Free American Literature Essay Examples & Topics. Page 14

1,929 samples

“The Giver” a Novel by Lois Lowry

Before the Sameness, the world of the book was much like ours. Finally, the central box lists the emotions and sensations, probably the cause most responsible for the occurrence of the Sameness.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 538

“The Story of an Hour” Plot by Kate Chopin

In this case, the duty of the person breaking the news was to appear gentle while transmitting the sensitive news. It was quite unnoticed that a sob was to hit her hard since she was [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 554

Racism in “To Kill Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee

The family is transformed from poverty to wealth, but it remains one of the few white families ready to accommodate and recognize the black people as a part of the society, while other Whites oppress [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 833

Puritans in “The Scarlet Letter” by Hawthorne

As I read through the introductory part of the novel, the statements made by the narrator reinforced the idea that the Puritans were bad people. I was surprised at the obsession they had when it [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 330

Hills Like White Elephants by Hemingway

The setting of the place also seems perfect for the discussion that the couple had. This demonstrates that she is comfortable with the pregnancy should it happen to be the outcome of their action.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 571

“Ligeia” a Book by Edgar Allan Poe

Since the fact that the narrator is not in full control of the mind, this is made very apparent by the author, it could mean that Ligeia and Rowena are really the same people and [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1185

“The Scarlet Letter” a Novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne

This essay asserts that the role of the narrator in The Scarlet Letter functions more as social critic of the Puritanical values that founded the United States; the narrator of The Scarlet Letter represents Hawthorne's [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 1941

American Literature Course: Reason for Attaining

Literary works have always been a source of fascination and enjoyment for me, and it is due to this that I have taken this course not out of any particular reason outside of that I [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1087

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

It remains evident that the primary goal of the book is to display the existence of the dramatic social gap in income, inequalities, and the ability of the people to find the way out of [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 846

“The Open Boat” a Book by Stephen Crane

The mood in the story is melancholic, partly due to the predicament of the boat and its occupants. According to the description of the boat in the book, there is little space for the sailors [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 831

“Breadwinning Daughters” a Book by Katrina Srigley

This paper examines the major tenets of the book and evaluates their significance to the history of Women in Canada. The writer introduces the book to readers by showing how women contributed to development in [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2226

“Osage County” a Drama by Tracy Letts

Being also preoccupied with the problems in her marriage and separation with her husband, Barbara Fordham works hard on trying to settle the relationships in her family and on understanding what goes wrong with her [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 562

John Updike’s Story “A&P”

The final line brings closure to the story by showing that despite Sammy's efforts to please the three girls and even going to the extent of quitting his job, they hardly appreciate his gesture and [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 626

Humanism in African-American Literature

The fact that this was indeed the case can be illustrated, in regards to the story's episode, in which Sonny expresses his contempt of the narrator's idea that it is thoroughly natural for people to [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2237

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hence is the unique peculiarity of the narration: the short story is interpreted as the text with the contradictions. Hawthorne uses his favorite device of the ironic ambiguous features, the shift of the viewpoint from [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1106

Journey to Self in “Quicksand” by Nella Larsen

From the very beginning of the novel, the author reveals the problem of the individual and its place in society. And vice versa, in the society of the black, she experiences the white side of [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1177

Life-Challenges in “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan

Thus, Wu Xing implies that the universe's building blocks exist in the state of circumstantial uncertainty depending on what happened to be the qualitative features of how one of the elements relates to the other, [...]
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3328

Local Customs and Traditions in the US

This difference in customs impacting behavior can be seen in the story "My Mother, the Crazy African" wherein Lin is ashamed of her mother who is thoroughly immersed in her Nigerian culture and background despite [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 623

Langston Hughes: “Harlem” and “Mother to Son”

Thus, the analysis of the lines the poem includes gives us an opportunity to suppose that Hughes depicted the issues he was interested in, the issues, which can be regarded as burning problems of his [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 663

Creating the Illusion of Life in Literature

The black death in the meaning of a shame which has been planted into one's life could also be the death of the young and beautiful Docia, the death of her hopes for the future [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 665

Art of Love by Ovid

Thus, it is reasonable to suggest that the criteria for the evaluation should be applied to the times when the book was created and the materials that do not fear the grip of time, the [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1323

“Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan

In the novel, she explores several aspects of Confucianism, which is a philosophical, religious and ethical system that is predominantly comprised of religious and traditional precepts of Chinese traditions. For instance, obedience is one of [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 829

Sea Oak’ by George Saunders

The reason for this is that, despite the unconventional sounding of the story's plot line, it appears innately consistent with what happened to be the socially suppressed unconscious anxieties, on the part of readers.
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2541

Holy War over Ground Zero by Joseph Bottum Literature Analysis

Joseph Bottum makes several powerful points regarding the constitutional independence of religion, but because he begins with some assumptions about the proposal for the building project that is inaccurate, he thus irritatingly casts into question [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 602

Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri Literature Analysis

The parents want him to have two identities with one represented by the name 'Nikhil', which should be used at school to fit in the American culture and 'Gogol' to be used at home as [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 598

“The Lesson” by Tony Bambara

The primary intention of Miss Moore is to expose the children to the outside world away from the everyday oppression and limited opportunities.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 570

The Poem “1861” by Walt Whitman

Furthermore, the description of the character and appearance of the soldier is used in the poem to describe the progress, intensity, as well as the overall effects, brought about by the Civil war.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 874

“A Desperate Adventure” by Max Adeler

In conclusion, it is possible to note that the central theme of the short story is ability of one person to help people cope with their problems and live on.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 564

If I Close My Eyes by Nancy Levin

This is one of the questions that are of great interest to this poet because she wants to show that memory is closely tied to imagination.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1099

“A & P” by John Updike

Updike in the short story "A & P" uses Sammy, a teenager who is employed as a clerk in a grocery shop to illustrate the difficulties involved in the process of growing up.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 615

“Ode to the West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Kapstein has compiled his work in The Symbolism of the Wind and the Leaves in Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind, this paper examines this Kapstein's analysis, and the writer differs with Kapstein on some [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 909

The Big Squeeze by Steven Greenhouse

According to the author, in the past three decades, many American workers have continued to work past their retirement age to solve the problem of their insufficient retirement incomes.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 823

Jerome Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye

Thus, this paper, starting with the outline of characters and plot, discusses potential interpretations of The Catcher in the Rye and proposes the opinion of the paper's author.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1209

Lessons of Wisdom From Seniors to Youth

In this respect, the author's close affiliation with her grandparents came as a particularly valuable asset, because by listening to their life-stories, Hooks grew to realize the fact that, allegorically speaking, one's endowment with the [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1143

Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

The purpose for the referral is the feelings of despair and guilt from which the woman suffers. In spite of the problems within the family with the mother and brother, Maggie hoped she could improve [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 893

The Critical Response to Patrick Sharkey’s Stuck In Place

In his work Stuck in Place: Urban Neighborhoods and the End of Progress toward Racial Equality, Patrick Sharkey provides facts to support the idea that the obvious racial inequality exists, especially in the urban neighborhoods, [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1217

Gluttony in the Merchant of Four Seasons

According to Francine Prose, gluttony often disguises itself in different forms, like the need to get a little more, the desire to have something more delicious, or the temptation to have a snack between the [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1931

True West by Sam Shepar

In addition, he is cunning and nosy as he manages to cut-short the conversation between Austin and Saul in order to engage Saul in his story and golf discussion. Lee humbles himself and joins Austin [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 873

Mark Twain’s Creative Writing Process

The research focuses on Mark Twain's use of humor persuades the readers to finish the entire novel. Mark Twain.creatively wove the novels to bring the real life issue of racism to the readers.
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1712

Male Chauvinism in Wife Wooing

Therefore, the fact that, while sitting by the fireplace with his wife, Updike felt suddenly amorous, cannot be thought of as a proof of him being a romantic individual, but rather an indication of the [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 906

Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem

Dylan is a white kid living in the midst of a black community in Brooklyn and just like the other children in the neighborhood he attends the public schools.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1283

Broca’s Area and Language Comprehension

This paper will therefore dwell upon the role of Broca's area in language comprehension as well as other critical human capabilities Paul Broca was the first person to establish that the posterior section of the [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1651