The United States Of Europe

T. R. Reid's 2004 non-fiction informs it's readers of Europe's accelerating rise to supremacy over the U. S. Reid begins first by introducing the different ways that America is mocked and portrayed in Great Britain using entertainment as a source of support. There are television shows and plays in Great Britain that are partially funny and at the same time offending and even at times inaccurate. But he is not choosing sides because he then introduces evidence of some of the fairly admirable traits of the U. S. By using quotes from immigrants that have traveled from their home countries and decided to stay in America Reid was capable of showing the good side of America. Not only is Europe pointing out the problems with America but Reid shows that they have also been trying to unify itself into a greater more peaceful union. By adopting the blueprints that the U. S. used to create all 50 states Europe has began to congregate its countries into a more open and team-playing union.


TONE
Satirical/Informal

VOCABULARY

• Masochistic
• Demurely
• Pancontinental
• Predawn
• Consternation
• Ubiquitous
• Deleterious
• Mawkish
• Cosseting
• Paradigm
• Haranguing
• Caricaturist
• Plight
• Jarring

RHETORICAL STRATEGIES

Allusion: "...to receive the adulation of millions celebrating VE-Day, the prime minister..."

Anecdote: "I was offered 200 pounds on the spot for the cowboy boots I was wearing. That was $370, more than twice what I had paid for the boots, new, back home in Colorado."

Satire: " ...the typical American home depicted on "The Lardburgers," a regular segment on a satirical British T. V. show Big Breakfast... Jeff and Stacey don't have jobs, so they spend their free time looking for the lawsuit that will make them rich. Their big hero, other than George W. Bush, is the woman who sued Mc Donalds, and won, because her coffee was too hot."

QUESTION

Is America seeing Europe's uprise as a challenge to their power and if so how are they reacting to make sure they do not drop below the bar of superpower?