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Synthesizing the American Dream563880016827500Purpose: To synthesize previous notions of the American Dream. To generate working definitions of The American Dream by function, classification, example, and negation.Directions: You will defend, challenge, or qualify the statement:America still provides access to the American Dream, to the “tired, the poor, and the huddled masses.”Your essay assignment is to select 3 sources from Springboard, Unit 1 and use them to write an argumentative essay about this statement. You will need to include quotes from the sources and compare the authors’ ideas to your own position. Your position is the main idea of your essay; the sources and your observations will be included to compare, contrast and support your argument.Essay instructions: First, decide what your position on the issue is. Do you agree or disagree that America still provides access to the American Dream as stated above? Why?Next, review the list of sources from Springboard, Unit One. You will select passages from 3 of the works on this list to include in your essay:Sources from Unit 1 The American Dream:Type of SourceNameAuthorPage NumberPoemEllis IslandJoseph Bruchac9PoemEurope and AmericaDavid Ignatow10EssayThe Trial of Martha CarrierCotton Mather18EssayMoral PerfectionB. Franklin21EssaySayings of Poor RichardB. Franklin23Essay“Self Reliance”Emerson25EssayWaldenThoreau27Poem“America, the Beautiful”Bates31Poem“America”McKay33Poem“Shine, Perishing Republic”Jeffers34Poem“I Hear America Singing”Whitman36Poem“I, Too, Sing America”Hughes37Poem“Indian Singing in Twentieth-Century America”Tremblay38Poem“Next to of course god America I”Cummings40EssayThey Live the DreamRather41ArticleLifelong Dreamer-Vietnam Boat PersonMcLaughlin46QuotesMoney QuotesVarious52Poem“Money”Gioia53DramaA Raisin in the SunHansberry54Short Story“Mammon and the Archer”Henry56Song Lyrics“Harlan Man”Earle62Song Lyrics“The Mountain”Earle63Poem“Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper”Espada66Poem“Working” Roberto AcunaTerkel69NonfictionFrom Nickel and DimedEhrenreich73SurveysVariousEnglish III class78SpeechKeynote Address 2004Obama84EssayThe Right to FailZinsser87From the list of sources, choose 3 selections that match each of the following criteria:Selection 1: Choose a selection that AGREES with your position on the “America still provides…” statement.Source 1: Title:_____________________________________________________________Author: __________________________Springboard Page Numbers:_____________What did the author write that agrees with your position on the statement? (Provide Text evidence.)________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Selection 2: Choose a second selection that AGREES with your position.Source 2:Title: ____________________________________________________________Author: __________________________Springboard Page Numbers:_____________How does this Author agree with your position? (Provide Text evidence.)____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Selection 3: Choose a third selection that DISAGREES with your position. Source:Title: ____________________________________________________________Author: __________________________Springboard Page Numbers:_____________How does the Author disagree with your position? (Provide Text evidence.)________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Before you write this essay, identify the following components of your essay.You will use these notes to help you draft your essay.The Hook –Define your own position on the issueThe Claim - What point are you trying to make about the issue? This is your central theses.The Concession/Refutations – How does Selection 3 disagree with your viewpoint? Why do you still maintain your position?The Support – How do Selections 1 and 2 agree with your viewpoint and help you prove your point?The Conclusion- (Restate introduction and make a “Call to Action”) A strong conclusion doesn’t just summarize your thesis; it highlights how your position can influence the reader’s thinking about the issue and encourage them to adopt your position and/or act on it.Finally, when you have your 3 selections and text evidence, write your Argumentative Essay to prove why your position on the American Dream is valid (See Page 77 for the key elements of The Structure of an Argument.)Now that you have completed your Prewriting, use this packet to write a five paragraph essay responding to the statement: Does America still provide access to, “…the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses”? ................
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