What is American Literature



What is the American Dream?

Answer the following questions to the best of your ability. “I don’t know” is not an acceptable response. Everyone has an opinion. Explain yours. Be prepared to share you answers. The more you write here, the better off you’ll be when called on.

1. Paraphrase this quote (in other words, put this quote in your own words).

2. What does “better and richer and fuller” mean to you?

3. What different kinds of “fortuitous (chance) circumstances” exist in society?

4. Do you believe the American dream still exists? Explain.

Analyzing the Evolution of the American Dream

Annotation: a note added by way of comment or explanation.

Personification: giving human qualities to something not human.

Tone: the attitude the author takes toward its subject.

Directions: As you watch the video, annotate the lyrics. Make sure that you circle important ideas, or things that stand out to you and write notes to interpret what it is trying to say. Then answer the following questions. Be prepared for a discussion.

1. What is America being personified as in this song?

2. What is the tone of the song?

3. Given the tone and personification, how does the artist feel about current America?

4. What does the artist want America to do?

5. Turn to page ____ in your textbook and read the poem “To His Excellency General George Washington”

6. What does Phyllis Wheatley personify America as?

7. What is her tone?

8. Given the tone and personification, how does she feel about past America?

9. Why do you think these interpretations are so different?

10. How do the poems show that the American vision or ideal has changed?

Homework: Define your idea of the American Dream and personify America. Thinking about current events and the two poems we looked at today, how would you personify America? Would she be the goddess that Wheatley sees or the “lady of questionable morals” Styx sees? Decide how you would like to personify her and write a poem based on your ideas. Remember to think about the American dream definition and what it means to you. The poem will be graded for completion and effort based on the below rubric (which will be posted on my website). A rough draft of the poem is due tomorrow.

|Category |5 points |4 points |3 points |2 points |

|Rough Draft |The rough draft was completed on|The rough draft was completed on|The rough draft was completed on|The rough draft was completed on|

| |time, was neat and organized, |time, was neat and organized, |time, was neat and organized and|time with very little effort. |

| |showed evidence of significant |showed evidence of some time and|adhered to some guidelines. | |

| |time and effort, adhered to all |effort, adhered to most | | |

| |guidelines. |guidelines. | | |

|Peer Evaluation |Peer evaluation submitted with |---- |---- |---- |

| |poem | | | |

|Final Draft |

|Category |4 points |3 points |2 points |1 points |

|Title |Title is creative, sparks |Title is related to the poem and|Title is present, but does not |No title |

| |interest and is related to the |topic. |appear to be related to the | |

| |poem and topic. | |story and topic. | |

|Organization |The poem follows a logical |The poem follows a logical |The poem follows a logical |The poem does not follow a |

| |sequence with exceptional flow. |sequence with some flow. |sequence. |logical sequence. |

|Focus |The entire poem is related to |Most of the story is related to |Some of the story is related to|No attempt has been made to |

| |the assigned topic and allows |the assigned topic. The story |the assigned topic, but a reader|relate the story to the assigned|

| |the reader to understand much |wanders off at one point, but |does not learn much about the |topic. |

| |more about the topic. |the reader can still learn |topic | |

| | |something about the topic. | | |

|Creativity |Poem demonstrates exceptional |Poem demonstrates some |Poem demonstrates little |No creativity detected |

| |creativity with thought to |creativity with a little thought|creativity with a little thought| |

| |personification that was neither|to personification that was |to personification that was | |

| |trite nor “copy-cattish” |neither trite nor “copy-cattish”|somewhat trite nor | |

| | | |“copy-cattish” | |

|Neatness |Poem is typed, clean, not |Poem is neatly hand-written, |Poem is typed and is crumpled or|Poem is typed and looks like it |

| |wrinkled, and is easy to read |clean, not wrinkled, and is easy|slightly stained. It may have |had been shoved in a pocket or |

| |with no distracting error |to read with no distracting |1-2 distracting error |locker. It may have several |

| |corrections. It was done with |error corrections. It was done |corrections. It was done with |distracting error corrections. |

| |pride. |with care. |some care. |It looks like it was done in a |

| | | | |hurry or stored improperly. |

|(TPE)_______ |30 (TPP) |

|Letter Equivalent | |

How is American literature American?

You will need your poem, a pen and a highlighter. Have these items on your desk.

1. Pass your poem to the person directly in front of you. The person in the front row should get up and walk their poem to the person in the back. *If you do not have your poem you will NOT be participating in the peer editing! You should be writing your poem and will be penalized for having turned in the rough draft late. It is still your responsibility to have someone else peer edit your poem before turning in the final draft.

2. Read through the poem carefully, and annotate as you read (just like we did with the Styx song yesterday!)

3. After reading through the poem, write one sentence at the bottom that sums up the main idea you received as reading.

4. Give one complement about the poem.

5. Check for personification. Did the poet give human like qualities to America?

6. Make one suggestion for how they should improve the poem (Think about word choice like we saw with “Great Beginnings”). *Remember: Constructive criticism is the only acceptable criticism. If you do not show respect for your classmates, this will come back on you.

Final draft due ___________! Don’t lose the rough draft, you’ll turn it in with the final!

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"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 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."

-- James Truslow Adams

Suite Madame Blue

(Styx)

(1)Time after time I sit and I wait for your call

(2)I know I’m a fool what can I say

(3)Whatever the price Ill pay for you, Madame blue

(4)Once long ago, one word from your lips and the world turned around

(5)But somehow you’ve changed, you’re so far away

(6)I long for the past and dream of the days with you, Madame blue

(7)Suite Madame blue, gaze in your looking glass

(8)You’re not a child anymore

(9)Suite Madame blue, the future is all but past

(10)Dressed in your jewels, you made your own rules

(11)You conquered the world and more ..............heavens door

(12)America....America...America. America..

(13)America....America...America. America..

(14)America....America...America. America..

(15)Red white and blue, gaze in your looking glass

(16)You’re not a child anymore

(17)Red, white, and blue, the future is all but past

(18)So lift up your heart, make a new start

(19)And lead us away from here

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