1. MODERNISM & THE AMERICAN DREAM
Ms. Dott – Honors English III, aoit

2. freewrite
What does the American Dream mean to you? Give examples from your life, the world, current events, other books, movies, popular culture, etc.

3. Five tenets of the American dream
Romantic view…
You can be what you want to be. Free will to choose. All men are created equal.
The individual can rise on his/her own power. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps, stand on your own two feet.
In America, we can succeed economically. Rags to riches. The Land of Opportunity.
Be optimistic.
Progress is good.

4. Five tenets of the American dream
Realistic view…
“Not everyone is born with the same advantages as you.” Born with the special talents. Where you are from. Desire…motivation.
You need other people to help you or you are not going to get anywhere.
You need to have drive. Luck is needed. Opportunities don’t present themselves.
You have to actually work for it. Sidetracked. Luck. Fate.
Sometimes bad situations can create growth. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Atomic bomb. Gilded age. Negative effects on environment.

5. Where do your beliefs fall currently?
Take a look at your free write on the American Dream. Where do your beliefs about the American Dream fall? Keep this in mind as we read and explore the themes and concepts in The Great Gatsby.

6. Gatsby movie analysis Homework tonight is the following:
Analyze Baz Luhrumann’s “The Great Gatsby.” Decide if it is a worthy reproduction of the novel. Use the following questions to write your analysis in Strong Answer Format. This should be in essay form, and can be written in PEN or TYPED.
Do you feel that it was an accurate reproduction of the novel? Why or why not? Explain using details from the novel and story. (Yes, you many be general since you don’t have the books in hand.)
What does this movie have to offer that the book does not? Explain with details.
Would you recommend watching this movie? Why or why not?

7. Origins of the American dream
James Truslow Adams first used the term “American Dream” in his 1931 book, The Epic of America. He states: “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” ( ).

8. “Dream deferred” OR “harlem” by Langston hughes

10. More Dream poetry