Glengarry Glen Ross

Forum: Module 9: Ways which Define “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “The Great Gatsby” as Cautionary Tales

Whether latently or manifestly, we Americans are invited to pursue the pursuit of happiness as the good dream of the American Dream, the very dream defined by James Truslow Adams as the dream of wealth, ownership of a home, possessions, upward mobility and, for some, family life.

And yet both David Mamet with his cautionary play / film Glengarry Glen Ross and F. Scott Fitzgerald with his cautionary novel The Great Gatsby caution us — whether latently or manifestly — to pursue the pursuit of happiness of the American Dream with great caution and with great suspicion.

Part 1: Students will perform the following assignment:

Relying on quotes from either the film or the play Glengarry Glen Ross, provide examples and explanations of Mamet’s cautionary perspective on the pursuit of happiness of the American Dream. (250-300 words)

Part 2: Students will perform the following assignment:

Relying on quotes from either the film or the novel The Great Gatsby, provide examples and explanations of Fitzgerald’s cautionary perspective on the pursuit of happiness of the American Dream.