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What Is an American Idol?

This TV program is big. People of all ages watch it. I’ve watched it.  But do we really have such a thing as an American idol? Do we want to? 

What is an idol, anyway?

An idol is something that is a representation of a god, and it is also worshiped.  People bow to idols, as if bowing to honor a god.

Then there is the word “idol” as in Hollywood.  Many stars of stage and screen are called “idols.” People look up to them as representing something virtuous. They idolize them.

Do we look up to the American idol singing stars this way?  Do you?

Personally, I think the word is a bit too strong for what the musicians and artists are representing.   They may sing well but that doesn’t mean that they are more virtuous as people or that we should bow down to them as if they were deities.

What do you think?

2 Comments

  1. Amanda Foo

    How should I quote a saying or phrase such as “curiosity killed the cat” in a composition?

  2. ESL Help! Desk

    Amanda,

    That’s an interesting question. For the most part you can put it in quotes. But it also depends on how you’re using it in a sentence.

    example: John said, “Curiosity killed the cat.”
    John said, “Mary responded to me that ‘curiosity killed the cat.'”
    Our cat jumped out the window and died; as they say, ‘curiosity killed the cat.’

    In the last sentence, it’s used as a saying, not as a quote attributable to any one person. As such, I use the single quote, not the double quotes.

    Jane
    Nikki our cat was, beknownst to us, sleeping under our car when we started driving. Well, as they say,

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