Hidden Intellectualism

The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream by Barbara Ehrenreich, Hidden Intellectualism by Gerald Graff, and Nuclear Waste by Richard A. Muller are all articles in the book They Say, I say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein that give readers an example of different types of college level writing styles with the purpose providing them with a source of influence to assist further develop own skills. Looking into these reading superficially, many would observe that these reading all address very different issues, which they do. However, while digging deep into meaning these writings, I found key instances where they share similar these. One of these themes stuck out the most to me. Don't Blame the Eater, Hidden Intellectualism and Nuclear Waste all address observations and insights involving the American educational system. If someone were to read this they may think that this theme is too obvious to write about, an that is because it is. Of course …show more content…
Ehrenreich more than once in this piece compares the hardships of blue collar and white collar workers, she believes that while blue-collar unemployment is a generally a common occurrence, and not much to worry about, the recent unemployment rates of white-collars is a major cause for concern. On page 261 of They say, I Say Ehrenreich states, “while blue-collar unemployment has become numbingly routine, white-collar unemployment--and the poverty that often results--remains a rude finger to the American dream.” The point Ehrenreich is making here is that the decision for one to attend college and earn a degree no long correlates to job security, which goes completely against the belief that in America you can do what ever you want if you work hard