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

85147 total results

A Biography of Jack London a Writer (2053 words, 7 pages)

An Interesting Insight into the Life of Jack LondonJack London was one of the most revolutionary writers of all time. Jack was a very eccentric, yet complicated individual. He used personal experiences to create his stories and make them really come to life. He wrote in many stories in his ... Read More

An Analysis of Santiago as a Christ Figure in The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (1078 words, 4 pages)

A Critical Analysis of Santiago as a Christ Figure in The Old Man and the SeaEvery character within a piece of literature must fulfill a certain role to eventually help lead to a conclusion. A Christ-like figure is a character that parallels the embodiment of Jesus Christ. More so the ... Read More

The Idea of a Symbolic Complex in The Loss of Creature, an Essay by Walker Percy (901 words, 3 pages)

A Packaged PerceptionEVERY EXPLORER NAMES his island Formosa, beautiful, this quote from Walker Percys essay,The Loss of Creature, captures his idea of a symbolic complex(Percy, 47). An ideology, which identifies how a persons perception of an experience is heavily affected by external influences of society. Forces of pressure manifest in ... Read More

An Analysis of Humor in A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Conner (928 words, 3 pages)

An Analysis of Flannery OConners A Good Man is Hard to FindFlanery OConnor has such a quirky biting sense of humor and that resonates in this story, but even more so though it might not be so apparent this story has a deeper meaning. Oconnor presents us with a moral ... Read More

A Biography of Ezra Pound a Great Writer (2993 words, 10 pages)

An Insight into the Ever-changing Life of Ezra PoundEzra Pound leads a very experienced life, which leads him to become a great writer. Ezra deals with many issues throughout his life. He has a very colorful mind, which leads him to certain beliefs and also to trouble. Ezra Pound paints ... Read More

An Analysis of Miller’s Portrayal of Women in a View From the Bridge (1143 words, 3 pages)

How Does Miller Portray Women in A View From The Bridge?A View From the Bridge is a modern adaptaiton of a Greek tragedy written by Arthur Miller. The women in the playBeatrice and Catherine are characters which Miller uses to show the idea of feminity and changes they bring into ... Read More

Presentation of the Relationship Between Blanche and Stanely in the Play and How It Is Influenced by Life in 1940’s America (1464 words, 3 pages)

Explore elsewhere in the play how Williams presentation of their relationship (Blanche and Stanley) in the play is influenced by life in 1940s America The uneasy dynamic between Blanche and Stanley is essentially a microcosm for the issues faced by both male and females in the post-war America period. Williams ... Read More

The Rule of Fear on the Character in the Short Stories, Tunneling to the Center of the Earth, Mortal Kombat, and Worst-Case Scenario (953 words, 3 pages)

In the stories that author Kevin Wilson wrote in Tunneling to the Center of the Earth, several characters are ruled by fear. The fear that these characters have eventually winded up having a solution or solve that helps resolve their fears. Fear is defined as "a feeling of agitation or ... Read More

An Analysis of Pap and Jim in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1022 words, 4 pages)

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are two characters who Huck spends his time with. They are his father, Pap, and the runaway slave, Jim. Jim and Pap both are fatherly figures to Huck, even though one shows it more than the other. In this book these two characters ... Read More

An Analysis of the Character Hank Foster in Grand Opening by Jon Hassler (837 words, 3 pages)

The Rare Man of His EraJon Hasslers Grand Opening shows with the character Hank Foster that a good man can be identified by his character, not the time nor the circumstances in which he lives.To begin with, Hank is a practical man in business and takes big risks pursuing higher ... Read More

An Analysis of Feelings in The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe (470 words, 3 pages)

Do creepy stories excite you and bring warmth to your body? Well they did for Edgar Allen Poe. He was an interesting man with a unique character and mentality. Edgar Allen Poe believes that part of some short stories is to scare and creep the reader out and bring out ... Read More

An Analysis of Williams’s Presentation of the Conflict Between Blanche and Stanley (778 words, 2 pages)

Analyse Williams presentation of the conflict between Blanche and Stanley in this extract The extract begins with the exit of Stella and the entrance of Blanche, igniting her conversation and eventual conflict with Stanley within the apartment. Hello, Stanley! Here I am, all freshly bathed and scented remarks Blanche excitably, ... Read More

An Analysis of Mexican-American Children in The Hammon and the Beans by Americo Paredes (620 words, 2 pages)

The Hammon and the BeansThe short story The Hammon and the Beans by the author Amrico Pardes describes the problems of Mexican-American children growing up in poverty. The story takes place in a fictional south of Texas setting of Jonesville-on-the-Grande. The author has used child characters to show the problems ... Read More

An Analysis of Physical Appearance in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates (737 words, 2 pages)

Where are you going? Where have you been?In the short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates a young girl's named Connie is concerned about her physical appearance. She can be described as being narcissistic because "she had a quick, nervous giggling habit of ... Read More

The Theme of Maturity in To Kill a Mockingbird, a Novel by Harper Lee (1100 words, 3 pages)

In the previous chapters, we have seen Jean-Louise Scout Finch, the narrator whose perspective is her older self, writing what her younger self was thinking during the time. We have seen her face the troubles of being a tomboy in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s and ... Read More

The Idealistic Woman in The Awakening, a Novel by Kate Chopin (955 words, 5 pages)

Kate Chopins, The Awakening, leads one to believe that the book would lift the average woman to new standards, but many are mistaken. This book takes place in the 1890s, when women were starting to realize their position in society. Edna Pontellier is the protagonist who lived life as a ... Read More

An Analysis of Conflicts in The Crucible by Arthur Miller (470 words, 1 pages)

The play The Crucible by Arthur Miller is full of conflicts between people and within themselves. Several conflicts are introduced in Act I. One of those is built around the affair between Abigail Williams and John Proctor. Another conflict is within John Proctor himself as he confronts difficult choices between ... Read More

An Analysis of Birth and Death in Coming of Age in Samoa by Margaret Mead (653 words, 2 pages)

As we know, we all have to live up to certain expectations. Im not talking about making sure your house is clean and going to work Monday to Friday, but of social norms. Many times they go unnoticed because they are instilled in us at such a young age and ... Read More

The Life and Work of William Faulkner, an American Novelist (1011 words, 4 pages)

Regarded as one of the greatest American novelists in literature William Faulkner was a man who used his life experience to prevail many novels, and stories throughout his lifetime. William Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi on September 25, 1897. Faulkner lived until the age of sixty-five, passing on ... Read More

A Comparison of Song of Smoke by Kevin Young and The Crucible by Arthur Miller (797 words, 4 pages)

The poem Song of Smoke by Kevin Young and the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller have many things in common within both of their story lines. Song of Smoke tells the story of a man who has just seen the most amazing woman imaginable. Everything from the way that ... Read More

A Review of the Book Moby Dick by Herman Melville (511 words, 2 pages)

Herman Melville writes in such a different way that he wants us readers to fall in love with Moby Dick. There are many ways and reasons why Melville uses the way he writes. Melville type of writing is what we can called the extraordinary language or even better they beyond ... Read More

An Analysis of On the Rainy River in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (1002 words, 4 pages)

In The Things They Carried theres a short story called On the Rainy River where the author Tim OBrien shares an experience which he has never told before to anyone in his life. He kept this story for so long because he is not proud and embarrassed of the choice ... Read More

The Opinion of Bruce Anders on Chapter Twenty-Six of Whose Names Are Unknown by Sanora Babb (777 words, 3 pages)

Why do we tend to keep the truth to ourselves? Is it because we are embarrassed? Are other peoples problems worse? These questions frequently occur when reading the novel Whose Names Are Unknown by Sanora Babb. Bruce Anders opinions show that he feels certain ways about Chapter Twenty-Six in this ... Read More

An Analysis of Mid-Life Crises in Jerry and Molly and Sam by Raymond Carver (355 words, 2 pages)

Mid-life crises in Jerry and Molly and Sam is an everyday problemIn the short story Jerry and Molly and Sam written by Raymond Carver, from the book Adaptations from Short stories to Big Screen by Stephanie Harrison, Al is showing copious amounts of issues in his life. His whole judgmental ... Read More

An Analysis of War Effects in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (785 words, 3 pages)

In The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien, Tim shares his belief that war is different for everybody and can affect everyone in different ways. His stories share some experiences and situations he had to overcome as a soldier in the Vietnam War. He uses fictional characters to explain real ... Read More

An Analysis of Perception in Gifted Hands and The House on Mango Street (1937 words, 7 pages)

Helen Keller once said, Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. We all face obstacles. The difference in how we surpass those obstacles is perception. If you tell a person you can do something, in spite of obstacles, you will be ... Read More

Conveying Powerful Emotions in Barn Burning by William Faulkner, The Storm by Kate Chopin, and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning (2116 words, 6 pages)

Each writer has their own story to tell. They create complex, mysterious characters to add and complete the story they are trying to convey to the audience. Characters may be nave, or they can be the representation of the devil himself. Characters have the ability to make readers relate with ... Read More

An Evaluation of Al’s Alcohol Addiction in Jerry and Molly and Sam by Raymond Carver (440 words, 2 pages)

Al and His Alcohol Addiction in Jerry and Molly and SamAl makes the worst decisions in the short story Jerry and Molly and Sam by Raymond Carver. Instead of getting prepared for the upcoming layoffs at work, he wastes his time drinking at a bar and screwing women on the ... Read More

An Analysis of Jacques’ Revenge in Spurs by Tod Robbins (820 words, 4 pages)

Revenge in the Story SpursJacques Corbe went after sweet revenge for Miss Mademoiselle Jeanne Marie in the short story Spurs by Tod Robbins from the book Adaptations from Short Story to Big Screen by Stephanie Harrison. What really caused him to be so vengeful in the end of that story? ... Read More

The Absence of Equality and Respect in A Man Called Horse by Dorothy M. Johnson (1204 words, 4 pages)

Equality and Respect in A Man Called HorseDorothy M. Johnsons short story A Man Called Horse describes an unnamed English man who went out west to live among his equals (231). He feels like he needs to be respected and treated like a king in the new land he is ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples