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

85147 total results

The Theme of Death in the Novels Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (607 words, 2 pages)

In the books Grave Mercy and Of Mice and Men, death is a common theme. In both books a major character encounters symbols of death throughout the story. For Grave Mercy, the assassin Ismae sees the marque of Mortain, a ghostly black smudge indicating her next victim. In Of Mice ... Read More

Book Comparison The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Girl, Interrupted by Susanna KaysenHow are these books similar?Both Esther Greenwood of The Bell Jar and Susanna Kaysen of Girl, Interrupted deeply lament and reject traditional gender roles, specifically dealing with those relating to marriage and family expectations. Both women have ... Read More

Lenny and George’s Chase for the American Dream in the Novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (462 words, 2 pages)

The American DreamAmerica is a fantastic nation that is full of promise and wonder. Here, a man, or woman, can change his, or her, stars. This shining concept, that one can mould their lives to their liking is known as the American dream. But what is the American dream really? ... Read More

The Individual Roles of the Characters in the Book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey (841 words, 3 pages)

One Flew Over the Cookoos NestIn the book One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, by Ken Kesey, many questions are raised about our inner selves, our sense of meaning and purpose, and the conflict between ones private and public life. Each character within the book had a specific role they ... Read More

The Joads as Symbols in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (1265 words, 6 pages)

Over 65 years later, John Steinbeck's Grapes Of Wrath shows societal issues that like The ghost of Tom Joad are still following us. In 1939, Mr. Steinbeck wrote a novel focusing on a family, the Joads, being forced out of their homes, and trying to find work and housing in ... Read More

The Concept of Family and Overcoming a Difficult Upbringing for a Successful Future in the Book The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (331 words, 1 pages)

In The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls addresses the concept of family and shows that through self-discipline and perseverance, a child can overcome her difficult upbringing and create a successful future.One example of this can be found in Walls memoir narrating the story of her dysfunctional childhood. She illuminates the often ... Read More

The Ponca Tribe in Standing Bear Becomes a Person in the Book I Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown (520 words, 2 pages)

The Fifteenth Chapter of I Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is named Standing Bear becomes a Person. Chapter fifteen starts out talking about the Ponca Tribe. In 1804 Lewis and Clark met the friendly Ponca tribe and at that time there were only about two hundred of them due ... Read More

A Rhetoric Analysis of Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King (928 words, 3 pages)

Throughout this essay I will be analyzing rhetoric analysis used in the pieve Letter from a Birmingham Jail written by Martin Luther King. When MLK was put in jail for being involved with the protest, he wrote one of the most persuasive pieces known to man, in hope to alter ... Read More

The Great Mystery in the Murder of Mrs. Wright in the Play Trifles by Susan Glaspell (461 words, 2 pages)

It has been argued for decades whether Susan Glaspells play Triflesis a lousy mystery or a great mystery with a new and refreshing take. Glaspell insinuates that Mrs. Wright is the murderer throughout the play, however, a clear motive is notgiven for this brutal act. Trifles is a great mystery ... Read More

Revenge by a Cruel Murder in the Short Story The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe (1072 words, 4 pages)

The short story, The Cask of Amontillado, written by Edgar Allan Poe is a truly fascinating story that when read, it comes across as heavy and fearful as well as mysterious. The theme of the story points to getting revenge by a cruel murder. Personally, after analyzing The Cask of ... Read More

The Importance of Writing in Shitty First Drafts, an Article by Anne Lamott (1184 words, 4 pages)

Writing is the most important to our lives. Every student throughout High school and College need to able to have good writing habits. Writing is really important in order to be successful whether deciding to attend school or not. For many people writing can be nightmare and even thinking about ... Read More

The Powder Rive Invasion in Chapter Five of the Book I Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown (555 words, 2 pages)

Chapter Five is mainly about the Powder River Invasion. The Powder River Invasion took place on July 1 to October 4, 1865. It stretched across Powder River Country, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska. The Cheyennes found out about the United States soldiers building a fort in the Powder River ... Read More

A Literary Analysis of the Novel The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne (927 words, 4 pages)

A pure hand needs no glove to cover it. - Hawthorne, Nathaniel Haunted by a guilt that wasnt his, a burden to carry for the great Nathaniel Hathorne .He suffered greatly while having that name always being associated and hated for someone elses atrocious acts. John Hathorne was one of ... Read More

The Concept of Gatsby’s Greatness in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (2281 words, 6 pages)

What is so Great about Gatsby?On the surface, Jay Gatsby appears to be a personification of greatness, due to his wealth, popularity and apparent achievement of the coveted American dream. However, this surface appearance of greatness is the only thing great about Gatsby. As the air of mystery and glamour ... Read More

True Grit in the Character of Mattie in True Grit by Charles Portis (674 words, 2 pages)

What is true grit? Is it the stuff a dog tracks in after a playing outside all day? Or is it the sand brought into a car after a long day at the beach? Well, yes, grit can be those things, but for the purpose of this essay, grit is ... Read More

The Influence of Personal Experiences on the Author’s Writings in the Novel My Antonia by Willa Cather (1939 words, 6 pages)

Can an authors life affect, and effectively permeate, their bodies of work? Willa Cather, author My Antonia, provides a fine example of how ones personal experiences can leak their way into an authors writings. Cather treats My Antonia as a sort of autobiographical account, although she never admits it as ... Read More

The Historical Background of the Native Americans in Chapter One of the Book I Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown (551 words, 2 pages)

Chapter one lays down the historical back ground of the Native Americans from the very beginning. There isnt much recognition of these Indian tribes and leaders but this book from the very first chapter portrays the heroic events of the Native Americans. The book was published in 1970 and was ... Read More

An Evaluation of the Tone in the Short Story The Tree Line, Kansas, 1934 by David Means (825 words, 3 pages)

Every author, no matter what genre, uses tone as a major literary device in their writing. Tone sets the mood- it gives the reader a specific feeling. If written well, the author has the power to make the reader feel a certain way in one paragraph, and a different way ... Read More

The Wrong Decisions of Charles Dimmesdale in the Novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (480 words, 1 pages)

A Grain of Rice Tips the ScaleWhen we make decisions in our lives, typically we focus our minds on the results of a highly important decision. Furthermore, a decision will usually cause one or more events or experiences for those who made the decision. Charles Dimmesdale neglected to think about ... Read More

The Effects of Sinning: Character Flaws in The Crucible by Arthur Miller (1083 words, 3 pages)

The Effects of Sinning Character Flaws in The CrucibleIn The Crucible, a play by Author Miller, one character whose pervasive sins cause extensive damage is Abigail Williams. In the beginning of the play, Abigail clearly acts in a sinful manner, beginning with lust which leads her to envy. In act ... Read More

An Analysis of the Narrator in Greasy Lake by T.C. Boyle (740 words, 3 pages)

A dynamic character is a character who undergoes a major change throughout a story. In Greasy Lake by T.C. Boyle, the narrator can be classified as a dynamic character. Upon arriving at the teenage hangout, greasy lake, the narrator and his friends, Digby and Jeff, stumble across a car that ... Read More

The Uniqueness of Humans in We Are All Completely beside Ourselves, a Novel by Karen Fowler (525 words, 2 pages)

To Be HumanIn her novel We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Fowler compares and contrasts humans and chimpanzees to suggests that being human is more importantly about an internal state of being and less about being a homo sapien. Fowler depicts the life of Rosemary Cooke, a girl who ... Read More

Pathos and Emotional Appeal in the Book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (622 words, 3 pages)

Throughout the entire book Born to Run the author Christopher McDougall uses the rhetorical device pathos or emotional appeal to immerse the audience into the story of running. The first quote I found The last time the Tarahumara had been open to the outside world, the outside world had put ... Read More

Making a Choice to Define Oneself in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (1100 words, 4 pages)

Madness Eats At The Mind There is a point in everyone's life where they feel at their lowest.Everyone hits it at least once in his or her lives but it is how we dealwith the matter that defines who we are. I know when I was given the choiceat my ... Read More

The Purpose of Men and Women in the Applicant, a Poem by Sylvia Plath (440 words, 2 pages)

The poem, The Applicant by Sylvia Plath makes an interesting statement about societys view the purpose of men and woman in life. It talks about the idea that men and womens destinies are decided already and neither has a choice. The man must marry a beautiful wife. The woman must ... Read More

A Personal Account of Things I Carry Everywhere I Go Inspired by Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried (920 words, 4 pages)

Just as the soldiers from The Things They Carry, what I carry with me in the same context depends upon my needs for any particular day. However, for the sake of wellbeing and sentimental value, there are things that I always try to carry with me if possible. As someone ... Read More

Deconstructing the Female’s Value in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (936 words, 3 pages)

Feminist Theory in The Great Gatsby Deconstructing the Females Value The Great Gatsby was about a wealthy man pursuing his dream woman, but ended up leading to his self-destruction. Women had their own role in the 1920s, but the way they interacted with men and how they acted around their ... Read More

An Analysis of The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin through the Lens of New Historicism (642 words, 2 pages)

The Story of an Hour Through Historicism LensThe Story of an Hour focuses on Mrs. Mallard, a married woman, and how she reacted to her husbands death. After experiencing sadness, Mrs. Mallard embraced new freedom for the first time. However, after seeing Mr. Mallard is still alive, she has a ... Read More

Irony as a Plot Device in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin (356 words, 2 pages)

Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour successfully developed the irony of the story by seeing the faults of the plotline. The faults of the plotline are misunderstood by the ending you think that she died of happiness. Thinking that Louise is heart broken by the death of her husband, ... Read More

A Contrast of the Characters of the Grandmother and the Misfit in the Short Story A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor (511 words, 2 pages)

A Good Man is Hard to FindSome stories which try to teach a moral lesson to the readers will contrast two or more characters and their behavior throughout the story. As A Good Man is Hard to Find played out, there were two main characters which beliefs are extremely different ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples