An Annotated Bibliography of Poetry, Music, and Plays on the Influence of the American Dream

Benzel, Michael. �E.E. Cummings (1894-1962).� Modern American Poetry. 2000.

Oxford University Press. 25 November 2005 http://www.english.uiuc.edu/ maps/poets/a_f/cummings/cummings.htm.

The website has many, if not all of the poetry written by E.E. Cummings. It also provides additional links, some paintings by E.E. Cummings, a biography and an analysis on two of his poems. The site is also very accessible and easy to navigate.

Bontemps, Arna. Hold Fast to Dreams. Chicago: Follett Publishing Company, 1969.

This book can be located in the young adult section of the library. It contains a series of poems from many renowned poets such as, Robert Frost, William Wordsworth, Langston Hughes, and William Shakespeare. Noting on one of the reason she compiled these poems together Arna Bontemps writes, �We try to think of things to tell them that will awaken their interest, but I would rather take a chance on waiting for them to awaken themselves�.

Gillespie, John T. and Catherine Barr. Best Books for High School Readers.

Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2004.

This book is very useful and very well organized. It is over one thousand pages long and provides all genres of young adult literature from all over the world. It also gives a brief description of each of the resources as well as prices and year of publication.

Ginsberg, Allen. Collected Poems 1947-1980. New York: Harper & Row, 1984.

This book features a series of poems by Allen Ginsberg. It also includes an author�s preface and reader�s manual. The poems are categorized by dates written. Poems that might be helpful for this particular theme unit might be found around the 1950�s such as the poem titled, �America�.

Holy Soul Jelly Roll. Prod. Hal Willner, Perf. Allen Ginsberg. Compact Disc. Rhino

Records Inc., 1994.

A series of poems and songs read and sung by Allen Ginsberg with musical background. Listening to the words and music on the compact disc helps place the reader in perspective of the time and place in which the writer was exposed to.

Hughes, Langston. Don�t You Turn Back; Poems by Langston Hughes. New York:

Random House Inc., 1969.

This book contains a series of poems by Langston Hughes that were chosen from young listeners and readers. Many of these poems address the facts of growing up and dealing with one�s hopes and dreams. The editor, Lee Hopkins writes, �Langston Hughes� poetry is meaningful to today�s children. He speaks of the basic elements and emotions in life-love, hate, aspirations, despair; he writes in the language of today and speaks for tomorrow�.

Hunter, J. Paul. The Norton Introduction to Poetry. New York: Norton & Company,

Inc., 1999.

Among a series of many other poems, this anthology contains many poems that acknowledge the feelings and emotions surrounding the theme of the American Dream. It is well categorized and also contains questions and writing suggestions after each category.

I, Too Sing America; Three Centuries of African American Poetry. Prod. Catherine

Clinton, Perf. Ashley Bryan and Renee Joshua-Porter. Compact Disc. Audio Bookshelf, 2000.

The two compact discs contain performances of poems written by 25 acknowledged African American poets. Each of the poems is introduced with a brief biography as well as information about the poems to help the listener get an idea of the context of the poems. The poems are about the poets� �tracing their roots and proclaiming their dreams�.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1977.

Death of a Salesman, Miller�s most famous work, addresses the painful conflicts within one family, but it also tackles larger issues regarding American national values. The play examines the cost of blind faith in the American Dream. Miller charges America with selling a false myth constructed around a capitalist materialism nurtured by the postwar economy, a materialism that obscured the personal truth and moral vision of the original American Dream described by the country�s founders.

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/salesman/context.html

Wilson, August. Fences. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1986.

In Fences as in Wilson's other plays, a tragic character helps pave the way for other blacks to have opportunities under conditions they were never free to experience, but never reap from their own sacrifice and talents themselves. Since we can look back on history with 20/20 hindsight, Wilson asks his audience to put together what they know of American history with the way his various characters experience and perceive history through their own, often conflicted eyes.

http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/fences/context.html