Mad Men: Stillbirth of the American Dream. Q#1-4

1. Heather Havrilesky's insight about Mad Men is a look into America's fortunate and not-so-fortunate history, focusing on the American Dream that started in the 50's. Havrilesky reflects on the show's realistic sense of this era for Americans, focusing on the idea of cold hard cash rather than important aspects of life like family and friends. Americans have been taught to be materialistic and in constant need of improvement, resulting in"... two wars, a stubborn recession, and a string of calamities..." Heather's insight is a true reflection on what has happened to America with this postmodern movement.
2. Havrileski establishes her authority by proof in this passage that she has done her research, and cites her sources appropriately. She includes detailed aspects of the show, and establishes it clearly and thoroughly. She has learned a lot from this show, being that she wasn't around in that era, and this is a widely popular show- her information was well perceived and brought to her audience' attention in a very informative way.
3. Havrileski appeals to her reader's emotions by adding her personal view on the subject matter. Mad Men had enough significance for her to write about, and with that she was able to give the audience a good description on the negative aspects of life of the American Dream. In line 14, Heather states that the show itself is a "marketable uber-brand", and how it has shown that we as humans focus on the pitch-perfect aspects of that era rather in a glossy form than remembering "our hazy memories of that era completely." The author also appropriately adds a telling from the creator of the show, Matthew Weiner, giving detail that he himself believes that the 50's birth of advertising gave our nation a fake feel, and that at that point, we lost our souls.
4. Havrileski's depiction of Mad Men is accurate. From what I have personally seen of the show, she was able to give great detail about in an interesting and informative way. I can imagine that those who have not seen this show now have a great understanding of its premise; the truth about the American Dream.