Frank Underwood Research Paper

The American Dream: Delicately Building a House of Cards How many people must be crushed on the way to the top? That is the million dollar question in the eyes of Francis Underwood on Netflix’s original show “House of Cards.” Throughout history and across the globe, stepping on others to reach a cornerstone of power has been viewed as a necessary tragedy by its countless perpetrators. Frank Underwood is a member of this flock of the power hungry. Underwood is prepared to stop at nothing to attain his dream of becoming the president of the United States of America. Although the idea of ultimate success differs slightly for Frank Underwood, many people interpret the American dream precisely as the founding fathers of the nation once did; “to
From this perspective, broad may it be, Frank Underwood can be appreciated as an embodiment of the American dream. Underwood was birthed and reared in an impoverished South Carolina town and lived plainly while coming of age. Despite his meager upbringings, Underwood persevered. He turned almost nothing into a fruitful political career. He did not allow negative circumstances get the better of him and through tireless effort, attained success. “I know what I have to do… we’ll have a lot of nights like this, making plans, very little sleep” (House of Cards). Through planning and unwavering commitment to his goals, Underwood expects his inevitable triumph in his endeavors. That, in essence, is the definition to the American
Underwood’s steadfast fortitude is well established, but specifics regarding the measures he takes have yet to be examined. As an American politician, Underwood is no stranger to embellishment of reality and cunning deceit, yet he seldom stops there. Tactics of this nature are common knowledge and common practice in today’s political climate. This is in stark contrast to Thomas Jefferson’s view of democracy. Jefferson believed unequivocally in an informed public, and the methods of Frank Underwood would likely cause him great ire. Jefferson’s disapproval would also be inclusive of Underwood’s aspirations of power. “It was Jefferson who pointed out that there is ‘no safe depository of the ultimate power of the society but the people themselves’, that if citizens are ‘not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion’” (Kakabadse et al. 292). With these words, the contrast between Jefferson’s ideals and Underwood’s techniques is overwhelmingly incontestable, since Underwood not only deceives the American public, but all others barring his