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

85147 total results

How Depressed and Stress in College Has Helped Me be a Better and Stronger Person (550 words, 2 pages)

What Ive LearnedBefore I started college I had this idea that college was all about having fun and little to no homework. I was told that teachers rarely assign homework and that you could not go to class for the entire semester and still pass. I was told all these ... Read More

Sacrifices: Initial Harm and Future Benefits in Raisin in the Sun and Whale Rider (2037 words, 3 pages)

Burdensome GiftsPeople make sacrifices every day, and have done so throughout our history. Sacrifices date back many millenniums when indigenous tribes, such as the Aztecs, ripped out the hearts of living creatures to please the gods. In modern times, people make sacrifices so often that they might not even be ... Read More

An Analysis of the Title of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (375 words, 1 pages)

Does the title of Death of a Salesman sway our perception of the book? If Arthur Miller were to rename the book in a positive light, would we view Willy and his actions differently? Many people love to judge a book from its cover. From this cover, one sees the ... Read More

An Evaluation and Synthesis of the Opinions on Heroism and Evil in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Heroism and Philip Zimbardo’s The Psychology of Evil (1196 words, 4 pages)

Self-sacrifice is a true act of Heroism. This concept is echoed in Ralph Waldo Emersons text Heroism. Emerson is of the belief that everyone possesses the innate ability to be a hero, i.e. heroism is not a preserve of a selected few, rather, it manifests in individuals who acknowledge their ... Read More

The Stylistic Devices and Theme of Entrapment in Henry James’ Novella The Turn of the Screw and Jean Rhys’ Novel Wide Sargasso Sea (1534 words, 5 pages)

Literary works have served to analyze various life concepts that affect human beings. The classical tales of The Turn of the Screw and Wide Sargasso Sea clearly evidence diverse human experiences. A common theme that is evident in both texts is entrapment. Characters outlaid in the books consistently show loss ... Read More

An Analysis of the Theme of Preserving Innocence and Transitioning into Adulthood in J. D. Salinger’s Novel The Catcher in the Rye (1166 words, 4 pages)

J.D. Salingers novel, The Catcher in the Rye explores the theme of preserving innocence and transitioning into adulthood. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, wanders the streets of New York as he experiences the adult world outside of his boarding school. Because Holden can only categorize people as good or bad, he ... Read More

The Symbolism of a Pumpkin in When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine by Jhumpa Lahiri (2108 words, 3 pages)

During the short story When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine by Jhumpa Lahiri one of the most important symbols pulled through the story was the Pumpkin. The story took place during Halloween allowing for the Pumpkin to be used to represent a variety of different concepts and images. Pumpkins, being ... Read More

An Analysis of Jay Gatsby as a Great American Character in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Novel The Great Gatsby (1168 words, 4 pages)

Gatsby among American society In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is the great American character. Gatsby represents the American dream and hope for success. He starts to dream of greatness at a young age when getting involved with a rich girl from a very wealthy family. ... Read More

An Analysis of the Similarities between Ree Dolly and Uncle Teardrop in Daniel Woodrell’s Novel Winter’s Bone (1068 words, 2 pages)

Ree Dolly shares the most similarities with her Uncle Teardrop as opposed to her father or mother. The first way in which Ree is similar to Teardrop is their strong adherence to the rules of the community. Her father appears to have snitched breaking the paramount rule of the community ... Read More

The Narrator’s Insanity in The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (409 words, 2 pages)

The Tell Tale Heart EssayI became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity(Edgar Allen Poe). This quote demonstrates that insanity can strike anyone at any time yet we will all have sane moments. In the book The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, we see that the main character ... Read More

An Analysis of the Tragic Flaw in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (616 words, 2 pages)

An admirable flaw Tragedy usually involves some flaw that causes unfortunate events to occur to a character. Most people view this flaw as a negative trait of the characters, and something they would be better without. This flaw is, in fact, to be admired and respected. By examining Death of ... Read More

An Analysis of Justice System in Gideon’s Trumpet by Anthony Lewis (493 words, 2 pages)

In this book Gideons Trumpet By Anthony Lewis, a crooked and unfair justice system is portrayed. It is centered around a poor Floridian man named Clarence Gideon. Gideon was incarcerated after an unfair trial in which he requested an attorney and was not granted one. Nowadays this is one of ... Read More

The Role of Women in The Story of an Hour (689 words, 4 pages)

The Story of an HourAs the nineteenth century progressed, the role for women began to change. There was no doubt that this situation had to do with modernity and intrinsic insistence on change. Many women had the desire to break out on the limits that were imposed on their sex. ... Read More

The Use of Light as an Illumination of Sin in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Novel, The Scarlet Letter (1580 words, 5 pages)

The Use of Light as an Illumination of Sin in The Scarlet Letter The Puritan society of 17th century Boston in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter is a dark and dreary one, devoid of brilliance. Driven by religious piety, a desire for purity, and a repulsion to sin, the Puritans ... Read More

The Issues of American Culture in the Novel The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (694 words, 2 pages)

The Bluest Eye is a great American novel. A great American novel serves as a storehouse of values, issues and beliefs most central to the American culture while also helping to understand it. A great novel has the following characteristics it connects to culture, addresses issues that affect a whole ... Read More

A Personal Reflection on the Memories of a Childhood Home (758 words, 3 pages)

The country from the smell of fresh air and the always cool air. From all the outside activities to the inside memories and many animals there is nothing better than your childhood home. The Old White House on the Corner.Theres an old white house on the corner of Fannin Street ... Read More

A Reflection on Interviewing Dr. Tannaz Amalsadvala, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (512 words, 2 pages)

I am attending Columbus State University my major is biology, my concentration is pre-vet medicine. I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Tannaz Amalsadvala whos a doctor of veterinary medicine. She attended Bombay Veterinary College in 1988 located in Mumbai, India but received her M.S. in Veterinary Pharmacology and Physiology ... Read More

The Use of Characterization, Setting, and Symbolism to Develop the Struggles of Krebs in the Novel Soldier’s Home by Ernest Hemingway (829 words, 4 pages)

Ernest Hemingway knows from personal experience what soldiers go through at the time during World War One. Hemingway was a Red Cross ambulance driver in Italy. Wounded in both legs by a shrapnel explosion near the front lines (2). Hemingway closely resembles Krebs as himself due to being a World ... Read More

The Potential of Humans in Starving for Wisdom, an Article by Nicholas Kristof (591 words, 2 pages)

The average man in modern society walks down and the street and thinks nothing of the true potential he and everyone around him can achieve with the utilisation of the resources at his disposal. This man is like a flower that has been over watered with information, left to starve ... Read More

A Personal Narrative of Experiencing the Loss of a Father (1925 words, 4 pages)

English CompPersonal EssayElisabeth Kbler-Ross, a famed psychiatrist, once said, The reality is you will grieve forever. You will not get over the loss of a loved one, you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will ... Read More

Light and Darkness in the Short Story Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin (1250 words, 4 pages)

Sonnys Blues, a short story written by James Baldwin, takes place in Harlem, New York in the 1960s. The story depicts the painful life on the streets for African Americans in the face of oppression. There is little escape from the reality of drugs and crime in Harlem. The persistent ... Read More

The Expulsion of Miles from School in the Novel The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (693 words, 2 pages)

The Charming Child ExpelledIn the novel The Turn of the Screw, author Henry James introduces Miles as a beautiful boy, full of delight and innocence. His beauty gains him attention and favoritism from the governess, even over his sister in the beginning. This handsome charmer Miles appears to be very ... Read More

An Analysis of the Main Themes in The House on Mango Street, a Novel by Sandra Cisneros (1149 words, 4 pages)

In the novel The House on Mango Street, the protagonistEsperanza tells us about her daily life in a Latino community. It is about how Esperanza grew up and lives in a Mexican-American culture. The author describes this as straddling between two cultures, growing up with Mexican traditions but living in ... Read More

Character Analysis of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1375 words, 2 pages)

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee displays the character Atticus Finch as an extremely disciplined person. Atticus character is very honest and fair, he is well respected in Maycomb County until the trial with the Tom Robinson case. Due to the way Atticus behaves, he models a ... Read More

A Comparison of the Struggles of Lauren Oliver and Holden Caulfield as Troubled Teens (556 words, 2 pages)

Lauren Oliver said, I was a troubled teen and I was constantly looking for someone to throw me a rope. Those ropes are connections. They allow us to see that life exists beyond the little worlds we are currently a part of. She can relate to Holden Caulfield from The ... Read More

Modernist Elements in The Great Gatsby, Richard Cory and A Soldier’s Home (1354 words, 4 pages)

The American Dream is a straightforward but difficult concept to attain because of the high hopes that people have for it. The dream has Americans wishing to achieve wealth, success, and happiness in life. However, after experiencing the realities of the American Dream, people soon became disillusioned and often discontent ... Read More

An Analysis of an Outsider in Of Mice and Men (478 words, 2 pages)

An outsider is someone who does not belong to a certain group. This can be because of their beliefs or their appearance that is different to the norm. In society there is such a thing of an outsider. In Of Mice and Men, there are many examples of this. These ... Read More

The Unfair and Unkind Treatment of Women in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (408 words, 2 pages)

Women in the 1950s, suffering from the denial of work and forced once again to be stay at home mothers can easily be compared to the women in Arthur Miller's writing, The Crucible. This famous book, written during the red scare, takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, and outlines the events ... Read More

Jay Gatsby’s Chase for the American Dream in the Novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1166 words, 3 pages)

Based around the theme of American dream and a satire on the rich society of the Roaring Twenties, we discover an extraordinary man with a talent for unchanging hope in Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is first impressed upon us as a mysterious man who could be anything, making ... Read More

George and Lennie’s Friendship in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (721 words, 2 pages)

(This is my argumentative essay about the book Of Mice and Men by JohnSteinbeck)Friendship is nothing when it's tied by weakness. Friendship is everythingwhen it's tied by loyalty. After reading John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men,some people believed that George and Lennie's friendship was broken fromthe start, and perhaps it ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples