnolongervaluehome
ownershipashighlyasearliergenerationsandnovaluetravelandselfemployment.Toarguehis
point,Kadlecutilizesmanyrhetoricalstrategiessuchasappealstologos,style,toneandmany
more.DoingsohelpedKadlecsuccessfullyconvincehisreadersofthelatestiterationofthe
everchangingAmericanDream.

Inthefirstparagraph,KadlecestablisheshisclaimthatMillennialsdesiretravelandself
employmentmorethangenerationsinthepast.HeusesthehistoricalAmericanDreamasa
contrasttowhatthenewestiterationofitis.ThetraditionalAmericanDreamlargelyinvolved
homeownership,agoodjob,retirementsecurity,andmore.Kadlecarguesthatthenewest
populationofadultsnowvaluescontrolovertheireverydaylife.Tobackuphisclaim,Kadlec
citesvariousstatisticsinsupportofhisclaim.Thesestatistichelpthearticleappealtologos.A
readerthatisconfrontedwithfacts,statisticsandnumbersismorelikelytobelievethe

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underlyingmessagethanareaderthatisnotfacedwiththefacts.Inthesestatistics,Kadlec
furtherbuildshisclaim.Hestatesthat38%ofMillennialssaytravelispartoftheAmerican
Dream,whichissignificantlyhigherthanthe28%whosayitissecureretirement.Healsoargues
thatmillennialsvaluehomeownershipatafarlowerratethanearliergenerations.Healsostates
that26%ofmillennialsvalueselfemploymentaspartoftheAmericanDream,whichismuch
higherthanthepreviousgeneration.Finally,attheendofallthesestatistics,heattributesthemto
MassMutualsstudycalledThe2013StateoftheAmericanFamily,finalizinghisappealto
logos.ThiswassteponeinconvincinghisreadersthattheAmericanDreamhaschanged.

ProvidingthestatisticsfromtheMassMutualsstudyalsoallowedKadlectocompareand
contrastthemillennialgenerationsvaluestoothergenerations.Hecontrastedthepercentages
ofpeoplewhonamedtravel,secureretirement,homeownership,andselfemploymenttofurther
illustratethedifferencesintheidealsofthegenerations.Lateron,healsousesallusiontofurther
makehisclaim.First,healludestotheinfamousforeclosurecrisisbystatingthatthelatest
generationofadultssawthiscrisisupclose.Doingso,hewasabletoimplythatthecrisisisthe
reasonthatmillennialsdontvaluehomeownershipasmuchasearliergenerations.Healso
appealstologosonceagainbystatingthattherateof16to24yearoldsoutofschoolandout
ofworkisunusuallyhighat15%Hesuggeststhatasaresult,collegegraduatestakejobsthat
donotnecessarilyrequireadegree.Thiscausesmanyproblemswithinthejobmarket.Once
again,Kadlecalludestoahistoricevent,thistimeitistheGreatRecessionandtheeffectithad
oninvestmentsandpensions.Helatersuggeststhatasaresult,millennialsprizejobmobility,
flexiblescheduling,interestingwork,andajobthatallowsthemtotravelandbewithfriends.He

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alsoappealstologosonceagainwhenhestatesthat11%ofmillennialsidentifyclosefriendsas
family.Hethencontraststhispercentagewithamuchlower3%ofboomerswhofeltthesame
way.Kadlecthenlinksanotherarticlethatsuggeststhatmillennialsarestartingtogetwhatthey
wantintheiroffice.CitingthisstatistichelpedKadlecconvincehisreadersthathisclaimis
accurate.

Inthefinalsectionofhisarticle,Kadleclinksaverypoorlywrittenpiecetargeted
towardsmillennials.ThepiecewasfromRollingStonesandwaschampioningasocialist
agenda.Kadlecstatesthearticlecallsforuniversalminimumincome,realestateconfiscation
andmanymore.IbelieveKadlecchosetoincludethisarticlebecauseitwassopoorlywritten.
Thewriterseemedtobetargetingyoungreaderswithhisimmaturewritingstyle.Heutilizedlazy
languageandverbs,alongwithoverusingphrasesthatbuiltnocredibility.Thewriterofthe
articlealsousedrepetitionintheworstpossibleway.Theauthorstatedthat(something)blows
fivetimesinthearticle.Thearticlewaswritteninaveryimmaturemannerandtheauthorsstyle
wasridiculedinthecommentssectionofthepiece.Theauthorspoorwritingstylewas
detrimentaltotheclaimshewasmaking.Readingapoorlywrittenarticlemakesthereaderless
engagedintheideasitispresenting.Whencomparingtwoarticles,onemaychoosethebetter
writtenarticleandchampionitasthebetter,morecorrectpiece.IncludingtheRollingStones
articlebuiltmorecredibilityforKadlecandhispiece.Finally,heappealstologostofinishuphis
article.Hestatedthat45%ofolderboomersbelievethattheAmericanDreamisslippingaway,
andthatthisstatistichasgoneupfromwhereitwastwoyearsago.Healsostatesthehigh
percentagesofboomerswhovaluethetraditionalimageoftheAmericanDream,financial

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independenceandhomeownership.Hefinishesthepiecebystatingthatforabroadswathofthe
populationthosedreamstooarestartingtofeelelusive.,obviouslyreferencingthemillennial
generation.

ItisclearthattheAmericanDreamhasevolvedfromwhereitstartedallthoseyearsago.
InhisTIMEarticletitledMillennialsPutTheirSurprisingStampontheAmericanDreamDan
KadlecintendstoconvincereadersofthelatestchangetotheAmericanDreambymillennials.
Toaccomplishthis,heutilizesstatisticsfromaMassMutual.Doingsoallowedhimtoappealto
logos.HealsocomparedandcontrastedthestatisticsoftheAmericanDreamnowandthedream
ofearliergenerations.Kadlecalsolinksaverypoorlywrittenarticletofurtherbuildcredibility
forhisargument.AlthoughKadlecusedallthesetoolstobuildhisclaim,itisclearthathe
mainlyreliedonthestatisticsfromthestudyandappealstologostoconvincehisreadersofthe
latestiterationoftheeverchangingAmericanDream.

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WorksCited

Kadlec,Dan."MillennialsPutTheirStampontheAmericanDream."TIME.N.p.,06Feb.2014.
Web.10July2016.
Myerson,JesseA."FiveEconomicReformsMillennialsShouldBeFightingFor."Rolling
Stone.N.p.,03Jan.2014.Web.10July2016.ThearticlereferencedinKadlec'spiece.