Penelope Macdonald

1

MacDonald

Penelope MacDonald

Dr. Alex Mueller

English 611: Teaching of Literature

14 May 2013

Unit Plan

Topic: “The or An American Dream” based on the larger course: What is an American? American-ness and Identity in Modernist Literature

Grade Level:Undergraduate Special Topics Course: English 3XX/4XX

Duration: Ten Lessons; Tuesday/Thursday Course; 1hour and 15 minutes; Five Weeks(Note: the first class will for this unit will be on a Thursday so that students have the weekend, ample time, to read the first major text, Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches, A Gay Fantasia on National Themes)

Rationale:This unit, of the larger class topic on what makes an individual American, will focus primarily on “the/an” American Dream. Prior to this unit, the course will have established various theories regarding the individual and society in relation to what makes someoneAmerican. There will have been various works of literature, both fiction and non-fiction, that deal with how one forms their own identity in relation to Americanism. Establishment of the difference between the articles of “the” and “an”is crucial to the understanding of this unit. By saying “the” American Dream, it would imply that there is only one American Dream throughout history and individualscontinue to seek out this type of dream. However, by replacing “the” with “an”, it implies that there is more than one type of dream and thus lends itself to further exploration in this unit plan.

Literature that is driven by a character and their narrative often lends itself to a discussion of what the character wants to achieve or “get” based on a number of factors; in other words, a character’s journey through life seems to be shaped by his or her gender, culture, class, and or race. The American Dream is typically dependent on these four elements in a larger context of social politics and therefore, the American Dream is a complex phenomenon often dealt with and explored through literature. The complexities of this topic allow the course to incorporate a wide range of texts across literary genres (i.e. poetry, short story, song lyrics and plays).‍‍ To assure students fully understand and recognize the connections between history and literature, each of these texts will be presented alongside materials that provide a historical context concerning what makes up“the/an” American Dream.‍‍ This context will allow students to be exposed to new ideas about “an” American Dream.

Part of reading literature is about discovering something new or about expanding on our pre-conceived notions about the world around us. As Bruns notes in, Why Literature?:

“Seeing or discovering something of ourselves in a literary work can come with a shock when the resulting insight is troubling or as a relief when we find that some part of our self is shared with another. These experiences of recognition are important for self-knowledge and at times for comfort or consolation, but they can also serve an even more valuable function as the words of texts can give tangible shape to aspects of our own experience that we can’t otherwise grasp.” (19)

This entire unit is designed around this kind of philosophy ‍‍so that students may find literature relatable to their own lives or be engaged with the material.‍‍ While the unit would be for English majors and minors, (therefore they would presumably have a desire to further study literature), it is still important to show students how literature not only relates to our own life, but as Bruns notes, students can find something “tangible”; in other words, something that students can hold onto that may either frustrate them or enlighten them but regardless, it forces them to think. Feeling frustrated or aggravated by a text, or being confused, tends to provoke more of an in depth analysis and connection. Furthermore, as Bruns states, “The making of meaning in the act of reading involves then a necessary transaction…between the reader and the text in which the worlds of each give shape to the other” (53). The students will bring their own context of their life to the readings and the texts in this unit will give students a further context for their own life. This is not to say that this unit is about students reading for the sole purpose of their lives being changed. Rather, this is to enlighten students to a theme, “American-ness”, and the various thoughts and opinions around this topic so that they may apply what they know, and learn from the literature assigned in this unit, to develop their own opinion while gaining insight and evolving their own skills as readers to apply in the future.

‍‍The main focus of this unit will be to push students to answer the main questions: What is “the” American Dream?‍‍ How has it changed and developed into “an” American Dream? Thus, recognizing how it is subjective and can mean something different to various people. However, in order to answer this question, students will need to look more specifically at the elements that make up “an” American Dream. Further questions would be, does “the” or “an” American Dream exist? Did it ever exist? How has it changed throughout time? Is the American Dream “good” or “bad”? Is it still desirable? Ultimately, the goal is to guide students in questioning their own notions regarding what makes up “an” American and open their minds to the complexities of this issue, which is both contemporary and a part of history therefore, still applicable in a literature classroom.

While the class in its totality ranges on the border of being somewhat cynical and negative towards the idea of what is an American, or if “the” American Dream exists, that is not the ultimate goal. Rather, it is to push students to question what makes someone American and how as a society, we have created numerous restraints and classifications for those of us who can be seen as American and have a right to achieve “the” American Dream. It is to also push students to rethink their own definitions of “the” American Dream in the context of their own hopes and dreams. Students may have their own dreams and wishes in life, that if they work hard, study hard, and be dedicated to their interests and go to college, they will be successful. Therefore, this would imply various definitions of what it means to be successful. “The” American Dream in the past has been defined as working hard and you can make a life for yourself. However, in the context of today’s socio-economic status, college, and furthermore graduate school, isoften necessary to achieve the traditional definition of being successful. What happens to students when they do work hard and succeed at school, but they can’t find a job? Are there different definitions of success? They were born here and if we go with the typical definition of Americanism and American Dreams then “they” should, in colloquial terms, get what “they” want. Yet, this doesn’t seem to be the case and “stereotypical Americans” are no longer entitled to this privilege of the American Dream. What kinds of exclusions have been developed over time, as explored in these works, show that the American Dream is not bad or doesn’t exist, more so that it is utterly subjective and not guaranteed for everyone. Being American and achieving “the” American Dream are no longer synonymous. How do aspects of sexuality, gender. race, politics, culture, and socio-economic status influence who can have “an” American Dream? Furthermore, can the definition of being American and “the dream” be reconciled? These are the types of questions that the texts will deal with throughout the Unit.

It’s crucial that students are exposed to classic works of literature that have traditionally been used to address issues of “the” American Dream. However, while “the” American Dream is a somewhat traditional topic that has been continuously studied, not only in the area of literature but also throughout the various humanities and social sciences, this unit’s specific literature will be more “contemporary” and seek to introduce students to new ways of thinking about a kind of traditional and classic theme in literature. To achieve this, students will be asked to read literature that is not traditionally studied in relation to “the” American Dream. In addition, students will read more controversial works where the theme of “the” American dream isn’t so easily found, such as T.C. Boyle and Flannery O’Connor. Alongside poetry, students will be asked to look at song lyrics,which are often considered more of a contemporary approach to teaching and learning. This unit’s literature will begin with Tony Kushner’s Angels in Americaas to kind of shock students into debunking the traditional notion of “the” American Dream. This play presents numerous controversial themes ranging from the treatment of homosexuality to HIV and drug addiction, to religion, American-ness, family relationships all against the backdrop of complex plots and sub-plots where characters and relationships are juxtaposed against one another. The dramatic-ness of this drama will hopefully throw students directly into this topic, but in a way that is new and anything but traditional.

In addition to drama, students will be asked to read poems by Whitman and Hughes and while classically taught on their own in relation to a theme of “an” American Dream, juxtapose one another and offer different sides to the same topic. Placing poems against and alongside song lyrics will hopefully introduce students to the idea that even thought these words are in “song form”, the words and the language that can be seen as aggressive and explicit, are actually lyrical and often parallel to poetry. While short stories are typically taught in a classroom setting, these short stories will not be so easily seen as dealing with “an” American Dream. Flannery O’Connor and T.C. Boyle deal with controversial topics and create violent and sensual stories, that confront issues of entitlement and American-ness. Students will be pushed to see these stories as dealing with, or at least presenting characters that deal with issues of “an” American Dream. In addition, Richard Wright addresses the issues of race and social status alongside politics that impede achievements of “an” American Dream for “certain people” and thus further proves the argument that “the”American Dream is subjective.

The ultimate goal of all these texts and lessons is to present a kind of “classic” idea, achieving “an” American Dream, but in the context of more contemporary readings that might not seem to deal with this thematic issue directly. Rather, students need to interpret and trust their own analyses to understandhow these texts deal with this theme. This would guide students to ultimately reconsider their own thoughts on “an” American Dream and how this American Dream is directed at certain people and geared for a certain kind of person in society; and when this dream is applied universally, it become much more ambiguous and idiosyncratic.

Lesson #1: Introduction to “The or An American Dream”

Objectives:

-Students will understand what is meant when one either labels “the” American Dream or “an” American Dream

-Be able to recognize and challenge traditional notions or ideas of “American-ness” and “The American Dream”

-Be able to identify the subjectivity of an individual’s American Dream

-Gain a background history of the American Dream and what it represents throughout various time periods

Reasoning:This lesson is to give students some background information on the American Dream so that they can establish a foundation for the texts that will be presented in this unit. They will gain the understanding to confront and challenge traditional ideas of what “an” American Dream really is. They will gain the knowledge to establish what an American Dream represents for various cultures of people. The students need to establish their own beliefs on this topic and consider how the American Dream relates to being “American” and having an individual identity verses a collective identity with the rest of a society or culture. Ultimately, students, whether they agree or disagree, will come to an understanding that this notion of “the” American Dream is subjective and therefore, there are multiple American Dreams thus the emphasis on the word “an”.

Materials:PowerPoint on history of American Dream, Handout of T.C. Boyle quote (Artifact #1), Norton Edition Quote Handout (Artifact #2), chalk and chalkboard

Procedure:

1.General Discussion of what the difference is between “the” and “an” in relation to the American Dream?(20 minutes)

2.Brief explanation of T.C. Boyle and then I will handout Boyle’s quote, which will be read aloud by a student volunteer. (5 minutes)

3.Students will be told to do a quick-write about the Boyle quote. (10 minutes)

4.Re-convene as a whole class and have a large group discussion about the students’ responses. (10 minutes)

5.I will transition from Boyle’s quote and introduce students to the topic of what they think their American Dreams are and will then be put into small groups of 3-4. (5 minutes)

6.The groups will discuss what their own ideas of an American Dream. (10 minutes)

7.Re-convene as a larger group to share ideas. (10 minutes)

8.Introduce Angels in America with some basic background information as well as instructions for reading the play. (5 minutes)

Assessments:The quick-write will be collected so that I can collect and monitor their understanding of the lesson. In addition, for homework, students will be expected to read the play Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches over the weekend for class on Tuesday. The whole play is necessary to read for the following lessons to be most effective, as the discussions will most likely jump toseveral points in the play. Students will be told to read actively, (highlighting, underlining, taking notes, and using post-its), to mark points in the play that they think are important based on today’s discussion. Also, students will be given a handout with a quote from the Norton Critical Edition of Modern Drama that briefly establishes the play in both a political, thematic, social and historical context. Students should keep this in mind when they are reading and be taking notes on the play.

ARTIFACT #1[1]

In an interview about his novel Talk Talk, T.C.Boyle addresses the theme of “the” American Dream that is present in his work of fiction. Boyle states:

• “What, exactly, is the American Dream and how do you prove it has come true (or failed) in your own life? I am a product of this dream; if you take it to mean that in a democracy such as ours social mobility is possible, that if you work hard enough and have the talent and education, you can succeed at what you put your mind to. All well and good. But for many—immigrants, especially, but also native-born Americans…the outward show of prosperity is all that matters. We are sold product from the day we are born till the day we die and the majority of ads imply that without one shining new thing or another we are somehow lesser people and woefully unfulfilled. It is easy to mistake the object for the reality.”

Quick Write-

Spend 10 minutes responding to the following question:

What do you make of Boyle’s quote? In other words, what do you think Boyle is saying and or critiquing in his response?

Please use the space on the bottom of this sheet, as well as the back of this paper, for your response. This will be collected at the end of class.

ARTIFACT #2:

In the Norton Critical Edition of Modern Drama, the editor briefly establishes a historical, social, political and thematic foundation for the play Angels in America:

• “Even as Angels in America has one foot in the miraculous, its other is firmly planted in the actual. ‍‍Kushner’s play is set in the mid-1980s during the Regan presidency, and its cast includes characters drawn from modern American history‍‍. Most important among these is Roy Cohn, who served as chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Senate’s anticommunist investigation of the 1950s and who, earlier, as an assistant U.S. attorney in New York, played a key role in the most sensational and controversial case of the decade’s Red Scare: The prosecution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a Jewish couple accused of helping to pass secrets of American nuclear research to the Soviet Union…[he strived] to become the reverse of what he was: the son of a Jewish, liberal, Democratic New York state supreme court judge. Cohn died from AIDS in 1986 but sought, to the very end, to hide his homosexuality, insisting that his ailment was ‘liver cancer.’”(1461)

Keep in mind the editor’s focus on the character Roy Cohn as well as the following questions when reading the play. Why do you think Roy Cohn, often times more than any other characters, establishes the foundation of issues with “the” American Dream? Do you think Cohn is as significant to the play? What about the other characters? How do each of the characters, individually, and collectively, complicate the issue of “the” American Dream?

Lessons #2: Angels in America