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

85147 total results

The Evolution of Death in On the Fear of Death, a Book by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1038 words, 3 pages)

In the story On the Fear of Death, I believe the authors main purpose was to describe how death has evolved over time. I have seen the way things have changed throughout time and the differences between how people use to do things versus now. I do agree with her ... Read More

The Pointlessness of Violence in Flight, a Novel by Sherman Alexie (1946 words, 6 pages)

Flight to Live and Fight and Run Away,to Live and Fight and Run Away Another DaySherman Alexie is a contemporary Native American author with a plethora of works in nearly every literary genre, including novels, short stories, prose and poetry. He was born on October 7th, 1966 on the 150,000 ... Read More

Susan Sontag’s Ideas of Photography in On Reading a Video Text, an Essay by Robert Scholes (1603 words, 5 pages)

Reading a Video TextSection 1 Content KnowledgeIn writing this paper, I had a hard time articulating my thoughts about Robert Scholes essay, On Reading a Video Text, when it proved to be a crucial idea for my paper. Initially, I had left out his discussion of Budweiser and their advertisements, ... Read More

The Plethora of Experiences of Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (720 words, 3 pages)

Jay Gatsby is presented to be a great man in the book The Great Gatsby. Throughout the book, F. Scott Fitzgerald introduces Gatsby to the readers with theories and other speculations about who he really is. Gatsby is a great man because of his plethora of experiences and the way ... Read More

The Theme of Loyalty in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by American Writer F. Scott Fitzgerald (736 words, 3 pages)

The extraordinary novel, The Great Gatsby is compelled of multiple themes. The main theme that stands out in each individual character is loyalty. In his classic novel the great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald brings complex characters to life who enhance a theme of loyalty. For example, Nick, the novels narrator, ... Read More

The Consequences of Ambition in The Oval Portrait by Edgar Allan Poe and The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1388 words, 4 pages)

The Extremes of AmbitionThroughout the ages, men have proven to be submissive under the infamous power of their desires. Men like the main characters in the gothic short stories, "The Oval Portrait" by Edgar Allen Poe and "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, sacrifice irreplaceable factors of life to satisfy their ... Read More

Racism and the Nature of Humans in Ralph Ellison’s Battle Royal and Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery (2920 words, 9 pages)

The analysis and depiction of how society treats its members is a much explored one today, yet the argument that society can be cruel and hateful was highly rejected at the time of these works publications, which is the argument that both Ralph Ellisons Battle Royal and Shirley Jacksons Lottery ... Read More

The Different World of Men and Women in Trifles, a Play by Susan Glaspell (1216 words, 5 pages)

In Glaspells Trifles, the Wrights represent a moral lesson that only the women seem to grasp. This inability to understand by the men comes from the different mindsets and ideas men and women are accustomed to, and Glaspells manipulation of the details in her play illustrate this. Although on the ... Read More

The Mistakes of the past in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (473 words, 2 pages)

Creating the past all over again can lead to a negative outcome in the end. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the main character Gatsby is obsessed with his past. It is shown through Fitzgeralds work that Gatsby tried to relive his past. It has negatively ... Read More

The Struggles with the Lack of Freedom and Identity in The Goddess and the Other Women, a Book by Joyce Carol Oates (705 words, 2 pages)

A Changed Woman Joyce Carol Oatess The GoddessThe Goddess and Other Women. Joyce Carol Oates. The Vanguard Press Inc. 1974. 468 pp. 15.00 (paperback). Things naturall to the Species are not always so for the individual. John DonneJoyce Carol Oates, an American writer whose works have made her a prolific ... Read More

The Inevitable Change in The Martian Chronicle, a Book by Ray Bradbury (729 words, 3 pages)

The Inevitability of Change in The Martian ChroniclesChange is rarely accepted into open arms, for good reason. Ray Bradburys science-fiction collection of short stories, The Martian Chronicles, explores the colonization and eventual collapse of Martian civilization. Throughout the novel, rockets are used as the connection between humans and Martians, and ... Read More

Moving On by Letting Go in May We Be Forgiven, a Novel by A.M. Homes (746 words, 3 pages)

Theme Analysis of May We Be ForgivenSibling rivalry, sex affairs, and murder all common topics of modern American life. May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes is a novel focused on the more perverse side of American gothic. Harold has to pick up the pieces left in the wake of ... Read More

The Symbol of the Town Scaffold as the Acceptance of Sin in The Scarlet Letter, a Novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne (794 words, 3 pages)

Acceptance of Sin in A Puritan SocietyThough extremely subjective, sinning and the actions that cause it have always been vilified. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne shows the ostracization of Hester Prynne, known only for being an adulterer. Hester and her daughter, Pearl, are pushed to the outskirts of town, ... Read More

The Vicious Cycle of Bullying in Blubber, a Novel by Judy Blume (740 words, 3 pages)

Cyclicity of BullyingWritten over 40 years ago, Judy Blumes novel Blubber remains to be relevant in our society. Blubber tells the story of fifth-grader Jill Brenner and her classmates who torment and bully Linda Fischer, an overweight and submissive girl unable to stand up for herself. As the story unfolds, ... Read More

The Battle Against Substance Addiction in A Million Little Pieces, a Book by James Frey (722 words, 3 pages)

Battling Drug Abuse in A Million Little PiecesA Million Little Pieces is the memoir of James Frey, a reformed addict of cocaine, alcohol, glue, and much more. This book served as a diary as he suffered through six weeks in the worlds best rehabilitation center. Throughout the weeks, he makes ... Read More

The Social, Sardonic, and Superficial Character of Daisy in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (895 words, 3 pages)

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was published in 1925 when Fitzgerald was only twenty-nine years old. During this time Fitzgerald was struggling with alcoholism, as well as trying to get his beloved Zelda Sayre to be his bride. But, Zelda made it very clear to F. Scott ... Read More

The Characteristics of a Timeless Classic in To Kill a Mockingbird, a Novel by Harper Lee (1364 words, 4 pages)

Timeless or Not?In order for a novel to be considered a timeless classic, throughout the story, a clear theme must be developed and a momentous conflict must tie the environment and the characters together. The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee takes place in the 1930s when slavery ... Read More

The Elements of Gothic Style in A Rose for Emily, a Short Story by William Faulkner (1594 words, 5 pages)

The short story A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner is one of his early works and an outstanding example of the genre of Southern Gothics. The story takes place in the city of Jefferson, Mississippi, Yoknapatawpha, a fictional County created by Faulkner. The elements of the Gothic style can ... Read More

The Childhood Memoir in The Glass Castle, a Book by Jeannette Walls (775 words, 3 pages)

The Glass castleThe most intriguing thing I found about reading The Glass Castle was the different themes of the memoir of her childhood. The theme that stuck out the most was creativity. While reading this story I experienced different emotions fascination and astonishment are the main emotions I felt. I ... Read More

An Evaluation Using Feminist Perspective in The Lucky One, a Novel by Nicholas Sparks (498 words, 2 pages)

The Lucky One In the novel The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks, US Marine Logan Thibault finds a picture of a smiling woman in the sand while in Iraq, and afterwards experiences good luck, winning poker games and surviving deadly combat. After being convinced by his friend that the picture ... Read More

The Romantic Heroine in The Scarlet Letter, a Novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1057 words, 3 pages)

Hester Prynne is considered to be both one of the first heroines and feminist icons in American Literature. This is despite Nathaniel Hawthorne, born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, being labelled as a misogynist, threatened by the growing feminist movement. How Hawthorne portrays his female protagonist and her ... Read More

An Analysis of the Quotes and Stage Direction in A View from the Bridge, a Play by Arthur Miller (892 words, 1 pages)

A View from the Bridge Quote 1. Oh, you guys will be all-right till you pay them off, anyway. Stage Direction- he is coming more and more to address Marco onlyThis quote shows a caring side to Eddie, showing that although he doesnt particularly want Marco and Rodolpho, Beatrices Nephews ... Read More

A Comparison of the Similarities and Differences Between the Character of Allison Reynolds in The Breakfast Club and Myself (630 words, 3 pages)

Compare and Contrast EssayWhile watching The Breakfast Club, it was difficult to choose one character to compare myself to. I finally decided to choose Allison Reynolds, she is very quiet at the beginning and a little strange, but slowly as the movie goes on she becomes very vocal. She begins ... Read More

A Review of Becoming Maria, a Novel by Sonia Manzano (960 words, 3 pages)

Sonia Manzanos Becoming Maria is an empowering novel about a young girl growing up in poverty with an abusive father. When she got older she became a Sesame Street actress. The drastic change in her life makes her emotions change throughout the novel. Manzano demonstrates several different tones throughout her ... Read More

The Metaphor of Driving in How I Learned to Drive, a Play by Paula Vogel (2278 words, 7 pages)

Go, Caution, StopThroughout time, driving has been used as a metaphor for many circumstances and ideas, such as life in general, control, decision making, and much more. Paula Vogel took this to the next level, however, when she created How I Learned to Drive. How I Learned to Drive is ... Read More

Overcoming Pain in The Rescue, a Book by Nicholas Sparks (1095 words, 4 pages)

Pain is Unavoidable, But Able to be OvercomeThroughout life, everyone experiences pain. Unfortunately, pain is an unavoidable part of life. Some people, while going through a painful time, feel as if the pain they are feeling will never go away, but this is not true. All pain is able to ... Read More

The Careless, Egotistical and Arrogant Character of Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (831 words, 3 pages)

Great Gatsby is a book about rich people in the 20s. It outlines the struggles and hardships they go through while still showing all the amazing glitz and glamour that come with being rich. The characters in this book were a couple of very complicated people, but the most complicated ... Read More

The Dark Themes of Horror, Death, and Romance in The Fall of the House of Usher, a Short Story by Edgar Allan Poe (700 words, 3 pages)

The Fall of the House of Usher Analysis EssayDeath, the livings greatest fear is explored in Poes short story through the several characters and elements. The Fall of the House of Usher a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe is a piece of gothic literature that explores dark themes ... Read More

The Evil Opposition Against the Organization of 19th and 20th Century America by Cathy Ames Trask in East of Eden, a Novel by John Steinbeck (2204 words, 7 pages)

East of Eden Cathy Ames Trask AnalysisIn John Steinbecks novel, East of Eden, Cathy Ames Trask, the strong central female character, represents an inherently evil opposition to the society she lives in (Pattern 2). She opposes the male-dominated patriarchal organization of 19th and 20th century America and rejects the traditional ... Read More

The Gothic Elements and Motifs in The Pit and the Pendulum, a Short Story by Edgar Allan Poe (320 words, 1 pages)

The Pit and the Pendulum ResponseThere are many aspects of gothic elements and motifs seen throughout the story of The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allen Poe. One of these elements is Terror, which is seen during and prior to his actual imprisonment. Before he sentenced to his confinement, ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples