The Contemporary American Dream

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that misplacement is a common theme in contemporary literature, which is often an antonym to the American dream. Considering the possibility of unfortunate events and adversity that come interchangeably with life, the author states, the suggestion that ideal success can be achieved by an equation is no longer a practical remedy. The paper investigates the usage of various literary elements in which misplacement is illustrated as a universal stage of life in contemporary works by poets Howard Nemerov in his "The Human Condition", Louis Simpson in his "American Classic" and Shirley Geok-lin Lim in her "Riding into California".

From the Paper:

"The concept of winter plays a very significant role by symbolically telling the reader with which the persona is not familiar. Winter, in contemporary literature, is used as a metaphorical synonym, to represent death or the end of something, perhaps deterioration, or this case dormant confusion. It can also be considered as an imminent solace, which the passing cars indicate. The people driving these cars, with their typical technology, are enduring this state of confusion, by driving through the heavy snowy roads and leaving the restricted window frame."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Howard, Nemerov. "The Human Condition." Contemporary American Poetry. (8) Eds. A.Poulin and Michael Waters. Cengage Learning, 2005.
• Louis, Simpson. "American Classic." Contemporary American Poetry. (8) Eds. A.Poulin and Michael Waters. Cengage Learning, 2005.
• Shirley, Geok-lin Lim. "Riding into California." Contemporary American Poetry. (8) Eds. A.Poulin and Michael Waters. Cengage Learning, 2005.

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