SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING Redefining America

1. In On Native Grounds, American writer and critic Alfred Kazin wrote, “the greatest single fact about our modern American writing is our writers’ absorption in every detail of their American world together with their deep and subtle alienation from it.” Choose at least three works from this chapter and analyze them through the lens of Kazin’s observation.

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   SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING Redefining America: - In On Native Grounds, American writer and critic Alfred Kazin wrote, “the greatest single fact about our modern American writing is our writers’ absorption in every detail of their American world together with their deep and subtle alienation from it.” Choose at least three works from this chapter and analyze them through the lens of Kazin’s observation.
2. In a piece about the essay in the New York Times, essayist Philip Lopate wrote:

   Ever since Michel de Montaigne, the founder of the modern essay, gave as a motto his befuddled “What do I know?” and put forth a vision of humanity as mentally wavering and inconstant, the essay has become a meadow inviting contradiction, paradox, irresolution, and self-doubt. The essay’s job is to track consciousness; if you are fully aware of your mind you will find your thoughts doubling back, registering little peeps of ambivalence or disbelief.

   Write an essay in which you examine the “contradiction, paradox, irresolution, and self-doubt” in at least three of the twentieth- and twenty-first-century American essays in this chapter.

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   SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING Redefining America: - In a piece about the essay in the New York Times, essayist Philip Lopate wrote:Ever since Michel de Montaigne, the founder of the modern essay, gave as a motto his befuddled “What do I know?” and put forth a vision of humanity as mentally wavering and inconstant, the essay has become a meadow inviting contradiction, paradox, irresolution, and self-doubt. The essay’s job is to track consciousness; if you are fully aware of your mind you will find your thoughts doubling back, registering little peeps of ambivalence or disbelief.Write an essay in which you examine the “contradiction, paradox, irresolution, and self-doubt” in at least three of the twentieth- and twenty-first-century American essays in this chapter.
3. Write an essay in which you trace the way writers contributed to the civil rights movement through their revelations about racial discrimination and inequality. Use pieces from this chapter as well as your other reading as evidence.

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   SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING Redefining America: - Write an essay in which you trace the way writers contributed to the civil rights movement through their revelations about racial discrimination and inequality. Use pieces from this chapter as well as your other reading as evidence.
4. Is multiculturalism a better model than assimilation? Write an essay in which you evaluate the pros and cons of each and then indicate your own position on the issue. Use sources in this chapter and your outside reading as support.

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   SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING Redefining America: - Is multiculturalism a better model than assimilation? Write an essay in which you evaluate the pros and cons of each and then indicate your own position on the issue. Use sources in this chapter and your outside reading as support.
5. In both Tim O’Brien’s “On the Rainy River” (p. 1399) and Joan Didion’s “On Self-Respect” (p. 1340) making or not making Phi Beta Kappa, the most recognizable reward for academic excellence, at least in part defines the speaker. What else do these two pieces have in common? Write an essay in which you create your own definition of self-respect, using these selections—and others from the chapter—as evidence for your definition.

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   SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING Redefining America: - In both Tim O’Brien’s “On the Rainy River” (p. 1399) and Joan Didion’s “On Self-Respect” (p. 1340) making or not making Phi Beta Kappa, the most recognizable reward for academic excellence, at least in part defines the speaker. What else do these two pieces have in common? Write an essay in which you create your own definition of self-respect, using these selections—and others from the chapter—as evidence for your definition.
6. Three poems in this chapter relate to wars in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries—“Facing It” (p. 1397), “Letter to a Photojournalist Going-In” (p. 1429), and “At Lowe’s Home Improvement Center” (p. 1445). Write an essay in which you examine how these poems portray modern warfare.

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   SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING Redefining America: - Three poems in this chapter relate to wars in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries—“Facing It” (p. 1397), “Letter to a Photojournalist Going-In” (p. 1429), and “At Lowe’s Home Improvement Center” (p. 1445). Write an essay in which you examine how these poems portray modern warfare.
7. In 2011, the Wall Street Journal reported, “For many urban dwellers, the country conjures up images of clean air, fresh food, and physical activities. But these days, Americans residing in major cities live longer, healthier lives overall than their country cousins—a reversal from decades past.” The article goes on to note that suburbanites, however, are, in most measures, the best off. Write an essay in which you discuss the positive and negative aspects of living in the city, the country, or the suburbs, as reflected in the works in this chapter, as well as in your other reading.

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   SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING Redefining America: - In 2011, the Wall Street Journal reported, “For many urban dwellers, the country conjures up images of clean air, fresh food, and physical activities. But these days, Americans residing in major cities live longer, healthier lives overall than their country cousins—a reversal from decades past.” The article goes on to note that suburbanites, however, are, in most measures, the best off. Write an essay in which you discuss the positive and negative aspects of living in the city, the country, or the suburbs, as reflected in the works in this chapter, as well as in your other reading.
8. This period of American history is characterized by change, often startlingly rapid change. But think about what doesn’t change, as shown in the works in this chapter, and write an essay in which you reflect on timeless American values, customs, and beliefs.

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   SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING Redefining America: - This period of American history is characterized by change, often startlingly rapid change. But think about what doesn’t change, as shown in the works in this chapter, and write an essay in which you reflect on timeless American values, customs, and beliefs.