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

85147 total results

The Use of Literary Techniques to Portray the Past in Sweet Bird of Youth, a Play by Tennessee Williams (1560 words, 4 pages)

Tennessee Williams presents the past within the play Sweet Bird of Youth through a variety of different literary techniques within the characters dialogues. Williams has made the characters to be sculpted by what the past has done to them which invites the audience to question and create their own theses ... Read More

Staying True to Our Beliefs in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and The Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne (2192 words, 3 pages)

This Isnt Group Work Some let the opinions of others define the paths of life in which they are to go down. Others may simply ignore the opinions, and continue living in a way they think is best for them. In the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time ... Read More

The Life and Early Work of Kate Chopin (2004 words, 7 pages)

Mrs. Katherine O Flaherty who is also known as Kate Chopin was born on February 08, 1851. She married a businessman from Louisiana in 1870. They had six children together. After the death of her husband is when she begun to write. She is well known for The Awakening which ... Read More

The Literary Technique of Minimalism in Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway and Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville (800 words, 3 pages)

In Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway and Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville, both pieces of literature contain a technique called minimalism, an extreme simplicity used to iterate a deeper meaning in the text. Both authors use this writing style to their advantage. Each piece centers on two ... Read More

The Religious and Ironic Interpretation of A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor (1183 words, 5 pages)

"A good man is hard to find" is one of the best-known and widelydiscussed short novel written by Flannery O'Connor. The most definitivefeature of this story that are most often discussed among readers andcritics there is a notion of ambiguity and openness to interpretation ofthe whole general moral of the ... Read More

The Influence of Censorship Represented in the Book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1105 words, 4 pages)

The novel Fahrenheit 451 was written by Ray Bradbury's and consideredto be his first major literary work. His first long length book well-knownas The Martian Chronicles (1950), was a combined cycle of the shortnarratives. However, many critics believe Fahrenheit 451 endures hisoriginal remarkably powerful novel. Indeed for the writer who ... Read More

The Theme of Religion in Gone With the Wind, a Novel by Margaret Mitchell (539 words, 2 pages)

The dictionarys definition of religion is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. OConnor was born and raised a roman catholic. The Catholic faith is similar to Christian faith. The main difference between Catholicism and Christianity can be demonstrated from their ... Read More

The Metaphors in Total Eclipse, an Essay by Annie Dillard (1148 words, 3 pages)

In her essay Total Eclipse, Annie Dillard uses metaphors to tell the reader about her unforgettable life experience viewing a total eclipse. The metaphors help to make the essay more thought-provoking and not a simple read. The metaphors encourage the reader to think about what he or she read and ... Read More

The Life of Edgar Allan Poe and a Depiction of His Sad Life in His Literature The Raven and The Black Cat (2408 words, 8 pages)

Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe lived quite a difficult life, and this shows through his bodies of work. His poems and short stories were based on his life. Themes such as death, suffering, loneliness, love, and guilt are found throughout his work. He used his writings as a type of ... Read More

Personal Values in the Social Setting in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1814 words, 6 pages)

The human psyche is a rather contradictory creature. It can be predictable in when it will express its ideologies, but is sporadic with the subject matter it chooses to dwell upon. To better explain this concept, think of it as a typical high society party-going citizen. If theyre gathered up ... Read More

A Short Review of Hershey Herself, a Book by Cecilia Galante (2015 words, 5 pages)

Hershey Herself is about Hershey Hollenback, Daisy Hollenback, and baby Ella having to go to a battered womens shelter after Daisys abusive relationship with her boyfriend, Slade West. This book will have you at the edge of your seat begging for more. Before you know it you will be finished ... Read More

Abstract Thinking in All Summer in a Day, a Short Story by Ray Bradbury (468 words, 2 pages)

All Summer in a DayThe children in All summer in a day the children live on Venus. They only see the sun once every 7 years. Even after they wait for so long they only see it for 2 hours. Ray Bradbury used a lot of figurative language in his ... Read More

Fiction and Reality in the Stories A Hunger Artist by Franz The Somebody by Danny Santiago (1231 words, 5 pages)

A Hunger Artist is a Somebody Too.Metafiction questions the relationship between fiction and reality. It is used as a way to ask the reader what does this fictional story say about reality, without literally stating the question. Challenging thoughts about the reality of the story, Franz Kafka and Danny Santiago ... Read More

The Use of Figurative Language in the Prose Passage by Ralph Waldo Emerson (708 words, 3 pages)

In the Prose Passage, Ralph Waldo Emerson's attitude towards nature is very obvious. He illustrates to the reader that he not only enjoys nature, but he is charmed and connected to it. Emerson expresses how nature correlates to our lives and yet how completely complex it still is. In this ... Read More

The Consequences of Being Overly Dependent on Advanced Technology in The Veldt, a Short Story by Ray Bradbury (588 words, 3 pages)

The Advanced Hidden Killer By Allen The Veldt is a short story written by Ray Bradbury who is an American fantasy, science fiction, horror and mystery fiction author. It tells that once there is a family living in a house which is full of advanced technology. It is able to ... Read More

Fear of Disappointment, Refusal to Feel Loved, and Inability to Express Emotion in the Right Way in The Catcher in the Rye, a Novel by J.D. Salinger (638 words, 2 pages)

Holden's Family RelationshipIn J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel, is a boy who feels alienated by the world around him promoted by his dislike for the corruption of adulthood. As a result of his immaturity, he has a difficult relationship with people ... Read More

The Allegory in The Masque of the Red Death, a Short Story by Edgar Allan Poe (1245 words, 5 pages)

The allegory within the Masque of the Red DeathEdgar Allen Poe was quite the gothic writer in the late 1800s and his work is still quite popular today amongst many. The short passage, Masque of the Red Death is an utmost example of a gothic fiction most commonly used by ... Read More

Arrogance on Everest in Into Thin Air, a Book by Jon Krakauer (658 words, 3 pages)

Arrogance on EverestIn Jon Krakauers Into Thin Air, arrogance was the initializing factor that led to the disaster on Everest of 1996. Fischer and Halls competitive spirits along with their consistent cocky remarks, tamper with the teams view on the expedition. Mt. Everest is a relentless, unforgiving killer and because ... Read More

Racism and Freedom in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a Novel by Mark Twain (478 words, 2 pages)

Racism and FreedomIn the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain, the author, displays the differences of societys corrupt views and human morality. When Huck and Jim are on the river rather than the land, Huck gets a better understanding of flaws in the way people are treating blacks ... Read More

The Leitmotif of the Coyote in The Tortilla Curtain, a Book by T.C. Boyle (1295 words, 5 pages)

The Tortilla Curtain An EssayTopic The leitmotif of the CoyoteWhile reading The Tortilla Curtain, a book written by T. C. Boyle, I especially paid attention to the leitmotif of the coyote and I found out that the coyote is a symbol which leads through the whole story of the two ... Read More

The Unfair Role of Race in the Criminal Justice System in Just Mercy, a Book by Bryan Stevenson (1212 words, 4 pages)

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is almost like a real life version of To Kill A Mockingbird. It is a story of multiple instances where people were wrongly or unfairly convicted. Bryan Stevenson is the lawyer who represents these people free of charge. Many of these cases display how race ... Read More

A Character Analysis of Curley’s Wife From Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (395 words, 1 pages)

Of Mice and Men Curleys WifeIn Of Mice and Men, Steinbecks characterization of Curleys wife causes the reader to have sympathy for her because in chapters four and five she was presented from the exact opposite side of usual jailbait and tart. During her conversation with Crooks, Candy, and Lennie ... Read More

The Theme of Self-Education in Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie (998 words, 3 pages)

Self-EducationWhat does it really mean to be self-educated? There are many different components of what it takes to be self-educated. In the case of Sherman Alexies Superman and Me, we see that self-education is not only just learning what a word is, and what a few letters thrown together looks ... Read More

The Baker’s Change in A Small, Good Thing by Raymond Carver (597 words, 2 pages)

A Small, Good ThingThough Raymond Carvers short stories would not be considered happy or uplifting in the traditional sense, many of his characters experience some sort of awakening or positive change by the end of their story. One such character is the baker from A Small, Good Thing. His character ... Read More

Fear as a Key Motivating Factor in The Crucible by Arthur Miller (859 words, 2 pages)

Fear is a key motivating factor in the events of The Crucible. Discuss In The Crucible, playwright Arthur Miller presents the true historical events of witchcraft trials held in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 as a consequence of the hysterical fear that grips citizens when faced with social conflict. During the ... Read More

The Theme of Social Classification and Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird, a Novel by Harper Lee (773 words, 3 pages)

Social Classification and RacismThere are many people who are affected by people who judge them based on their social class and skin color. For example, in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird, there is a set social status in Maycomb. The average people look down upon the Cunninghams because they ... Read More

The Fictional Elements in Flight Patterns, a Short Story by Sherman Alexie (859 words, 3 pages)

The short story Flight Patterns by Alexie Sherman is centralized on the life of the key character, William, a wholesome ritualistic Indian living in Washington and is much aware of varied American trivia. He is a businessman with full compassion for his job but hates leaving his family though he ... Read More

The Life of Joseph Charnetski in The Trumpeter of Krakow, a Novel by Eric P. Kelly (404 words, 2 pages)

The Trumpeter ofKrakow The Trumpeter of Krakow took place in the early 1260's. The storyitself is in the large city of Krakow, Ukraine. Joseph Charnetski is the focus character in The Trumpeter of Krakow.He was a fifteen year old boy who used to live with his father and motherin the ... Read More

The Theme of Deception and Revenge in The Cask of Amontillado, a Short Story by Edgar Allan Poe (980 words, 4 pages)

A friend is someone that should be trusted, but what happens when that trust no longer exists? In The Cask of Amontillado written by Edgar Allan Poe, Fortunato is about to find the answer to this question. On the surface Montresor seems friendly with Frortunato, but deep down he feels ... Read More

A Child’s Innocence in Boy’s Life, a Novel by Robert McCammon (1933 words, 5 pages)

Innocence of a ChildEverybody starts off as an innocent child. Eventually that mindset of being a child starts to be broken by the realities of life. Innocence is not protected. Each person will eventually have their beliefs about the world altered as they grow older. Innocence is when a person ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples