Instructions: Write a 3-4 page essay on any TWO of the questions below. Your answers must be typed. You are encouraged to discuss these questions with your classmates, but the essays submitted must be your own original creations. Please pay close attention to the clarity and style of the writing, and avoid grammatical and spelling errors. The completed essays are due in class on November 15.

1. Modern critics of the consumer society such as Juliet Schor and the video Affluenza are often depicted by scholars such as Daniel Horowitz as "romantic," "elitist" or "moralist" for believing that a simpler, less consumer oriented life is a superior life. Do you think Schor's/Affluenza's analysis is in any way romantic, elitist or moralistic? If yes, explain your answer and give examples from the text. If no, why not? Is it possible to defend Schor from these criticisms?

2. Discuss William Leach's argument on the historical significance of department stores. Why does he focus on the growth of department stores to understand the cultural transformations that took place in the U.S. after 1880? Are you persuaded by his argument that the growth of department stores had profound negative consequences for the U.S.?

3. "The emergence of a consumer society in the late 19th Century represents not so much a liberation of individual desire from the oppressive structures and economic constraints of the past, but a new form of oppression that derives its power from the constant stimulation of new desires." Evaluate this statement.

4.  The effects of the emerging consumer society on the lives of middle class women in the late 19th Century were contradictory and complex. According to Elaine Abelson, women were simultaneously empowered and marginalized by shifting gender roles in the new economy. Briefly discuss her argument and evaluate the effects of the consumer society on women.