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

85147 total results

A Review of Killings, a Short Story by Andre Dubus (1589 words, 5 pages)

SummaryKillings is a short story written by Andre Dubus in 1979. The background of this story is on one August morning in a small town in Massachusetts, it begins with a scene of burial of a 21 year old Economic graduate Frank Fowler, the youngest son of Ruth and Matt. ... Read More

An Analysis of the Use of Devices in the Book Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris (954 words, 5 pages)

In Joshua Ferris book Then We Came to the End, a hyper-realistic portrayal of a Chicago business-size slice of humanity displays a deep contrast between the adult, reasonable management of an advertising company and the lower-level employees that remind one of the whispers of a highschool hallway.Ferris conveys, with poignant ... Read More

The Effects of the Gentrification of Cincinnati (1599 words, 8 pages)

Coming from the intersection of the American north and the American south is an experience that I can best explain as one full of denial. The border, seemingly paralleled the border that I would cross every day between Kentucky and Ohio on the way to work. It was a kind ... Read More

Character Analysis of Pearl in the Scarlet Letter, a Book by Nathaniel Hawthorne (655 words, 2 pages)

The Scarlet Letter Pearl Being A Symbol Vs. Pearl Being A CharacterAccording to Dictionary.com, a pearl is defined as being a smooth, rounded bead formed within the shells of certain mollusks and composed of...layers as a protective coating around an irritating foreign object valued as a gem when lustrous and ... Read More

The Struggle of Gender Communication Differences within Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway (2245 words, 8 pages)

The Struggle of Gender Communication Differences within Hills like White Elephants Ernest Hemingways writing has been revered and celebrated for numerous years and for great reason. One of his most noteworthy talents is not primarily what he includes within the text, but what he leaves out. No one is better ... Read More

True Strength Appears During the Tough Times in The Crucible by Arthur Miller and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey (974 words, 3 pages)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in times of comfort and convenience but where he stands in times of conflict and controversy. The true colors of a person really show during the times they are under pressure. When ... Read More

The Use of Economic Imbalance in John Steinbeck’s Novel The Grapes of Wrath (1102 words, 5 pages)

The Grapes of Wall StreetThe Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, tells the story of small town farmers that become impoverished when their land had been taken over by large businesses looking to make a profit. This novel is a foreshadowing representation of the capitalist nation that America has become ... Read More

The Use of Literary Devices to Expose Racial Tensions in Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill A Mockingbird (4102 words, 12 pages)

Abstract"To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an insightful and historical novel that grapples the reader and takes himher into a world full of judgement, hate and controversy. This novel was written on the basis of the racial tensions between white people and black people in Maycomb, Alabama. There ... Read More

In the contrasting worlds of the Clutters and Dick and Perry, the criminal world and the stable society have many surprising similarities. Of course there are differing aspects in these worlds such as their definition of masculinity. On the other hand mental health is illustrated as a similarity between these ... Read More

An Analysis of Portia Nelson’s Poem Autobiography in Five Short Chapters (378 words, 1 pages)

This simple poem by Portia Nelson tells the story of perspective. About evolving the way we face some challenges. About how enhanced awareness allows us to choose our own path as we navigate the world around us. The theme of the poem Autobiography in Five Short Chapters is about destructive ... Read More

A Personal Opinion on the Idea of Four Dimensions in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five (489 words, 2 pages)

I was reading Slaughterhouse-Five and it got me to start thinking about whether or not we are all unstuck in time or if the things that happen to us really happen in chronological order. In the book, the main character experiences a multitude of life events that occur at the ... Read More

A Character Analysis of John Proctor in Arthur Miller’s Play The Crucible (957 words, 3 pages)

The Crucible Character Analysis EssayIn the 1950's, in America, there was an epidemic sweeping the nation. This epidemic was what would become known as McCarthyism. McCarthyism was a widespread social and cultural phenomenon that was characterized by an increased fear of communists and their influence. It was all started by ... Read More

Being Constrained by Society Versus Conforming to Society in the Characters of Blanche and Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (600 words, 2 pages)

A Streetcar Named DesirePost- World War 2 America was great, if you were a man. Women and other minorities face boundless issues in a society built by men whose only purpose was to repress others. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanches character is representative of all the problems a person ... Read More

The Business Behind Baseball in the Novel Moneyball by Michael Lewis (1464 words, 4 pages)

With its long history, baseball was the one sport to bring spirit and passion to the American people. Yet, as a reader that has little knowledge about baseball, it is hard to believe that the passion and rush of excitement of this sport everyone feels has to do with the ... Read More

An Analysis of Alienation in Lost in the Cosmos, a Book by Walker Percy (1086 words, 4 pages)

Lost in the Cosmos, by Walker Percy, is an excellent book, and it should be read by college students today because it addresses the issue of people being alienated from themselves. Many people today have little idea of who they are, what they believe in, or what they are doing. ... Read More

An Analysis of the Romanticism and Realism in Mark Twain’s Novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1514 words, 5 pages)

Romanticism and Realism in Huck FinnMark Twain was born into and lived in a critical and rich part of our countrys history. He was born in 1835 and grew up in what was known as the Antebellum Period. This was a period of great reforms and religious revivals. Twain also ... Read More

A Review of Silence, a Romance Mystery Novel by Natasha Preston (548 words, 2 pages)

Do you think it would be hard not to talk, text, or write for almost 11 years? This is what Oakley did to keep her family together. Silence, by Natasha Preston, is a Romance Mystery book, and I really enjoyed reading it. Silence is about a girl named Oakley who ... Read More

The Creation and Reinforcement of the Theme Through the Narrator’s Point of View in the Short Story The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst (333 words, 2 pages)

Isolation of Elements Point of View in The Scarlet IbisThroughout the story The Scarlet Ibis, the narrators point of view helps to create and reinforce the theme of the story. The theme in the story is the effects of love and pride and how it can negatively affect people and ... Read More

A Reaction Paper on Stephen M. Walt’s International Relations: One World, Many Theories (816 words, 4 pages)

Reaction paper on Stephen M. Walts International Relations One World, Many Theories In his work Stephen Walt notices the importance of studying internal affairs in an academic way. He demonstrates that the theory is tightly linked to the real world and vice versa. After analyzing the main three theoretical traditions, ... Read More

An Analysis of the Book Precarious Life by Judith Butler (1348 words, 6 pages)

A Summary of Precarious Life Judith Butler's Precarious Life, the final essay included in acollection under the same name, is an essay which not only has a uniquepoint of its own but also deftly and succinctly ties together the previousessays included in Butler's book. In this essay, while she does ... Read More

Racial Injustices in the Short Story Party Down by the Square by Ralph Ellison (1077 words, 4 pages)

SubhumanIn the short story Party Down by the Square, the recursive idea of the value of human life is portrayed in a divergently, exemplifying the prioritizing concern of different races and cultures within the early 20th century American society. The theme of the story lies within the prejudice of the ... Read More

The Impact of the Book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain on Me (318 words, 1 pages)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer By Mark Twain captured my attention theminute I began reading it. Tom's mischievous attitude and behavior madeeverything more interesting and funny. Despite what one might initiallythink, Tom actually had adventures as we would think of them todaydangerous, suspenseful, and exciting. This book is about the ... Read More

The Negative Influence of Racial Injustice in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (750 words, 2 pages)

In Harper Lees novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the crushing negative influence of racial injustice that is festering and spreading in the south, poisons the credibility of a Judicial System, meant to give the accused a fair and unprejudiced trial, whatever the color of their skin may be. Even though ... Read More

A Personal Review of the Book The Client by John Grisham (519 words, 2 pages)

An incredibly engrossing book, The Clientis John Grisham at his best. Despite its considerable length of five hundred and sixty-two pages, this book of suspense, murder, and lies is almost impossible to put down the length just gives the reader more to enjoy. There is anything but a lack of ... Read More

The American Dream of George, Lennie, and Candy in John Steinbeck’s Novel Of Mice and Men (881 words, 3 pages)

In John Steinbecks novel, Of Mice and Men, the three principal characters, George, Lennie, and Candy all dream the American Dream to live prosperously, peacefully, and happily on the stake of land that they intend to purchase together. By working long and hard on the plantation, the three men hope ... Read More

The Definition of a Hero in The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Cambell (597 words, 3 pages)

In the Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Cambell explores the definition of hero. By the title, he suggests that heroes are everywhere there is one general framework, but the heros face always changes. Such is the nature of all literature heroes endlessly inhabit the American Canon, albeit in different ... Read More

Holden’s Actions and Emotions in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (637 words, 3 pages)

Holdens Good LifeHolden believes that his own raw emotions, satiation of his desire to be spontaneous, and action upon his often-irrational ideas make a good life good, because he lacks the internal goods from which to be happy otherwise. I disagree with Holden, because despite some short-term happiness that is ... Read More

The Literary Elements in A Rose for Emily, a Short Story by William Faulkner (976 words, 3 pages)

A Rose for Emily was written by William Faulkner in the early 1900s. It is a short story about a woman who lives in the deep south right after slavery was abolished. The story has a major twist at the end, and is considered to be a typical Faulkner short ... Read More

The Truth of Ahab’s Persona in Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (511 words, 2 pages)

Moby-Dick traces the battle of the Pequod against the forces of nature and the ships unyielding struggle against the harsh weather and treachery of the sea. At the vanguard of all these conspiring oceanic forces swims the white whale, Moby-Dick, which Captain Ahab so desperately seeks to conquer. However, shortly ... Read More

Huck’s Mischievous Behavior in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (640 words, 2 pages)

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck is adevious, sly trickster throughout the whole book and does not take intoconsideration what his mischievous behavior and clever ruses may bring heis just a kid, after all. In Chapter 15, Huck and his African-American friend, Jim, areescaping to the ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples