1. Havrilesky's main insight about Mad Men is that the show depicts the emptiness and soullessness of the “American Dream” through the characters and their actions. In every paragraph Havrilesky addresses a different part of how the “American Dream” relates to the show in a negative way. On page 172 she talks about the “American Dream” has negative effects on each of the characters and explains how it all roots back to
2. Havrilesky establishes her authority by showing how knowledgeable she is on the show. Also, in the footnotes, her credibility is established as she is a television critic at Salon. She was able to understand and explain the plot, as well as the characters, and analyze the show.
3. She appeals to our emotions from the start. In the beginning three paragraphs she uses words like glimmer, powerful, and submitting to capture our attention (170). She also talks about fairy tales, prince charming, and other things that we all can connect with.
4. Before reading this essay I was not familiar with the show Mad Men, from what Havrilesky described I was able to understand the basic premise of the show. Taking place in New York during the 60s, I do not think I would enjoy the show personally because of the misogyny and racism in that time period. Yet because I am intrigued in how the show conveys the time period, I might watch a couple episodes.
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