Is the American Dream more likely to INSPIRE or DESTROY?

Over the course of this unit, we’ve looked at a wide range of American experiences. We’ve examined the stories of pop culture and asked about the regular patterns, but also the missing pieces. We’ve seen the Dream from multiple points of view across race, class, gender, and generation. Based on your reading, discussions, and other work over the past few weeks, the time has come for you to give your fullest and most confident response to the Essential Question: Is the American Dream more likely to INSPIRE or DESTROY? To answer this question, it’s expected that you will do the following:

• Compose an original, arguable claim that responds to the EQ.
• Provide relevant and sufficient evidence to back up that claim.
• Utilize multiple body paragraphs including a counterclaim to organize your argument.
• Express yourself clearly and directly through careful use of writer’s craft.

Evidence should be pulled from the following list:

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
• “Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• “This is America” by Childish Gambino
• Any other text that we have read TOGETHER this year