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

85147 total results

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

The Progressive Mental Condition from Childhood in The Yellow Wallpaper, a Novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1393 words, 4 pages)

"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is, on its surface, about a young woman who suffers from a progressive mental condition that begins throughout childhood. The mental disorder advances into postpartum depression after the birth of her son. This condition increasingly consumes her into a psychotic mental break through ... Read More

Masi’s Transformation in The Wash by Philip Kan Gotanda (867 words, 3 pages)

Masis TransformationIn The Wash, by Philip Kan Gotanda, Masis character transformation begins when she battles with the expectations of being a Japanese American woman. As a mother and a wife, Masi challenges the prescribed role she has to upkeep. Defining her brilliant ability, Masi decides to take charge and subsequently, ... Read More

A Reflection on the Actions of Alex in Into the Wild, a Book by Jon Krakaeur (711 words, 2 pages)

Thoughts on Into the Wild After reading about McCandless' adventure in Into the Wild, I'm alittle on the fence about his decision to leave himself at the whim ofnature. I agree somewhat with the statements that accuse McCandless ofbeing wildly romantic, but I don't agree with the opinion that he ... Read More

The Inconsiderate Behavior of Chris McCandless in Into the Wild, a Book by Jon Krakauer (1202 words, 5 pages)

Krakauer's Into the Wild The Lesser Side of Chris McCandlessIn his text Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer investigates the two-year journey of a young boy who was driven as much by recklessness as he was by passion. The boy, Chris McCandless, had set out in 1990 to pursue a daring ... Read More

On Into the Wild The ordering of the information presented in Krakauer's Into the Wildmade sense to me. The way the events were put together with the differentaccounts of the people Krakauer interviewed made McCandless' story moreinteresting than if it had been told in a sequential fashion. A largeportion of ... Read More

The Inhibitions Caused by Preferences in Life in Bartleby, the Scrivener, a Short Story by Herman Melville (1908 words, 7 pages)

Preferences as Inhibitions, a Message from Bartleby, the ScrivenerThe easiest opinion one can have of an object or an activity is whether or not he likes it. As one grows older, he begins to live his life based on the ideas of wants and needs that are determined from the ... Read More

The Idea of Empathizing with the Traditional Villain in Morphology of the Hit, an Essay by Leslie Jamison (1149 words, 5 pages)

How to Empathize with a StrangerThe main character within a story is almost always identified as a hero. When reading a book, a person is typically expected to empathize with this character above all others, the villain especially. In her essay Morphology of the Hit, Leslie Jamison plays with this ... Read More

The Transformation of Huckleberry Finn in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1390 words, 4 pages)

Huckleberry Finns TransformationIn Mark Twains novel, The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, the main character Huck, experiences emotional changes through the adventures he has and grows in his morals in the end. This type of novel is written in bildungsroman style, where the main character goes through multiple experiences and winds ... Read More

A Review of Start Something That Matters, a Book by Blake Mycoskie (2085 words, 7 pages)

Start Something That Matters A ReviewBlake Mycoskie is the founder and owner of the social enterprise TOMS Shoes. It operates under a one for one model where for every shoe the company sells, it gives a shoe to a child in need. This how-to guide lists step by step how ... Read More

The Transformation of Ma in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, a Novel by Grace Lin (719 words, 2 pages)

Martin Luther King Jr. once said,We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. This quote connects to our story by telling us there is hope. Ma realizes that there is hope for Minli to bring them good fortune through the Goldfish Mans story. She shows she has changed ... Read More

The Use of the Symbolism of the Fire Escape, the Theme of Memory, and Stage Directions in The Glass Menagerie, a Play by Tennessee Williams (825 words, 3 pages)

Independent Reading Quarter Two The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie depicts the life of Amanda and her adult children Tom and Laura, as a small family trying to find their way in life. Playwright Tennessee Williams uses the symbol of the fire escape, the theme of memory, and stage directions ... Read More

The Poetry of Sylvia Plath: To Eva Descending the Stair and Edge (945 words, 4 pages)

Poetry of Sylvia PlathSylvia Plath was an extremely passionate writer and poet. She was often completely candid and open in her poetry, with them being intensely autobiographical. Her experiences and the emotions that she felt because of these experiences that she went through in life directly translated in the poetry ... Read More

The Stereotypes Related to the Southerners in Dixie is Dead by Tracy Thompson (1050 words, 5 pages)

Analysis of Dixie is DeadIn Dixie is Dead Tracy Thompsons attempts to correct divisive stereotypes associated with Southerners. She takes issue with the word Dixie which, often in a political context, refers to white Republicans living in the South or, in the frame of the entertainment industry, a backward town ... Read More

The Use of Pathos by Henry David Thoreau in Walden (492 words, 2 pages)

Thoreaus Use of Pathos One of the fundamental principles of transcendentalism is the reliance on inspiration from nature. Henry David Thoreau preaches this advice throughout Walden, and he is a devoted follower of the transcendentalist lifestyle. This is particularly noticeable in the chapter Where I lived, and What I Lived ... Read More

Society’s Interpretation of Good and Evil in the Novel Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut (866 words, 4 pages)

Societys Interpretation of Good and EvilGovernment is littered with corruption, and always has been. Nazi Germany of the 1940s was no different, and Howard Campbell found himself in the middle of it in Kurt Vonneguts novel Mother Night. Its difficult to define good and evil, yet even more so to ... Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis of Atticus Finch’s Speech to the Jury in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (368 words, 1 pages)

Rhetorical Analysis of Atticus Finch's Speech to the JuryIn Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch uses ethos, pathos, and logos in his speech to the jury to persuade them of Tom's innocence. His effective use of these rhetorical devices ultimately demonstrates his values and reflects his person. Though ... Read More

Henry David Thoreau’s Use of Detail and Imagery Throughout Walden (514 words, 3 pages)

Thoreaus Use of Detail and ImageryOne of the fundamental principles of transcendentalism is the reliance on inspiration from nature. Henry David Thoreau preaches this advice throughout Walden, and he is a devoted follower of the transcendentalist lifestyle. This is most noticeable in the chapter Spring, where Thoreau describes the ways ... Read More

The Theme of Kindness in The Grapes of Wrath, a Novel by John Steinbeck (943 words, 4 pages)

Assistance from the PoorWhen in trouble, a natural reaction is to seek help from the privileged, who have more resources, financial or material, to provide assistance. However, often they dont truly understand how dire a situation is because of their background. Because of this, Ma Joad suggests in John Steinbecks ... Read More

The Gloomy Theme of Grapes of Wrath, a Novel by John Steinbeck (401 words, 2 pages)

Effects of a DroughtIn the 1930s, the Great Depression severely affected many people, especially those in the dustbowl, or the Great Plains. These effects are shown through the fictional Joad family in John Steinbecks Grapes of Wrath. In the first chapter, an intercalary chapter, Steinbeck uses personification as well as ... Read More

The Murders of the Clutter Family in In Cold Blood, a Novel by Truman Capote (1018 words, 3 pages)

Few names in the literary world carry as much clout as that of Truman Capote. Even if you are someone, like myself, who does not read a lot of non-fiction, you are familiar with the name. Along with the name is arguably his most famous work In Cold Blood. It ... Read More

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Should Not Be Banned in Libraries (519 words, 2 pages)

The Nations OversensitivityWhen Mark Twain first published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885, the nation was still recovering from the aftermath of the civil war. Although equality had been codified into law, it general there was still sharp contrasts between the way whites and blacks lived, especially in the ... Read More

The Unequal Treatment of Mark Twain in the Characters of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer (542 words, 2 pages)

Twains unequal attitude towards charactersAfter a Huck Finn returns from his voyage and experiences with the King and Duke, he is reunited with Tom Sawyer. The two stand in the middle of the road as Huck recounts his adventures with Jim. During this time, Twain provides insight on his attitude ... Read More

The Motif of Tractors in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (741 words, 3 pages)

Tractors and their DriversDuring the Great Depression, and especially in the dustbowl, farming was an especially difficult way to make a living and sustain a family. Often, families that fell victim and were hurt the most by the downturn of the economy would blame big corporations and direct their anger ... Read More

Facing Reality Without Depending on Members of the Opposite Sex in A Streetcar Named Desire, a Play by Tennessee Williams (422 words, 2 pages)

A Streetcar Named Desire Essay A Streetcar Named Desire is a play written by American playwrightTennessee Williams in 1947 for which he received the Pulitzer Prize forDrama in 1948. This play is about a woman named Blanche DuBois who has awealthy past, but is now broke and fails to realize ... Read More

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Life Experiences in The Great Gatsby and Winter Dreams (770 words, 3 pages)

While its theorized that many of F. Scott Fitzgeralds works are loosely based on his own real-life experiences, two of the most prominent stories that reflect this are The Great Gatsby and Winter Dreams. In each story, the protagonist chases the woman of his dreams without success, just as Fitzgerald ... Read More

The Physical and Mental Burdens in The Things They Carried, a Book by Tim O’Brien (1832 words, 6 pages)

The Things They CarriedWhile some Americans strongly oppose war and others give undying support to it, theres virtually nobody that doesnt back the soldiers themselves. As the old saying goes hate the game, not the player. They arent fighting because they hate whats in front of them, but because they ... Read More

An Analysis of the List 21 Suggestions for Success en by H. Jackson Brown Junior (558 words, 3 pages)

21 Suggestions Essay The 21 suggestions for success is a list of tips and guidelines forone to follow in order to be successful as a person. The list is written byH. Jackson Brown Junior, an American author best known for his book Life'sLittle Instruction Book, which was a New York ... Read More

The Use of the Element of Mystery in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (468 words, 2 pages)

The Mysteriousness of Jay GatsbyJay Gatsby is thought to be a mysterious man that nobody knows much about. In the beginning, all Nick has to say is that he turns out all right in the end. However, when the man is first introduced, there is a quality about him that ... Read More

Symbolism in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game (823 words, 4 pages)

The Lottery is a short story based on a small town with 300 residents and all families are known to each other. It is during the autumn and the residents are anxious and excited about the lottery. Lottery is an age old tradition practiced by the town people each year. ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples