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ENGLISH BW

"The Boss: Wallace Rasmussen" from American Dreams: Lost and Found by Studs Terkel

Prepared by Dr. Loretta Kasper

In this week's assignment, you will continue exploring the themes presented in Chapter Two, "The Boss: Wallace Rasmussen."

To complete your research, you should go to our SEARCH PAGE. You will need to think of appropriate keywords to search for information to answer the questions. We suggest that you use either the Vivisimo or the Google search engine to do your research.

Today you will be doing research on The Great Depression. This assignment has two parts.

• Part One:
  1. Why was the Great Depression such an important period in the history of the United States and the world itself?
  2. How is the Great Depression related to the themes presented in "The Boss?"
  3. Based on your research, write several paragraphs that explain the impact of the Great Depression on society, culture and individual self-image.

• Part Two:

  Respond to the first two sentences in paragraph 8 of "The Boss."

  1. Do you agree that experiencing hardship is necessary for us to know when we have it good?
  2. Can you think of any examples from either real life or your readings that support this statement? Describe these examples and explain how and why experiencing hardships may have helped people to appreciate what they had.