Free American Literature Essay Examples & Topics. Page 4

1,963 samples

“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

Shirley Jackson’s Short Story “The Lottery”

Although there does not seem to be much of the original materials, practices or meaning of the lottery available to the reader, the degree to which people have become slaves to tradition is emphasized in [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 703

Anti-Franklinian Stance of Rip Van Winkle’s Character

Metamophically Rip's nagging wife is the British petticoat governor in the colonial era, and Rip's reunion with his family symbolizes the American Revolution. They both held to the belief that Rip's character was an antithesis [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 555

Little Red Riding Hood Revisited by Russell Baker

It is important to stress that Baker filled his new version of the story with a number of professions being popular and respected by modern generation."The purpose of this enlarged viewing capability," said the wolf, [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 810

“And Our Flag Was Still There” by B. Kingsolver

Kingsolver uses everyday examples to unveil importance of the American flag as a symbol of national unity and patriotism. In sum, the flag means much more for American people than a national symbol: it is [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 552

“Am I Blue” Short Story by Alice Walker

The plot of the story, therefore, becomes an argumentative platform for the author to touch on the way the animals are being discriminated upon and how that is more than likely similar to how people [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1050

Use of Language in Susan Glaspell’s ‘Trifles’

The play begins as the County Attorney and the Sheriff have come to investigate the murder and find the motive. Irony helps Glaspell to unveil women's right to suffrage and dramatize the situation.in the play, [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1167

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

Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat”

It is humanity and collaboration that are invincible to the cruelty of nature. To Crane, nature is the uncontrollable and powerful force that is indifferent to people.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 845

“Recitatif” a Book by Toni Morrison

The author leads the reader through the intricacy of the events occurring to Twyla and Roberta and does not provide the reader with exact information about the girls' race.
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2246

“The Wind” a Novel by Dorothy Scarborough

The author focuses on the thoughts of the protagonist, Letty Mason, and shows the world through her eyes. Letty is a young woman that is not prepared to live in the harsh environment of her [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1192

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

Literature Analysis of Charlotte Mew Poems

Being different in their structure and stylistic devices, these three poems, however, are devoted to the exploration of the motif of death, destruction, and renewal which are integral parts of the war. It is devoted [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1124

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

Analysis of “The Dubious Rewards of Consumption”

As a researcher on the social aspects of increased consumption characteristic of western societies such as the US and the UK, he cautions that the pursuit of happiness by individuals in such societies should not [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 552

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

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

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

Influence of Mark Twain on Writers

While attempting to provide a voice to his protagonist, Mark Twain employed his "vernacular of the people" when writing Huck Finn to give a voice to an illiterate, impoverished white youngster in the American hinterlands [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1160

Carnival Season in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”

In this monograph, the author explores the depiction of madness in literary works and specifically Poe's "The cask of amontillado". This article in a scholarly journal analyzes the protagonist of Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado' [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 669

“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

“On Bullshit” by Harry G. Frankfurt

While the nature of the phenomenon will be described in detail on the following pages, the abstract under analysis states a number of reasons as to why the author decided to address the issue in [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 825

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

Edward P. Jones’ “Young Lions”

In that regard, such perceptions are found throughout the whole story, from a particular sequence of the events, such as the death of Caesar's mother, the flowers stolen by Angelo, being beaten and kicked out [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 854

“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

“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

“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

The Green Mile: Interview with Stephen King

I cannot help but agree with this fact because this powerful combination of the novel and the movie helps to understand each character better, develop a personal attitude to the author of the novel, and [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 878

The Damned Human Race by Mark Twain

This is a clear indication of the great distinction that exists between the higher animals and man. Despite the negative attributes of a man, he is also religious.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 417

“Dead Man at Grandview Point” by Edward Abbey

In this chapter, the Abbey's goal is not to clarify the reasons of death, but to explain that death is something all people have to accept one day, and the way the tourist at Grandview [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 500

“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

John Steinbeck’s The Pearl

As the title of the book suggests, the story is based on the enormous pearl Kino finds, and the events that took place as people tried to hunt Kino for possessing the pearl.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 585

“Dawn” by Elie Wiesel

The murder of John transformed Elisha's life to a murderer of masses when he gave up his life to the terrorist movement.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 586

Gender and Sexuality in Virginia Woolf’s Orlando

Using the book, the paper will support the argument that it is inaccurate to bind gender and sexuality. Orlando continues to break the convention of sex and gender and find her place as a woman [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1903

“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe Analysis

A poem that deals with family relationships and explain the poem's meaning The poem is heavily based on the relationship between the narrator and Lenore with their affection being the subject of the whole poem.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 912

Edward Cullen’s Character in the “Twilight”

The character of Edward Cullen in particular can be considered as a representation of the obsession of society with presenting a facade of who they are in order to properly blend in with their social [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1604

“The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop

Consequently, the fish appears as a courageous fighter who has been struggling for existence and is rewarded by the gift of life it that gets from the narrator in the end of the poem.
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  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 961

The Emperor of Ice Cream

In the mentioned stanza the action takes place in the kitchen of the deceased woman for the purpose of depicting her concupiscent way of life by means of the presence of muscular man preparing an [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 539

Ayn Rand’s “Anthem” Book Analysis

Despite being centered on the antiutopian model of the narration, the author strives to show the first step for the person to obtain individuality. Supporting the ideology of the author and the situation depicted in [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1224