Spring 2004

Second Essay Assignment

Choose a cultural artifact from the period 1920-2000 and write a 4-5 page paper analyzing it. Your artifact may exemplify any of the numerous cultural forms that we have evaluated in the course, including fiction, autobiography, poetry, music, art, film, advertising, material culture, et cetera. In your analysis of the artifact, be sure to pay attention to its formal properties as well as to its historical and cultural context. Your essay should present a clear argument about the significance of the artifact and its place within American cultural formation.

Be sure to choose an artifact that we have not studied in the course. If you would like help in choosing an artifact, please feel free to contact me.

Please submit the essay to the AMCV0211 in-box in Adirondack House no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, April 30. If possible, include a reproduction of the artifact with your essay.