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

85147 total results

The Social Class Character of Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1453 words, 5 pages)

The Depth of Daisy BuchananIn The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the lead female role of Daisy Buchanan is clouded with the air head faade of a scared girl. Growing up in a wealthy family where all that is expected of her is to marry well, Daisy has been ... Read More

The Consequences of Forcing Religion Upon Youth in the Book Carrie by Stephen King (1574 words, 6 pages)

The Curse of BloodOnes faith can be their motivation, what pushes them to move forward in life, or it can be their downfall. In Carrie, by Stephen King, in the case of Carrie White, her religion is the root of her problems. The book is the dreadful tale of Carrie, ... Read More

The Use of Humor and Imagery to Portray the Hostility of War, and the Themes of Death and Free Will in Slaughterhouse-Five, a Novel by Kurt Vonnegut (495 words, 2 pages)

Slaughterhouse - FiveThe novel Slaughterhouse - Five , by Kurt Vonnegut, is a great piece of literature. What makes it a great novel is Vonneguts use of humor and imagery to convey the hostility of war, and the theme of death and free will. I found this story to be ... Read More

The Long-Term Effects of Western Influence in the Middle East Following the Collapse of the Ottoman Empire (1412 words, 5 pages)

International Politics of the Middle East The western mission "civilisatrice" following the collapse of theOttoman Empire and continuing through well into the mid twentieth centuryhas resulted in a state of continuing political turmoil as the physicalboundaries of emerging nations were crafted by foreign powers with littleinterest in preserving a long-term ... Read More

An Analysis of Racism in The Party down at the Square, a Short Story by Ralph Ellison (858 words, 3 pages)

The Party Down at the SquareRacism is a prejudice about one race taking over the other. It also is a discrimination of individuals, social groups, or parts of the population based their racial or ethnical belonging. Moreover, racism is a wicked concept that leads to prosecuting, disdaining, and doing harm ... Read More

The Idea of a Microcosm with a Hierarchy of Power in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a Novel by Ken Kesey (1039 words, 4 pages)

Hierarchy means there are the dominators, and there are the dominated. Social hierarchies can be pinpointed in a variety of environments, and a mans place in this predetermined structure is chosen based on his occupation in the area. This concept of a microcosm with a hierarchy of power can be ... Read More

The Life of Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild, a Novel by Jon Krakauer (588 words, 2 pages)

Into the Wild The national best selling book Into the Wild written by Jon Krakauer,explores the life of Christopher McCandless, a man who chose to leave thecomfort of his middle class life style, to journey far from his home inhopes of completing his dream of venturing solo into Alaska and ... Read More

The Psychological Trauma and Physical Abuse of the Boy, Harry in The River, a Short Story by Flannery O’Connor (3230 words, 10 pages)

He aint fixed right a loud voice said from the hall. Well then for Christs sake fix him (OConner 154). This is one of the first impressions given to the reader about the parents of a young boy, about five years old, named Harry. In Flannery OConners The River, it ... Read More

The Contradiction in the Japanese National Anthem and Its Influence on Papa in Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston’s Farewell to Manzanar (801 words, 3 pages)

The Japanese National Anthem ContradictionThe interpretation of song lyrics and how they connect with our emotions and experiences has long since been a reason why music is crucial in so many peoples lives. However, there are some song lyrics that hold opposing views in the minds of its listeners. The ... Read More

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby: Symbolic Significance of the Valley of Ashes (1514 words, 5 pages)

The Great GatsbySymbolic Significance of The Valley of Ashes The American Dream, a concept in which freedom comes with the opportunities for prosperity, was originally focused on the discovery of happiness. However by the 1920s, the Dream had been converted into a desire for wealth through almost any means, based ... Read More

A Personal Interpretation of Arthur Miller’s Death of A Salesman (1271 words, 4 pages)

Death of a Salesman Assignment1. At the start of the play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller begins to develop Willy's character through the use of his constant contradictions. The reader is almost immediately able to recognize that Willy it mentally unstable with himself. At the start of the play ... Read More

The Rebellions of Marjane and Huck Finn Against Society in the Novels Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (570 words, 2 pages)

Rebels of SocietyPersepolis written by Marjane Satrapi tells a tale of a young daughter being raised in a society that she is not fond of. The main character in the novel, Marjane, is forced to adapt the lifestyle that her community enforces. She is told to wear clothing that she ... Read More

A Comparison of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Fences by Augusta Wilson (620 words, 3 pages)

Comparative Literature EssayAuthors consistently use character foils in their novels to further develop their characters' traits and to deepen the readers knowledge and understanding of the major characters and themes. In both To Kill A Mockingbird and Fences the authors use character foils. In To Kill A Mockingbird Atticuss character ... Read More

A Comic Strip Project for Ayn Rand’s Anthem (500 words, 2 pages)

Anthem Comic Strip ProjectIn her novel, Anthem, Ayn Rand used many descriptive words to create an image for the reader, in his remake of, Anthem, as a graphic novel Joe Staton used detailed sketches to give the reader an even clearer image, and in my project I used the colors ... Read More

A Short Response on For Esme with Love and Squalor, a Short Story by J. D. Salinger (508 words, 2 pages)

Responses to For Esm with Love and SqualorIn the short story For Esm with Love and Squalor Esme is portrayed as a very mature and adult like character. Although her age of only thirteen years she presented herself as a educated and developed child. Are you very deeply in love ... Read More

Character Comparison in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (805 words, 3 pages)

A strong work of literature is formed through the use of characters which constantly grow and develop throughout the work. As a novel develops, a character experiences many obstacles and achievements that affect hisher development, growth, and morals. The characters used by Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird and ... Read More

Getting What Berneice Wanted, as a Single Mother and a Strong Independent Woman (2004 words, 7 pages)

A Womans StrengthYou trying to tell me a woman cant be nothing without a man (Act 2, Scene 2 P. 67) This quote from Berniece shows not only the time period she lives in, but also how she feels being a single mother. This quote is not only relevant to ... Read More

A Review of Coming of Age in Mississippi, a Book by Anne Moody (1459 words, 3 pages)

Primary Source Analysis Coming of Age in MississippiComing of age in Mississippi was a book written by Anne Moody. The book covers Moodys life from childhood through to her involvement in the civil rights movement. Her autobiography details her struggles against racism and sexism. In this analysis, I shall be ... Read More

Why John Proctor Was Convicted of Witchcraft in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (1684 words, 5 pages)

Why Was John Proctor Convicted of Witchcraft?Arthur Millers play The Crucible is centered around the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Many people in the play are convicted for practicing witchcraft and are thereafter sentenced to hang one such character is John Proctor. Many of those convicted are able to escape ... Read More

House Chores and Sexual Concerns in Girl, a Short Story by Jamaica Kincaid (868 words, 3 pages)

Are mothers afraid of their daughters growing up in a society where female supremacy exists? Girl written by Jamaica Kincaid is a unique and peculiar short story. It is comprised of a page long run on paragraph that is being addressed to someone. The paragraph appears to be a list ... Read More

A Societal Analysis of Anthem, a Book by Ayn Rand (450 words, 2 pages)

Anthem ResponsesThe society of Anthem is a society of collectivism that attempts to make everyone equal and everything fair. The setting takes place many years into the future. There is no such thing as individualism, everyone is assigned a name at birth and a career that is stuck with them ... Read More

A Review of It’s A Bird, a Novel by Steven T. Seagle (312 words, 1 pages)

In Steven T. Seagles comic, Its A Bird, the protagonist, Steven, constantly reinforces his argument as to why he dislikes superman and comics in general. Stevens three main arguments as to why he dislikes superman are that Superman's costume does not portray a superior man but a childish character the ... Read More

Resentment of a Disempowered Minority in Medea by Euripides and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1280 words, 3 pages)

Literature a Voice for the DisempoweredLiterature can help readers understand the inherent resentment a disempowered minority can feel towards a dominant culture who patronise and marginalise them. Nathaniel Hawthornes Gothic horror novel The Scarlet Letter can be read as a critique of Puritan society in 17th century New England, as ... Read More

O.E. Parker’s Desire for Color in Parker’s Back by Flannery O’Connor (824 words, 3 pages)

O. E. Parker, a man filled with emotion for one duty and stopping atnothing to accomplish it, is searching for color throughout FlanneryO'Connor's short story "Parker's back"1. Parker rarely knows why he doessomething. He gets himself fixed on an idea and never strays from his path.O. E. Parker's desire for ... Read More

The Inspirations and Influences for Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates (1441 words, 5 pages)

Oates Sources Literary Foundation Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, written by Joyce Carol Oates, incorporates multiple source materials. Its All Over Now, Baby Blue, a song by Bob Dylan, relates to Connies predicament. The German myth Death and the Maiden demonstrates the connection of sexuality and death ... Read More

Nancy’s Incident in In Sight of the Lake, One of the Short Stories From Alice Munro’s Dear Life (1467 words, 5 pages)

In Sight of the Lake, one of the short stories in Alice Munros Dear Life depicts an incident in the life of Nancy, an elderly woman who is experiencing mental issues. The story follows Nancys trip to the office of a mental specialist for her mental examination. The audience knows ... Read More

A Comparison of Rebellion in 1984 by George Orwell and The Crucible by Arthur Miller (390 words, 2 pages)

Abigails Rebellion vs. Winstons RebellionThe main characters of 1984 by George Orwell and The Crucible by Arthur Miller are Winston Smith and Abigail Williams, respectively. Both characters are involved in rebellion towards their oppressive societies. Winston rebels having pleasurable sex with Julia, committing thoughtcrime, and attempting to join the rebellion ... Read More

An Analysis of Moral Development in To Kill a Mockingbird, a Novel by Harper Lee (1023 words, 3 pages)

In the story To Kill a Mockingbird, each character reaches a different level of moral development (according to Kohlbergs model). While some reach the highest level, Level VI act because of a self-formulated set of principles, some only reach the most basic levels. The author, Harper Lee, develops each character ... Read More

The Isolation of Rural Life in At Hiruharama by F. Scott Fitzgerald (701 words, 2 pages)

How is the isolation of rural life portrayed?In Fitzgeralds At Hiruharama, the isolation of rural life is portrayed as remote and lonely the Tanners are alone in their distant country place and barely have any contact with other people. This is achieved by the use of description of finding Hiruharama, ... Read More

The Life and Work of Toni Morrison (1502 words, 5 pages)

Toni Morrison was born in 1931 in Lorain, Ohio (Toni Morrison). Morrison often writes about growing up in an integrated neighborhood as a child and only learning about and experiencing racial divisions in her teen years (Toni Morrison). She attended Lorain High School and graduated with honors in 1949 (Toni ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples