20th Century American Literature Semester II Final Exam
Due Date: June 15th by 11:59 pm
Late submissions will only receive 50% of the grade/15 points off the total grade [I'm very serious about this]
The term The American Dream was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America, written in 1931. For Adams, The American Dream was "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."
Consider these quotes about the American Dream:
I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be
one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any
other distinctions. This will be the day when we bring into full realization the
American dream -- a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of
opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of a land
where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the
few; a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man's
skin determines
~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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We believe that what matters most is not narrow appeals masquerading as
values, but the shared values that show the true face of America; not narrow
values that divide us, but the shared values that unite us: family, faith, hard
work, opportunity and responsibility for all, so that every child, every adult,
every parent, every worker in America has an equal shot at living up to their
God-given potential. That is the American dream and the American value.
~Senator John Kerry
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
America is the sum of our dreams. And what binds us together, what makes
us one American family, is that we stand up and fight for each other's
dreams, that we reaffirm that fundamental belief - I am my brother's keeper, I
am my sister's keeper - through our politics, our policies, and in our daily
lives.
~President Barack Obama
Consider the dreams of the characters and people we've met along our journey this year:
Consider, also the various newspaper articles, essays, charts, and other supplemental readings we have read this year.
The Assignment:
You will write a 6-page essay exploring how the theme of the American dream is depicted in the material we have studied over the year. Your essay should properly cite evidence from the readings using MLA format and supply a work-cited page at the end of paper.
In the essay, use the following questions to help guide your essay:
Late submissions will only receive 50% of the grade/15 points off the total grade [I'm very serious about this]
The term The American Dream was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America, written in 1931. For Adams, The American Dream was "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."
Consider these quotes about the American Dream:
I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be
one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any
other distinctions. This will be the day when we bring into full realization the
American dream -- a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of
opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of a land
where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the
few; a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man's
skin determines
~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We believe that what matters most is not narrow appeals masquerading as
values, but the shared values that show the true face of America; not narrow
values that divide us, but the shared values that unite us: family, faith, hard
work, opportunity and responsibility for all, so that every child, every adult,
every parent, every worker in America has an equal shot at living up to their
God-given potential. That is the American dream and the American value.
~Senator John Kerry
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
America is the sum of our dreams. And what binds us together, what makes
us one American family, is that we stand up and fight for each other's
dreams, that we reaffirm that fundamental belief - I am my brother's keeper, I
am my sister's keeper - through our politics, our policies, and in our daily
lives.
~President Barack Obama
Consider the dreams of the characters and people we've met along our journey this year:
- Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby)
- Martin Luther King & Atticus Finch ("I have a dream" speech/To Kill a Mockingbird)
- Langston Hughes ("Harlem: Dreams Deferred", "Dreams", "I, Too, Sing America" "Let America be America Again")
- George and Lennie (& other characters from Of Mice and Men)
- Willy and Biff Loman (Death of a Salesman)
- Mrs. Mallard (from "The Story of an Hour")
- The farmer worker, Robert Acuna (from Studs Terkel's "Working")
Consider, also the various newspaper articles, essays, charts, and other supplemental readings we have read this year.
The Assignment:
You will write a 6-page essay exploring how the theme of the American dream is depicted in the material we have studied over the year. Your essay should properly cite evidence from the readings using MLA format and supply a work-cited page at the end of paper.
In the essay, use the following questions to help guide your essay:
- What is the American Dream?
- How is the American Dream depicted and discussed in the material we have read this year?
- Is the American Dream the same for everyone?
- How do issues of race, class, and/or gender affect one's understanding of the American Dream?
- What are some obstacles to achieving the American Dream?
- Which groups of people have had trouble attaining The American Dream?
- Given the obstacles that some people have to overcome, what makes the American Dream appealing?
- How does the American Dream help shape an American identity?
- How can Americans meet and overcome the challenges that prevent them from achieving their dreams?