Paper, Order, or Assignment Requirements

Within the works we studied this semester, the idea/concept/perception/myth of the American Dream was manifested/exhibited in the thoughts/words/actions/choices/life of a character and his/her quest/sense of achievement/fulfillment/disappointment/failure.

In reviewing each work, the issue/spirit of the American Dream might have been expressed/present through a loss/attainment/pursuit of freedom, popularity, self-identity, wealth, safety, love partnership, security, redemption, reconciliation, surrender, etc.

Choosing no more than THREE (3) major themes discussed in class, demonstrate how a character from FIVE (5) novels/plays, FIVE (5) short stories (including the poem “Howl”) attempts to achieve/capture the American Dream and what was the result AND why the attempt resulted in that outcome (either a success or failure).

Be specific in your supporting textual references. Cite titles, authors and characters in your answer. Proof-read your essay before submitting.

Here’s an example: you choose Huck Finn, the protagonist from Mark Twain’s novel The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn, as the character who is seeking the American Dream. The theme you’ve chosen to show how the character is attempting to achieve this goal is the theme of freedom. Then you show by pursuing the goal ( his idea of what is the American Dream) through the desire to be free, whether or not he is successful or fails in his attempt to achieve the goal ( the AD).

You can mix and match which works you are using, but you are using TEN (10) works in total. You don’t have to use one theme to connect all of them-you can use THREE (3) different themes: for one theme (let’s just say the pursuit of freedom), you use two novels/plays and two short stories; then for another theme, you use another novel/ play and two short stories; then finally, your last theme connects two other novels/plays and one short story. There’s the five novels /plays, five short stories and three different themes.

These are a list of the short stories that we did in class. Please choose 5 of them that relates to 5 five Novels
1. Who Shot Johnny? by Debra Dickerson
2. The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich
3. The Man I Killed by Tim O’Brien
4. HINDUS by Bharati Mukherjee
5. Someone Ought to Tell Her There’s Nowhere to Go by Danielle Evans
6. ALLEN GINSBERG