The American Dream Essay - Ms. Schultz's Webpage



The American Dream Essay/Research Project

Gatsby, Willie Loman, Lennie and George--all of these individuals sought the American Dream. In some ways, they experienced success; in other ways, there was complete and total failure. What does this say about the American Dream? How does literature define, confront, support, or even negate it? In a well-developed essay, define the American Dream and argue its attainability (or unattainability) with direct support from literature that addresses this issue. You must use six literary sources—four need to be novels/plays/essays and two must be poems. Additionally, you will need to include evidence from two essays/articles that also support your position. Your source material is listed below.

Literary Sources

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams,

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

“Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

“I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman

“I, Too, Sing America” by Langston Hughes (LINK: )

“America” by Claude McKay (LINK: )

“A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes

“Patriotics” by David Baker (LINK: )

“Let America be America Again” by Langston Hughes (LINK: )

“Thanksgiving Letter from Harry” by Carl Dennis (LINK: )

“Shine, Perishing Republic” by Robinson Jeffers (LINK: )

Articles/Essays

“Living the American Dream: Hissho Sushi CEO named Entrepreneur of the Year”



“American Dream—Myth or Reality?”



A collection of articles from the Huffington Post on the American Dream.



“The American Dream---Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” by Brandon King



“Relocating the American Dream” (There is a lot of great information in here. It’s long, but it’s worth the read! There is a table of contents that helps you pick and choose what you want to read)



“Why is the American Dream Dead in the South?” by Matthew O’Brien



“English Scholar Uncovers Real Story Behind the American Dream”



“Whitman, Transcendentalism, and The American Dream: Alliance with Nature’s Government through Language”



“Degeneration of the American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby”



Disenfranchisement, Violence, and Reform: John Steinbeck and Pete Hautman’s American Families



“The American Dream”



“Scott Fitzgerald’s Criticism of America” by Marius Bewley



“Why Speak of American Stories as Dreams?”



“Myth and Reality: The American Dream in the 21st Century”



“The Broken Dream: The failure of the American Dream in The Grapes of Wrath from a Caste a Class perspective”



“The American Dream Unhinged: Romance and Reality in The Great Gatsby and Fight Club”



“Deepening the American Dream” (Videos by various individuals discussing the dream. Yes, you can use videos. Make sure to cite the correctly!)



Paper Guidelines

Rough Draft Due Date

Each student needs to bring in a rough draft so we can peer edit in class. The rough draft must be typed and must be at least three to five written pages. Rough draft due date is MAY 18th, 2015

Final Draft

Three to five full pages.

Typed and double-spaced.

MLA Format- I will go over some of this format in class. You may also go on line to find the MLA format. Helpful sites include:





For help with creating your works cited, try either of these online citation generators:





Final draft due: JUNE 1st 2015

Grading

Structure- Paragraphs and sentences are well developed and flow into one another. The paper is easy to read.

Organization- Paper is organized well. Introduction explains what the paper will discuss. Sub-topics are presented in a logical pattern, which emphasizes and supports the thesis statement. Strong conclusion.

Grammar and Mechanics-Virtually no grammatical errors. If there are any, they do not distract from the paper. The paper is relatively clean from spelling errors, capitalization problems, etc. (less than two per page)

Developing the Central Idea- The writer establishes a well-developed central idea (thesis statement) by using supporting evidence (facts, concrete details, research, etc.)

• Syntax- the student presents a variety of sentence types and utilizes transitions.

• Diction-the student uses appropriate word choice for their subject matter.

• Voice-The author utilizes the appropriate tone and/or voice for their argument and exhibits fluidity and passion for their topic.

• MLA Format

*All deadlines are final

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