Poem Analysis-“Let America Be America Again”
- Choose ONE of the following poems. What portrait does the poem paint of America? Is the poem patriotic? Why or why not?
- Phyllis Wheatley, “On Being Brought from Africa to America”
- Walt Whitman, “I Hear America Singing”
- Langston Hughes, “Let America Be America Again”
- e.e. cummings, “Next to of course god America I”
- Dorothy Parker, “Poem in the American Manner”
- Tato Riviera, “AmeRícan”
- David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross depicts the dog-eat-dog world of the American workplace. Evaluate this cutthroat environment. Using the play/film as a basis for your analysis, is the American Dream the cause of the harsh conditions faced by the salesmen? Why or why not? Should we consider this a negative side of the American Dream? Why or why not?
- Using the history and texts of the Ghost Dance/Wounded Knee Massacre, consider whether the American Dream is available to everyone. Does everyone have a shot at it? Or is opportunity for some created by taking away opportunity from others?
- Using EITHER (not both) Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (chapters 1-3) or Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds,” develop an argument as to whether or not you can be anything you want in America. To what extent do the characters in the story have faith that they can reinvent themselves in America? What gives them this faith? To what extent do the fail/succeed? What accounts for their failure/success? What opportunities and/or constraints are there on how Americans create their lives?
oNOTE 1: Your paper should have a clear argument that runs throughout. Each point that you make should be related to this argument.
oNOTE 2: Remember to use (and explain!) quotes from the readings/films. Engage in a dialogue with the texts.
Requirements: 1000 words
Answer preview:
word limit:1020