African American Literature Essays Examples For College & High School Students in PDF

1250 total results

A Character Analysis of Jaine in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1161 words, 2 pages)

Their Eyes Were Watching God is about a woman named Jaine who learning to find herself and become a complete women threw lifes trial and tribulations. The novel centers on her life and the multiple marrages she has to different types of men. She goes threw some tuff times with ... Read More

The Life-Long Struggle of Celie in Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” (481 words, 1 pages)

Alice Walkers The Color Purple presents the life-long struggle of Celie, a black Georgia woman, who yearns to obtain confidence and self-esteem. During the early stages of the novel, references to wagons are made, signifying the old days, whereas towards the end of the work automobiles surface. Though Walker never ... Read More

An Analysis of the Changes in Celie’s Character in The Color Purple, a Novel by Alice Walker (1629 words, 2 pages)

The changes in Celie's characterFor people to be equal they need a chance to become equal by self-discovering themselves. As we are growing older during our childhood we depend on our environment, parents, and peers to create our self-image. It is under our surroundings in which we are always trying ... Read More

An Analysis of the Tillie Lerner Olsen’s I Stand Here Ironing and Alice Walker’s Everyday Use on the Topic of Mother’s Guilt for Children (638 words, 1 pages)

Tillie Olsen's I Stand Here Ironing, and Alice Walker's Everyday Use, both address the issue of a mother's guilt over how her children turn out. Both mothers blamed themselves for their daughter's problems. While I Stand Here Ironing is obviously about the mousy daughter, in Everyday Use this is camouflaged ... Read More

An Illustration of Women’s Oppression in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (736 words, 3 pages)

Zora Neale Hurston parallels the porch to Janiesexpressions how she feels both emotionally and physicallyin the different stages of Janies life in her novel TheirEyes Were Watching God. Zora Neale Hurston was born inEatonville Florida, the same place where the novel takesplace. Hurston was a feminist writer who wrote during ... Read More

An Analysis of Race and Gender Equality in the in Search of Our Mother’s Gardens by Alice Walker (526 words, 1 pages)

In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens - Alice WalkerWhen the poet Jean Toomer walked through the South in the early twenties, he discovered a curious thing black women whose spirituality was so intense, so deep, so unconscious, they were themselves unaware of the richness they held. They stumbled blindly through ... Read More

The Metaphor of Zora Neale Hurston in the Novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God (512 words, 1 pages)

Metaphors and other such literary devices have been used for centuries by authors to create multiple meanings and hidden significance. Sometimes, an author will work with one image throughout a novel, and other times multiple images will be used to illustrate the many messages of a story. Still, few authors ... Read More

Quilt: A Symbol in Alice Walker’s Everyday Use (963 words, 2 pages)

A quilt can be worth the lives of several generations of a family. A quilt can be a piece of art hung in the front hall of your home, suspended on the wall by an artistic frame. A quilt can also be an object used to keep someone warm through ... Read More

A Literary Analysis of Short Story by Alice Walker (813 words, 1 pages)

"" is a short story written by Alice Walker. Walker did a wonderful job illustrating her characters. There are all types of characters in this short story from round to static. Her use of simple symbolism prompts the reader to take a deeper look into the story. Walkers humble way ... Read More

The Harlem Renaissance in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1268 words, 2 pages)

The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s is a great time for black artists it is a rebirth of art, music, books and poetry. In Zora Neale Hurstons novel Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie, the protagonist, is treated kindly for a black women. She does not go through the torment ... Read More

An Introduction to the Life and History of Alice Walker (775 words, 1 pages)

Beauty When the Other Dancer Is the SelfThe narrative "Beauty When the Other Dancer Is the Self", represents the specific story from Alice Walker's autobiography, which had a great impact on her life. The story emphasizes how low-self esteem can effect person's life. Alice Walker used to be a cute ... Read More

The Use of a Wide Variety of Implicit and Explicit Criticisms of American Society in Alice Walker’s Nineteen-Fifty-Five and Langston Hughes’ On the Road (994 words, 2 pages)

Nineteen-Fifty-Five by Alice Walker and On the Road by Langston Hughes both use a wide variety of implicit and explicit criticisms of American society within their short stories. Both essays focus on White culture vs. Black individuality. This focus opens the door to implicit criticisms such as racism, hypocrisy and ... Read More

A Dysfunctional Family in Everyday Use by Alice Walker (847 words, 2 pages)

A Witty but Dysfunctional FamilyLiterary fiction is a term used to describe stories that hold literary merit. For a story to be considered a literary fiction, the work must be serious. These works are often complex, face dilemmas and have an unhappy ending. In the short story Everyday Use, by ... Read More

A Comparison of the Novels Meridian by Alice Walker and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1494 words, 2 pages)

Many comparisons can be drawn between the novels Meridian, by Alice Walker, and Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. The protagonists of both books are African-American females searching in a confused, bewildered world. Meridian is the story of the title character s life from childhood to the ... Read More

A Look at Light Problems Caused by Prejudism in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God (1313 words, 4 pages)

In the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", the author, Zora NealeHurston, attempts to bring into light problems caused by prejudism. However,as she tries to show examples of inequality through various characterrelationships, examples of equality are revealed through otherrelationships. Janie, the novel's main character, encounters bothinequality and equality through the ... Read More

The Human Nature’s Quest for Happiness in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1669 words, 2 pages)

It is human nature to look for happiness. Some people find it in material possessions, some find it in money, but most of us find it in love. To find true love is a difficult task especially now in the times of cell phones and Jaguars. Money and power play ... Read More

An Analysis of Identity Crisis in the Novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (480 words, 1 pages)

In life everyone tries to find their true identity. For some it comes naturally, for others it might take years to find their identity, or they might never find it at all. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston reveals a womans identity through her struggles ... Read More

An Analysis of Janie and Tea Cake in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (2228 words, 3 pages)

When Janie returns to Eatonville, the whole town seems to turn out to watch her walk down the street by herself and up to her own house. She had disappeared some years before, with a young man named Tea Cake. The townspeople wonder why he has not returned with her. ... Read More

An Analysis of The Color Purple Novel by Alice Walker (2229 words, 3 pages)

The Color Purple is the story of a poor black woman living in the south between World War 1 and World War 2. This was at a time when, although slavery had ended, many women were still virtually in bondage, and had to put up with many conditions that was ... Read More

A Biography and Life Work of Alice Malsenior Walker, an American Writer (3251 words, 4 pages)

On December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks was on her way home from work when she got on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She politely sat down at the front of the bus. After a while, the bus filled up and she was asked to move so that a male passenger ... Read More

An Analysis of the Theme of Prejudice in Alice Walker’s Novel The Color Purple (383 words, 2 pages)

I am very educated, yet at the same time, not too familiar with theprejudice that takes place in the novel The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.First of all, this book mainly focuses on prejudice toward blackwomen in the early 1900's. Although blacks were free and women had a littlemore power ... Read More

How Love Influences Our Lives in the Story of Their Eyes Were Watching God” (845 words, 2 pages)

How is love to influence our lives? Love-struck people do crazy things to express how they care for that particular person yet it is a long and windy road to these actions. It is down this path that experience spawns and trouble and happiness are felt. Janie Crawford of Zora ... Read More

An Analysis of the Family Characters in Everyday Use by Alice Walker (848 words, 3 pages)

By contrasting the family characters in "Everyday Use," Walker illustratesthe mistake by some of placing the significance of heritage solely in materialobjects. Walker presents Mama and Maggie, the younger daughter, as an examplethat heritage in both knowledge and form passes from one generation to anotherthrough a learning and experience connection. ... Read More

The Different Stories of Heritage in Everyday Use and In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens by Alice Walker (779 words, 1 pages)

In Alice Walkers In Search of Our Mothers Gardens and in Everyday Use, the authors different stories of heritage demonstrate the conflicting ideas of how to honor ones heritage, even though there are various ways discussed to honor heritage all are correct. In Everyday Use, the narrator discusses her heritage ... Read More

A Literary Analysis and a Comparison of I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen and Everyday Use by Alice Walker (639 words, 2 pages)

Essay 1 Tillie Olsen's I Stand Here Ironing, and Alice Walker's Everyday Use, bothaddress the issue of a mother's guilt over how her children turn out. Bothmothers blamed themselves for their daughter's problems. While I StandHere Ironing is obviously about the mousy daughter, in Everyday Use this iscamouflaged by the ... Read More

An Introduction to the Analysis of the Literature by Alice Walker (599 words, 1 pages)

The book The was written by Alice Walker. The book was not written in a conventional manner. It was a series of letters spanning the life of Celie, the main character. Most of the letters were written by Celie and some by her sister Nettie. The theme of the book ... Read More

An Overview of the Family Characters in Alice Walker’s Everyday Use (581 words, 1 pages)

The family characters in Alice Walkers " Everyday Use " illustrates the mistake by some people of placing the significance of heritage solely in material objects. Mama and Maggie, are presented as how heritage is passed on from one generation to another through learning and experience. Dee, represents a misconception ... Read More

An Overview of Alice Walker’s Narrative Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self (815 words, 1 pages)

The definition of beauty in todays culture is narrowly described. There is generally one type of woman who fits in this category and is understood and accepted by the masses to be beautiful. These expectations have been altered throughout American history. However, one thing has never changed. A woman is ... Read More

An Analysis of Pride in Everyday Use by Alice Walker (1030 words, 3 pages)

Why does the beaten man rise after a fight? What is there to keep apoor man going? What made Everyday Use by Alice Walker so compelling? Theanswer to all these questions is pride.Pride is often shown in a bad light. One of the first images thatpops in my head at ... Read More

A Biography of Alice Walker the American Fictional Author (1091 words, 2 pages)

There are many different types of authors in the world of literature, authors of horror, romance, suspense, and the type that writes, through personal experiences. Although most critics categorize her writings as feminist, Walker describes herself as a "womanist", she defines this as "a woman who loves other woman...Appreciates and ... Read More

African American Literature Essay Examples