1) Divide students into small groups. Distribute Handout 3: Elvis' Houses. Students will analyze two
houses Presley lived in during his lifetime: a two-room wooden house (sometimes called a “shotgun shack”)
in Tupelo, Mississippi, and the Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. Groups will make observations about the two
houses and discuss the accompanying
questions. Poll answers aloud.
1) What
do you notice about Elvis’ performance style and the character he is playing
onscreen?
2) Why might a wide, popular audience be attracted to Elvis in this film?
2) Why might a wide, popular audience be attracted to Elvis in this film?
3 ) What
are some of the titles you see in the trailer? How do these titles
support the real life story of Elvis’
emergence as a superstar?
3)
Share with class
4) Distribute Handout 4: The Man in Black. As a class, read a short biography of Cash detailing his persona as the “Man in
Black” and his identification with marginalized people, including Native Americans and prisoners.
5) Share with class
6) Play audio clip of “Folsom Prison Blues” (1968). While Cash first released the song in 1955, this version is from a
live performance for the inmates of Folsom Prison and was recorded in 1968.
7) Discuss in groups:
1) What
kind of imagery does Cash evoke in the song?
2) In
this recording, Cash is performing before an audience of inmates. However,
“Folsom Prison Blues” became one of
his most popular and famous songs. Why do you think this song might appeal to a wider audience?
3) Does
this song seem to align more to Alger or Steinbeck’s vision of the American
Dream? How?
8)
Share with class
Formative
Assessment: S. write a paragraph summarizing what they have learned about the
“American Dream” and what it means to various people.
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