Essay #2 Assignment

ENG 215

ESSAY #2*** DUE THURSDAY June 9th***

3-5 PAGES, DOUBLE SPACED, SIZE 12 TIMES NEW ROMAN

USE TWO OUTSIDE SOURCES (NOT INCLUDING THE TEXT!) AND QUOTE THE PRIMARY TEXTS AS WELL.

Use: Literaryhistory.com/index for outside sources. Enter the author’s name in the search box and then click the first link.

I put up some links that discuss the American Dream on the class blog:

http://ecceng215summer.blogspot.com/

Not using outside sources will result in failure.

Pick ONE of the essay topics below for your paper.

1. The play is really a challenge to the American Dream because it is the tragedy of a man troubled by the society. Willy believes in the American myth that “Success is obtained by being well-liked”. His dream ends up in nightmare. In your essay explain how Willy misunderstood the American Dream. Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.

(Use the American Dream links on the class blog for outside sources!)

2. Illusion vs. reality is something that comes up in a lot of literature. We saw some in The Great Gatsby as well as the two short stories we read. In Death of A Salesman Willy has illusions about just about every aspect of his life. Pick one aspect of his life, whether it be from the past or the present, and explain how he uses illusions to distort his reality. Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.
3. The characters in this play each want something from life; what does each major character seem to want? How do their interests align or conflict? How does what each character wants differ from what each has or gets? Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.

 Below is how you should quote dialouge from a play in your paper:

Quote dialogue between two or more characters by also using block format and putting the characters' names in all capital letters. Don't forget a lead-in and a citation that includes all speeches being quoted. Willy's delusions consistently show how much Happy and Bernard idolized Biff, especially when they argue over who will carry his football gear:

BERNARD. Biff, I'm carrying your helmet, ain't I?
HAPPY.  No, I'm carrying the helmet.
BERNARD. Oh, Biff, you promised me.
HAPPY. I'm carrying the helmet. (Miller 2.213-216)

Notice that there is a period after the character’s name not a colon. Remember again that you are always explaining quotes in your own words. Quoting one character’s dialogue is explained in the below paragraph.

            Many times you will only want to quote a line or two from a text. Again, remember to always introduce the quote in your own words. For verse plays, give act, scene, and line numbers that can be located in any edition of the work. Use numbers and separate them with periods. In Shakespeare’s King Lear, Gloucester, blinded for suspected treason, learns a profound lesson from his tragic experience: “A man may seehow this world goes / with no eyes” (4.148-49). Since the quote was less than four lines it does not get the block quote treatment.  It can simply be put into your paragraph. Notice that the period comes after the citation in this case. Notice that numbers are used to represent act and lines. If this were a real paper, you would use this space to explain how the quote fits into and explains your thesis.

American Dream Links

How to define the American Dream:

http://online.sfsu.edu/~kferenz/syllabus/dreams/thedream.html


http://www.todaysamericandream.com/

This link has some video of everyday Americans describing the American dream:

http://projects.usatoday.com/news/voices/what-is-the-american-dream

A different perspective about the American Dream:

http://endoftheamericandream.com/

Death of A Salesman

Here is a brief description of what to expect in the play:

Death of a Salesman (1949) Death of a Salesman relates the story of Willy Loman, a down-on-his-luck traveling salesman. In order to cope with his failures in life, he retreats to the past in his mind and seems to be losing touch with reality. He tries to relive the good times, but keeps coming up against things that went wrong. His family try to help him by lying about their prospects, but when Loman loses his job, after a lifetime with the same company, he becomes desperate. His depression is exacerbated by the guilt he feels from a past infidelity which has estranged him from his older son, Biff. Rather than accept that his life has been a failure, and that Biff is not interested in big business, Loman decides to commit suicide in hopes that the insurance money will help Biff become successful. The play ends with his family and only friend, Charley, grieving by his graveside.

Here is a really long look at Death of  A Salesman:

http://www.ibiblio.org/miller/DeathofaSalesmanMAThesis2004.pdf

Symbolism in Death of  A Salesman:

http://www.ibiblio.org/miller/gardens.html

Great Gatsby: The Video Game and OUTSIDE SOURCES!!!

Below is the link to a number of outside sources for the first essay:

http://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/Fitzgerald.htm

The game looks like the whole Nintendo video games. Kind of like Super Mario Bros.

Here are some links about the game:

http://theweek.com/article/index/212144/the-great-gatsby-video-game

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/07/the_great_gatsby_now_a_video_g.html

http://boingboing.net/2011/02/16/great-gatsby-nes-gam.html

This link provides a link to where you can play the game:

http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/02/15/play-the-great-gatsby-video-game/

Here is a youtube video of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjWKrz7yogM

F. Scott Fitzgerald Bio, Author of The Great Gatsby and Some Quotes

Here is a brief bio of F. Scott Fitzgerald:

http://www.pbs.org/kteh/amstorytellers/bios.html

Taking a few mintues to read some background information on the author will enhance your understanding of the text.

Here are a few quotes to also think about from the text:

"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had" (1).

""a single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of a dock" (22).

"He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself" (48).

"Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known" (60).

The eyes Nick sees at the beginning of chapter 2.



...and the green light at the end of the dock in chapter 1

Outside Sources for "A Rose For Emily" and "Soilders Home"

Here is a link to a numbe rof outside sources on Hemingway:

http://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/Hemingway.htm

---and---

Here is one for William Faulkner:

http://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/Faulkner.htm

These will be helpful for the first essay which will be assigned on May 5/12 Thursday.