Free American Literature Essay Examples & Topics. Page 4

1,964 samples

“The Black Cat” Short Story by Edgar Allan Poe

The purpose of the short story has long been a subject of debate."The Black Cat," while having some characteristics of the horror genre, presents a psychoanalytical approach to the mind of a psychopath, a scrutiny [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 671

“The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood

In interpreting the book, the main area of discussion will be supporting the meanings of the work whereas in evaluating the book, the focus will be coming up with the literary merit of the book [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1235

A Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

By the time of her death from cancer of the breast only 18 months after publication of this book, she had been awarded a freedom medal by the president and indeed a revolution to fight [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1933

Short Story “Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry

Yet, the worst was still laying ahead it is not only that Dorset had refused to pay ransom for the release of his son, but he himself demanded ransom from both kidnappers, in order to [...]
  • 5
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1469

“The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright

In his novella The Man Who Was Almost a Man Richard Wright tells the story of a seventeen-year-old African-American adolescent, Dave Saunders, who has a strong desire to buy a gun to prove to everyone [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 875

“The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell's main thesis pertains to the trends in society being understood in the same manner as researchers understand the spreading of viruses and to the fact that a surprisingly large variety of social phenomena can [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 595

“My Year of Meats” Novel by Ruth Ozeki

The novel "My Year of Meats" by Ruth Ozeki is a satirical story combining fiction together with fact and seems to present the view of the meat industry in the USA.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1764

“Happy Endings” by M. Atwood

The same characters, used are piercing through the story, being a red line of it are used with a purpose, the author is to reveal only at the end of the story.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1586

“Impulse” Short Story by Conrad Aiken

Many of the works of Aiken have a reflection on his interests about the psychoanalysis and the progress of identity. However, what the main character did is a mere expression of what he feels at [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1387

“After a Life” the Story by Yiyun Li

Concerning the Su family, the sense of shame is noticeable even back in the childhood years of Mr.and Mrs.Su. Although both families are feeling ashamed, lacking love, and Fongs do not show any signs of [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1293

“A&P” a Short Story by John Updike

This product display forms a landmark for the narrator to track the progress of the trio of girls. This is a big car to hold the screaming mom and kids.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 949

“No-No Boy” a Book by John Okada

The third chapter of No-No Boy by John Okada starts with the main character Ichiro, the Japanese American released from prison, leaving Freddie's and walking the streets of the city.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 379

Relationships in “A Mercy” by Toni Morrison

The women portrayed in the story are Rebekka, the wife of the farm owner Jacob Vaark, Florens, a black slave sold to the farmer, Lina, the Indigenous servant, and Sorrow, the woman with an unknown [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 850

Too Many Crooks by Donald Edwin Westlake

Truly, after scrutinizing the blueprints that they can find thoroughly, they learn that one among the walls of the tunnel is erected right where the vault of the bank is situated.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 882

“A Different Mirror” by Ronald Takaki

The skepticism towards the existence of a amulticultural society' is mostly due to the fact that American citizens of European descent are considered to be the 'natural citizens' of the United States.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 561

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Clearly, the content of the mystery of the supernatural hound in the novel is not the only reason for the sustained popularity of the novel but it was for the cunning fiction formation of the [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1556

“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

In the 1930s, African Americans were discriminated in all spheres of their lives and it was uncommon for a white person to help an African American. The entire conversation is the symbolic representation of the [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 584

An analysis of the poem titled Ballad of Birmingham

In this situation, the author is trying to give emphasis to the mother's view, regarding the participation of her daughter in the march. This essay had set out to explain the usage of literary techniques [...]
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  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1128

Marriage in The Yellow Wallpaper

She has failed to recognize that she is the driver of her own life, and blame should not be put on man. Therefore, she is not able to work her creativity and ends up drawing [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 593

“The Fat Girl” by Andre Dubus

First of all, she became attractive and gained the approval of her mother who was never satisfied with the appearance of her daughter and encourage her to lose weight: "For days her relatives and acquaintances [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 839

“Animal Farm” by George Orwell

After the revolution in the Animal Farm, the animals establish the philosophy of Animalism in order to be different from human beings.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 717

“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost

The analysis helps to understand the message of the poem and realize the author's vision of the world. The euphony facilitates the process of absorbing into the poem, and allows to experience with the narrator [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 965

Baldwin’s “Go Tell It on the Mountain” Analysis

Baldwin draws attention to the uncomfortable fuzziness between the desire and perception of righteousness and the likelihood and actuality of life heading toward eternal damnation to examine themes relating to sexuality. The concepts of domestic [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1177

Close Reading of “Men We Reaped” by Jesmyn Ward

Ward's "Men We Reaped" is a synthesis of significant social problems, from the fragility of African-American men and family responsibility to the difficulties of living simultaneously in the black and white worlds."Men We Reaped" is [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1108

“How I Met My Husband” by Alice Munro

The source is effective such that it helps to extract the language used in Munro's story and establish how the language is expressively used based on the contexts.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1757

The Book “Night” by Elie Wiesel

Eliezer is the narrator in the tale and experiences multiple challenges throughout the story. Faith, guilt and inaction, and inhumanity are some of the narratives themes that readers can analyze when focusing on the various [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 596

“Trifles” by Susan Glaspell

Wright's beloved canary, as well as in the county attorney's and the sheriff's behaviors, mocking the women for their concentration on "trifles".
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 391

“The Awakening” by Kate Chopin

The Awakening is a novel by Kate Chopin published in 1899. The novel is an earlier work of feminism as it shows a woman’s search for identity by rejecting oppressive social norms.
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 893

“Dare to Lead” by B. Brown

Dare to Lead refers to the works devoted to psychological issues and is intended to focus on delusions in respect of the modern workplace, finding the keys to true leadership.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 827

“Under the Overpass” by M. Yankoski

The author intends to put himself and his companion to the test by traveling to six cities of the US in the conditions of uncertainty and social rejection.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1378

The Story “Who’s Irish” by Gish Jen

One of the main issues raised in the story is the indignation of the older woman by the behavior of her granddaughter who "is not like my daughter Natalie, or like me".
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 851

Grace Paley’s “A Conversation with My Father”

The interrelation of these parts makes the whole text a metaphysical work, and Paley uses it to comment on the state of literature and the definition of "short stories" that are often considered traditional.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 285

“Empire Rising” Novel by Thomas Kelly

As the story turns out to be, Michael, who is the main character in the story is being brought out as one of those Irish men who had come to America in pursuit of wealth [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2240

“Red Harvest” by Dashiell Hammett

Red Harvest was the first detective story written by Hammett and the first crime fiction that created a new sub-genre in a crime fiction literature.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1475

“A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin

Even when she "found herself the unexpected possessor of fifteen dollars" she did not want to spend the money for nothing and started carefully making plans trying to figure out what the best way to [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 612

American Literature and the Two World Wars

They both post-war kinds of literature of America represent the revolutionary transformation in the world view of the literary figure and the employment of the most modern tools of interpreting the war-affected world.
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1730

Kinship Rules by Deloria’s “Waterlily”

In defining the goals for the Dakotas in keeping the kinship rules, as stated by the author herself, "to keep the rules imposed by kinship for achieving civility, good manners, and a sense of responsibility [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 675

How to Win Friends and Influence People by D. Carnegie

The simple truths in the book were relevant to all generations and hence the book is of universal appeal."How to Win Friends and Influence People" tapped into the insatiable hunger for self-improvement and success in [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2322

“The Caretaker” by Anthony Doerr

Liberia descends to anarchy and lawlessness, and he runs for dear life and finds himself in a different country, thousands of miles from his.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 334

“The Day after Superman Died” by Ken Kesey

The following is an incisive study on the work of Kesey "The day when superman died" it is giving an insight into the symbolism, which Kesey has used to depict the theme of the story [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1292

“How to Tell a Story?” a Book by Mark Twain

For instance, he says that the humorous story applies simplicity in its narration that the storyteller tells the story in a simple and innocent way that tends to amuse the listeners without even having to [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 843

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

Literature Studies: Every Little Hurricane by Sherman Alexie

Talking about the relationships between Americans and the Natives has never been easy, mostly because of the notorious historic events that took place during the colonization of America, and the following misunderstandings between the Native [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 847

Daddy by Sylvia Plath

It is expressed through the eyes of a young girl, the persona, who tries to grapple with the disturbing memories of her late father. The disillusionment on the part of the persona is begotten by [...]
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  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2415

Hunter Thompson’s experience and writing style

Through his work, he came up with a writing style known as "Gonzo journalism which entails a concept where a reporter actively involves him/herself in the action to such a degree that he becomes central [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2162

The Things They Carried

Given the fact that he was the one in charge of the other soldiers' well-being, he felt he could have done something to prevent Lavender's death.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 629

The Way to Rainy Mountain: Analysis of the Text

The way to Rainy Mountain is not a simple description of how the Kiowa people developed, learnt, and protected their knowledge. They got one simple right to live and be the people of Kiowa.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 545

The “Esperanza Rising” Novel by Pam Muñoz Ryan

The novel focuses on the life of Esperanza Ortega, who goes through various challenges in her life after the death of her father. The experiences of the main character prove that starting over is an [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 802