“What is an American?”

    Crevecour’s “What is an American?” played a role in formulating some of the traditional images of American identity, many of which remain relevant today. As we have seen, the text works to create and/or reinforce several traditional notions about America/Americans, including the notion of success and the American Dream. How have subsequent authors defined America and Americans?       Your task is to select three of the texts that we have read so far (excluding Crevecour) and use them to answer the question: How have American writers used literature to define America as a nation, and Americans as a people? A short (1-2 sentence) answer to this question can provide you with a thesis statement. In your paper, make sure to support your argument with specific evidence from all three texts. As you answer this “big question” some things you may wish to consider: what parallels do you notice across all three texts? Any contradictions? If so, how do you account for this? How well do these ideas about America and Americans reflect reality? How does each text contribute to and/or offer a counterpoint to the dominant notion of success in American and the mythic American Dream?