Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation

According to the anthology’s editor, John Freeman, the wealthy disparity in America “is not just an urban problem. In smaller cities and towns in rural America the gulf between the haves and have-nots stretches just as wide, even if its symptoms are not so visible” (xi). Explain how these essays, poems, and short stories exemplify and illuminate this problem. Use examples from at least four separate chapters to support your response.

Freeman writes in his introduction, “How can some of us live when we know others are not experiencing the same comfort?” (xv). Write a response to this question, using what you have learned about the lived experiences of others from the pieces in this anthology.

Freeman’s introduction points to “a lurking feeling of estrangement in America” (xv). How do these essays and poems cope with this estrangement? Provide specific examples from at least four different pieces in this collection.