Kayla's Blog

1. How would you describe the American Dream? The American Dream is the idea that wealth and prosperity are within anyone's grasp so long as they work hard enough to obtain it. The American Dream is part of the allure of America, both to Americans and to foreigners, as it promotes this idea that you can come from nothing and with enough hard work end up with everything. This almost magical view of America is embodied by the character of Gatsby, as he came from a poor farmer family and created an entirely new identity and life for himself. However, the reality of the American Dream- in most cases- is that it is no more than a dream. While America loves to consider itself a meritocracy and a land of hope for people of all backgrounds, the reality is that the wealthy typically remain wealthy and the poor typically remain poor. The other side of the American Dream is it encourages the practice of always working today to enjoy wealth in the future, yet in reality life is passing by

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_rbwFPBNo8bc1YxUDlpcmRQVE93ZzJoT0RNeWVMQlV5SlNR/view?usp=sharing Text: The Handmaid's Tale Author: Margaret Atwood Criterion A: 7 I think I did a good job of displaying my understanding of the text as a whole, but I think that my use of the excerpts might have been used in a random/confusing order. I commented on Atwood's purpose on multiple occasions so I think I did a decent job of displaying my understanding of themes and central ideas. Criterion B: 6 I think I could have done a better job about specifically stating the effects on the reader. I think I did a fine job at discussing the literary techniques used consistently. Criterion C: 3 I feel that I organized it well by restating my thesis for the analysis of each of the three literary techniques discussed, however, I feel that I got off on a tangent a few times which may have made my points hard to follow. Criterion D:   3 I say "like" and "um" a