Think Piece: The American Dream: Reality or Dream

US Literature

WE BEGAN OUR EXPLORATION OF “THE AMERICAN DREAM” WITH THE FOLLOWING DEFINITION: James Truslow Adams first used the term “American Dream” in his 1931 book, The Epic of America. He states: "The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position" (214-215).

Assignment:

With James Truslow Adam’s definition as a starting point for your analysis, we will re-examine some of the key topics we discussed throughout the semester. Choose one of the questions below to answer in essay format. You may use your notes, any text used in class, handouts, etc. to help you build your analysis. Consider the various categories (social, educational, economic, political, and religious) to guide your analysis and organization.

Essay Topics: Choose ONE of the following writing prompts.

QUESTION 1: DEFINITION. When our society talks about "The American Dream," what do we mean? What are the key aspects of the American Dream today and where did they come from? How is this definition reflected in the various texts we have read and discussed in class? Use at least three quotes to support your ideas of which at least one must come from either the DOI or Constitution (other than both preambles).

QUESTION 2: OBSTACLES. As we have seen in our various texts, not everyone achieves the American Dream, making it more a dream than a reality. What are some of today’s obstacles to achieving the American Dream? Which groups of people have or have had trouble attaining "The American Dream"? Why? Use at least three quotes to support your ideas of which at least one must come from either the DOI or Constitution (other than both preambles).

Use SPECIFIC EVIDENCE from our texts, class discussions, etc. to support your ideas – that is QUOTATIONS and PARAPHRASING. Do not rely on just one text to support your ideas – this will result in only partial credit. Please DO NOT SUMMARIZE the events of the text.

The Essay:

At least three pages long (no, not 2½). You must follow MLA formatting guidelines (double-space, Times New Roman 12-point font, 1” margins, headers, in-text citations for quotes). I have provided a link on the website with information about MLA formatting and in-text citations.

Your essay is worth 100 points.

DUE DATES:

Friday, December 1st / Introduce Think Piece Assignment – brainstorming, planning
Tuesday, December 5th / DUE: your working THESISSTATEMENT for me to evaluate and provide feedback
Thursday, December 7th / WORKSHOP – DUE: draft of essay – bring a printed copy of your typed, completed essay to class. Failure to bring your printed essay to class OR not having a completed first draft will result in 10% being deducted from your final grade. Please note: If you need to leave class to go print your essay, you will also lose 10% from your final grade. This is the same as not meeting the deadline.
Monday, December 11th / FINAL DRAFT DUE – if written, must be legible and still follow guidelines. (8 ½” x 11” lined-paper only)

Unit Texts:

  1. “The World on the Turtle’s Back” by Iroquois(p.24)
  2. “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano” by Olaudah Equiano (p. 93 or handout)
  3. The Crucible by Arthur Miller(p.163)
  4. Various PowerPoints on “The American Dream”
  5. “Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry (p.262)
  6. “Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson (p.270)
  7. “The Constitution of the United States” (handout)
  8. “The Letter to John Adams” by Abigail Adams(p.282)
  9. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Johnathan Edwards(p.152)
  10. “Fox and Coyote and Whale” by Okanogan(p.43)
  11. “Coyote and the Buffalo” by Okanogan (p.40)
  12. “Of Plymouth Plantation” by William Bradford (p.81)

______

WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE – IT’S AN ARGUMENT!

When you write an extended literary essay, you are essentially making an argument. You are arguing that your perspective–an interpretation, an evaluative judgment, or a critical evaluation–is a valid one. You are developing your position with evidence from the primary texts, other texts you’ve read, personal experiences, etc.

Creating your thesis statement

Like any argument paper you have ever written, you must have a specific, detailed thesis statement that reveals your perspective, and, like any good argument, your perspective must be one that is debatable. In other words, your thesis statement should not be a statement of the obvious. For this particular assignment: your thesis should not focus on specific authors; rather, it should focus on the larger discussion of the American Dream. The authors/texts are your supporting evidence.

Example thesis statements from Of Mice and Men

You would not want to make an argument of this sort: Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is about two men with a unique friendship. (This is obvious – the “duh” statement)

That doesn’t say anything–it’s basically just a summary and is hardly debatable.

A better thesis would be this: George experiences internal conflict because he is torn between protecting Lennie and attaining his own freedom.

That is debatable, controversial even. The rest of a paper with this argument as its thesis will be an attempt to show, using specific examples from the text: (1) how/why George is trying to protect Lennie, (2) why he is trying to attain his own freedom, and (3) what implications there are for reading the story in this manner.

Incorporating/blending quotations:

Quoting involves taking a word, phrase, or passage directly from the story, novel, poem, or critical essay and working it grammatically into your discussion.

Here's an example:

In his novel, The Secret Agent, Conrad describes Verloc as "undemonstrative and burly in a fat-pig style... "(69). The pig image suggests that Verloc is not a lean, zealous anarchist, but is actually a corrupt, complacent middle class man who is interested in preserving his comfortable status.

When should I quote?

  • To make a particularly important point
  • When a passage or point is particularly well written
  • To include a particularly authoritative source

How should I quote?

  • All quotes must be introduced, discussed, and woven into the text. As you revise, make sure you don't have two quotes end-to-end.
  • A good rule of thumb: Don't let your quotes exceed 25% of your text.
What else should I remember? The “Picky” Stuff…
  • The titles of plays, novels, magazines, newspapers, journals, (things that can stand by themselves) are underlined or italicized.

Example: John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men; Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye; Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Sports Illustrated magazine.

  • The titles of poems, short stories, and articles, or excerpts from larger texts (things that do not generally stand by themselves or are short) require quotation marks.

Example: Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Serving in Florida” from Nickel-and-Dimed

Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson” Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing”

  • Don’t leave a quote or paraphrase by itself–you must introduce it, explain it, and show how it relates to your thesis. This creates UNITY in your paper.
  • Block-format all quotations of more than four lines. – See me for specific info if you have a quote like this and you are not sure what to do.
  • When you quote brief passages of poetry, line and stanza divisions are shown as a slash

Example: "Roses are red, / Violets are blue / You love me / And I love you"

  • Double-space all typing; do not put extra spaces in between paragraphs