Literature (poetry and prose) has the capacity to express and even change the culture by encouraging readers to think about society through the lens of a story.
We see Faulkner teach us about the South through his story set there,
while Fitzgerald exposes us to Europe
and Steinbeck illuminates life on a farm out West.
Wartime poets explore the ruinous era in their work
while with Ginsberg, we learn about the 19500s/60s zietgeist.
Plath, Lorde, and Sexton expose trials facing women at the dawn of a new era of feminism.

How do writers use their words to create culture and what types of cultures do they create?
Do you find a culture of an American Dream in the works or more of a nightmarish world?
What makes you decide and how do the authors illustrate that dream or nightmare that is the story of American life in the mid-20th century?
Basic guidelines:
    Use a title that both hooks and informs
    Make a claim in your introductory paragraph (your thesis): this should be an opinion of yours and should be debatable.
    Use strong topic sentences that advance your thesis
    Proofread carefully, especially spelling and formatting of titles, authors names, characters, etc. One point off for each author or character whose name is incorrectly spelled
    Use in text parenthetical citations like this (Fitzgerald, 996); no Works Cited page is needed.
    Typed to at least 5 full pages; 6 pages maximum.