So far in this unit, you have read about a young man taking his aunt to a concert, a wounded soldier recuperating from his injuries, an old woman making a trip into town to retrieve medicine for her grandson, and a young boy learning to stand up for himself on a trip to the grocery store. The cross-section of characters and experiences in these stories is typical of modern literature. How do you think the broadening of American literature to address such ordinary characters and events affects readers? Does it make stories more or less appealing? Why? Cite specific examples from the text and your personal feelings or beliefs to illustrate the points in your response.