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

85147 total results

A Character Analysis of Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatbsy by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1357 words, 5 pages)

The PhariseeTom Buchanan from The Great GatsbyTom Buchanan, a resident of East Egg, is a man of old wealth and new luxury. He follows the rules of the wealthy and, at a glance, is just a normal man of a small fortune. The Great Gatsby that F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, ... Read More

A Book Review of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (900 words, 3 pages)

Redeeming Love Book ReviewFrancine Rivers really tugs at the heart strings with this book. It has so many beautiful pictures for the reader and just as many lessons to apply to anyones life. The main characters are the focus, but every character in this book has a story to pay ... Read More

An Analysis of the Coming of Age in the Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCuller (1017 words, 3 pages)

The term "Coming of Age" is identified with many concepts of growingup loss of innocence, solidification of an identity that adulthood isbased upon, and conforming to society to one degree or another. Theseconcepts are tied to various "rites of passage", including a first sexualexperience, a first truly serious event, a ... Read More

Henry James’ Portrayal of the Unresolved in The Turn of the Screw (1530 words, 6 pages)

7. Consider how any ONE writer on our module engages with the representation of the unresolved. Henry James portrayal of the unresolved in The Turn of the Screw casts uncertainty as to whether the ghosts are real, or if they are merely delusions of the Governess mind. This representation of ... Read More

Themes of Love and Memories in Willa Cather’s Story My Antonia (589 words, 2 pages)

Awakenings in My ntonia In My ntonia by Willa Cather, Jim Burden tells the story of his friendship with ntonia Shimerda, a Bohemian girl living on a farm in Nebraska. After becoming an orphan at ten years old, Jim travels from Virginia to Black Hawk, Nebraska to live on his ... Read More

An Analysis of Awakenings in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (785 words, 3 pages)

Awakenings in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie SocietyIn the novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, writer Juliet Ashton falls in love with Guernsey, an island in the English Channel occupied by Germany during World War II. One day, ... Read More

The Application of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Idea of Nonconformity on Minister Hooper in The Minister’s Black Veil, a Short Story by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1684 words, 5 pages)

We live in a society where nonconformity is frowned upon, where people accept ideas and thoughts of others because of tradition, time, and trust. Is nonconforming really detrimental and wrong? What do nonconformists gain from their struggles? Conformity is when an individual's or group of individual's ideas, personality, practices and ... Read More

The Craziness of Humans in William Gibson’s Novel Neuromancer (922 words, 3 pages)

Short Synthesis 5 Randomness and Manipulationto define information as a probability function...implies that randomness always already interpenetrates pattern, for probability as a concept posits a situation in which there is no a priori way to distinguish between effects extrapolated from known causes and those generated by chance conjunctions. Like information ... Read More

A Comparison Between Tim O’Brien’s Speaking of Courage and Ernest Hemingway’s Soldier’s Home (1704 words, 5 pages)

Comparing Soldiers Home and Speaking of CourageSoldiers Home by Ernest Hemingway and Speaking of Courage by Tim OBrien both deal with the acclimation difficulties experienced by veterans upon their return from war. The two stories deal with the events that occur when an elaborate hug and tear-filled homecoming celebration is ... Read More

Rituals and Tradition in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery (926 words, 4 pages)

Why do people accept and follow traditions? The Lottery by Shirley Jackson tells an eye-opening story of a tradition that seems far fetched but is riddled with truths of human emotion and social practices. In Jacksons fictional society, there is an annual lottery in every village to determine who will ... Read More

The Expectations of Soldiers During War in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried (714 words, 3 pages)

There is a lot expected from soldiers during war, and one of those expectations is that every soldier must carry what is needed to complete each mission successfully. In The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien, he describes many of the objects that soldiers carry during war. Some things were ... Read More

Role Models in Life in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye (491 words, 2 pages)

Role ModelsIn J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has few role models in his life. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, finds faults in everyone. His excuse for getting expelled was that there were too many phonies, superficial people. He then decided to go to New York City as ... Read More

An Analysis of the Short Story Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway (1466 words, 6 pages)

My Findings on a Non-English Major Response to a Short StoryI observed a reader try to understand the short story Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway. She is a biology major and doesn't like to read literary books or poems. I found that her responses and her meaning-making process ... Read More

The Summit of Mount Everest in Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air (715 words, 3 pages)

Commercialism on Everest Into Thin Air, a national bestselling novel written by Jon Krakauer, told about the 1996 trek to the summit of Mount Everest and the catastrophic events on that day that resulted in the death of eight people. Jon, a proficient climber and journalist, was sent by Outside ... Read More

An Analysis of Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms (1557 words, 6 pages)

Foreshadowing, Coping with War, and Meaning of Pregnant Soldiers in Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms Frederic looks at the newborn infant at the end of the novel and feels nothing. He looks at his dead Catherine and sees only a statue. War has caused him to lose so much and ... Read More

The Use of an Analogy in Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt (376 words, 2 pages)

The following is from "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, and a log entry analyzing the authors' use of an analogy for emphasis on certain ideas. "A phrase like 'well maintained,' for instance, is as full of meaning to (a real estate agent) as 'Mr. Ayak' was ... Read More

Character Analysis of Harry Angstrom in John Updike’s Rabbit, Run (692 words, 2 pages)

Incidents in Rabbit, Run John Updikes Rabbit, Run tells the story of Harry Rabbit Angstrom as he struggles to return to the quality of living he once enjoyed as a high school basketball star. Unhappy with his bland and routine way of life, he abandons his pregnant wife and son ... Read More

The Awakenings in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (441 words, 2 pages)

To Kill a Mockingbird In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jeremy and Jean Louise Finch receive lessons about respect, hatred, love, and innocence from the experiences and people that surround them during their childhood. From attempts to lure a recluse out of his house to watching ... Read More

An Analysis of the Novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (780 words, 3 pages)

The Catcher in the Rye In the novel, Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield retells the events which took place over a two day period during December of 1949. Holden leaves the exclusive private school Pencey Prep in Pennsylvania, of which he has been expelled, and catches ... Read More

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1883 words, 6 pages)

The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnErnest Hemingway, indisputably one of the 20th centurys most influential writers, once famously proclaimed, All American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. Hemingway clearly appreciated Twains novel as a good book. What makes a book a good book? Who decides? Does ... Read More

The Search for Happiness in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams (784 words, 3 pages)

Life does not always turn out as expected. In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, Tom tells a story of a time in his life that is not ideal to what he and his family had planned for themselves. From his memory, he sets the scene of when he lives ... Read More

The Importance of Dreams in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (485 words, 2 pages)

Dreams Although plans may seem foolproof in the beginning, many are far from it. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck the two ranch workers, Lennie and George, think of a plan and carry it out. This difficult undertaking will put their friendship to the test. Their plan, or ... Read More

The McCarthyism Era in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (655 words, 2 pages)

McCarthyismArthur Miller wrote The Crucible during the era known as McCarthyism. During this period of the cold war, various public figures were excommunicated for suspicion of holding communist beliefs. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin was the driving force behind this movement. Miller, himself, was a victim of these accusations. After ... Read More

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Caroline Fisher as an Unimaginative Character (749 words, 4 pages)

Within the To Kill a Mockingbird novel, Harper Lee depicts CarolineFisher as an unimaginative character. To this end, even though she is ateacher, Fisher cries due to the threats of a first-grade pupil. Fisheralso demonstrates her unimaginative personality by referring to a book tofind out how to deal with a ... Read More

Utopian Society in The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas (289 words, 2 pages)

Short Story ResponseIn the short story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, Guin depicts a slightly utopian society in which the entire town experiences bliss. However, the joy of the town comes at a price. Guin expresses the belief that the peace and tranquility of many is dependent on ... Read More

The Cruelty in the Works by Mark Twain (466 words, 2 pages)

The cruelty Mark Twain perceived in humanity in the early 1900s still exists in modern society, especially in the religious disparity that caused so much destruction throughout history. Even events in the modern day make Man a person that loves his neighbor as himself, and cuts his throat if his ... Read More

Literary Devices in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger (615 words, 3 pages)

The Catcher in the RyeAn author uses literary devices in order to convey emotion and thoughts related to the theme. One of the most profound and common literary device that an author uses to convey feelings and tone is imagery. It is imagery that allows the reader to connect to ... Read More

Adulthood in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (734 words, 3 pages)

15 November 2009Period 1The Path to AdulthoodLao Tzu, the Chinese founder of Taoism, once said, The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness. This famous quote compels people to question the significance of their mental development and understanding, and whether it truly represents ... Read More

Connie’s Character in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been (295 words, 2 pages)

Short Story ResponseThe short story Where are you going, Where have You Been depicts the chilling tale of Connie, a young, carefree teenager in search for an escape from her troubles at home. Throughout the narrative, the speaker uses diction, imagery and syntax in order to develop the plot and ... Read More

Common Good in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1628 words, 6 pages)

In his novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck argues that people should put the common good ahead of their own self-interest. In order for society to prosper, the communal good needs to be thought of primarily as opposed to each individual focusing on himself. This would help ensure equality ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples