Based on the issues raised in this week's Worksheet, as well as the assigned readings from Cullen and Whitman, your assignment is to give a Response  that discusses and explains what you feel are the essential qualities and features that make American art or artists unique. Consider the following questions as you read, and choose one (or more) as a way of responding to the prompt: • What changes brought about by democracy, the free-market system, and/or the blending of ethnic backgrounds helped to evolve  a uniquely American art? • Are there certain similarities in American art forms or works (in any genre) that express American society's values, beliefs, or cultural ideals? • What traditional beliefs are upheld— or rejected— in American art? • How is the role of the American artist unique? • Do you see any connections from the literary arts discussed by Cullen to contemporary literary arts of today?