Synthesizing the American Dream
Purpose: To synthesize previous notions of the American Dream. To generate working definitions
of The American Dream by function, classification, example, and negation.
Directions: You will defend, challenge, or qualify the statement:
America still provides access to the American Dream, to
the “tired, the poor, and the huddled masses.”
Your essay assignment is to select 3 sources from Springboard, Unit 1 and use them to write an
argumentative essay about this statement. You will need to include quotes from the sources and
compare the authors’ ideas to your own position. Your position is the main idea of your essay; the
sources and your observations will be included to compare, contrast and support your argument.
Essay instructions: First, decide what your position on the issue is. Do you agree or disagree
that America still provides access to the American Dream as stated above? Why?
Next, review the list of sources from Springboard, Unit One. You will select passages from 3 of
the works on this list to include in your essay:
Sources from Unit 1 The American Dream:
Type of
Source
Poem
Poem
Essay
Essay
Essay
Essay
Essay
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
Essay
Article
Quotes
Poem
Drama
Short Story
Song Lyrics
Song Lyrics
Poem
Poem
Nonfiction
Surveys
Speech
Essay
Name
Ellis Island
Europe and America
The Trial of Martha Carrier
Moral Perfection
Sayings of Poor Richard
“Self Reliance”
Walden
“America, the Beautiful”
“America”
“Shine, Perishing Republic”
“I Hear America Singing”
“I, Too, Sing America”
“Indian Singing in Twentieth-Century
America”
“Next to of course god America I”
They Live the Dream
Lifelong Dreamer-Vietnam Boat Person
Money Quotes
“Money”
A Raisin in the Sun
“Mammon and the Archer”
“Harlan Man”
“The Mountain”
“Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper”
“Working” Roberto Acuna
From Nickel and Dimed
Various
Keynote Address 2004
The Right to Fail
Author
Page Number
Joseph Bruchac
David Ignatow
Cotton Mather
B. Franklin
B. Franklin
Emerson
Thoreau
Bates
McKay
Jeffers
Whitman
Hughes
Tremblay
9
10
18
21
23
25
27
31
33
34
36
37
38
Cummings
Rather
McLaughlin
Various
Gioia
Hansberry
Henry
Earle
Earle
Espada
Terkel
Ehrenreich
English III class
Obama
Zinsser
40
41
46
52
53
54
56
62
63
66
69
73
78
84
87
From the list of sources, choose 3 selections that match each of the following criteria:
Selection 1: Choose a selection that AGREES with your position on the “America still provides…” statement.
Source 1:
Title:_____________________________________________________________
Author: __________________________Springboard Page Numbers:_____________

What did the author write that agrees with your position on the statement? (Provide Text evidence.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Selection 2: Choose a second selection that AGREES with your position.
Source 2:
Title: ____________________________________________________________
Author: __________________________Springboard Page Numbers:_____________

How does this Author agree with your position? (Provide Text evidence.)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Selection 3: Choose a third selection that DISAGREES with your position.
Source:
Title: ____________________________________________________________
Author: __________________________Springboard Page Numbers:_____________

How does the Author disagree with your position? (Provide Text evidence.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Before you write this essay, identify the following components of your essay.
You will use these notes to help you draft your essay.
 The Hook –
 Define your own position on the issue
 The Claim  What point are you trying to make about the issue? This is your central theses.
 The Concession/Refutations –
 How does Selection 3 disagree with your viewpoint? Why do you still maintain your position?
 The Support –
 How do Selections 1 and 2 agree with your viewpoint and help you prove your point?
 The Conclusion- (Restate introduction and make a “Call to Action”)
 A strong conclusion doesn’t just summarize your thesis; it highlights how your position can influence the reader’s
thinking about the issue and encourage them to adopt your position and/or act on it.
Finally, when you have your 3 selections and text evidence, write your Argumentative Essay to prove why your
position on the American Dream is valid (See Page 77 for the key elements of The Structure of an Argument.)
Now that you have completed your Prewriting, use this packet to write a
five paragraph essay responding to the statement: Does America still
provide access to, “…the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses”?