“What it Means to be an American” Museum Display

Schnelle and Hackenberg Honors 11

Despite its relative youth, American literature has

transformed through several different periods, each with
distinct identities and purposes. As a new scholar in this
field, you have covered several of the prominent eras and
read famous works from each of them. A local museum has
asked you to construct a display for them that encapsulates
what it means to be an American.

You have to submit your display to the museum for

approval by May 14th. In order to make the display a well-
rounded representation of American culture that can appeal
to different audiences, the museum has requested that you
submit an art piece with a caption and an essay. In order to help you meet this deadline, your faithful
assistants, Schnelle and Hack, have written up the following document.

Essay: Many of the works you are familiar with include characters struggling to either live by a set of
standards created for them by society or by their own internal guidelines. In your essay, choose two
characters (from your independent read and from another piece of literature covered in class). Analyze
these characters, addressing issues of race, gender, and class as applicable. Explore how these characters
embody what it means to be an American. Support your argument with examples from the texts.

Artistic Representation: Construct a piece of art to accompany your essay--it should be a visual
representation of the themes discussed in your paper. This piece of art can take the form of a diorama, a
3D piece of art (ex: vase or sculpture), or a painting/drawing/collage. You are also welcome to suggest an
alternative artform, to be approved by Ms. Schnelle and/or Ms. Hackenberg. Be creative!

Museum Caption: This should be an explanation of the art piece you create to accompany your essay. It
should help emphasize the artistic decisions you made in constructing the piece (symbolism, imagery,
etc.). You should also address how the literary time periods influenced your work.

Project Steps and Due Dates (Components being collected are in bold):

1. April 17th: Choose a contemporary novel from the list provided (you are welcome to suggest an
alternative).
2. April 20th: Create a timeline to keep your reading on track and start reading your novel.
3. May 1st: Choose a text/movie from class that provides an interesting contrast/comparison to your novel.
4. May 3rd: Choose the medium of your art component and gather all materials
5. May 8th: Write a rough draft of your comparative essay.
6. May 11th: Write a museum caption to explain your art piece.
7. May 11-13th: Revise your essay.
8. May 12th: Finish your art component.
9. May 14th: Submit final display.