Essays and Research Papers on African-American Literature

A 5 page paper which examines the ways in which these works discuss similar topics or use similar images, considers whether or not they put these topics and images to the same literary use, and finally concludes with which work has been the most lasting legacy of the slave narratives. No additional sources are ...

Jacobs and Butler Look at Slavery: This 11-page analytical essay examines Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Octavia Butler’s Kindred. Although one book is autobiographical, and the other a sci-fi fantasy both explore interracial female relationships relevant to the institution of slavery in the 1800’s. An interpretation of the political ...

(5 pp)Ava Johnson is the main character of Pearl Cleage's 1997, first novel, What Looks Like Crazy on a Ordinary Day. Not only is the narrator of the tale, but throughout the read and afterwards, she has become our "new best friend." This discussion will share some of "who Ava is" and ...

A 5 page paper which examines how the setting deepens the understanding of the story, as well as deepens and illuminates the conflict. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

6 pages in length. The injustice experienced by Celie in Alice Walker's The Color Purple and Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables may appear divergent on the surface, however, there exists an underlying theme that transcends any obvious differences. Clearly, racial intolerance and social condemnation represent Celie's injustice, while Valjean fights a ...

A 5 page paper which examines the role of justice in each literary example. No additional sources are used.

People change. That's the nature of human behavior. This 5 page paper asserts that in The Color Purple by Alice Walker, the characters of Celie and Albert grow through the experiences of the story, providing examples from the book. No additional sources are listed.

A 5 page paper which discusses "Brothers and Keepers" by John Edgar Wideman as it relates to the character of John, who asks of himself, why his brother is in prison and he himself is free. The paper discusses how the author answers this somewhat eternal type of question which relates to fate and one's position in life. No ...

Alice Walker's 1982, Pulitzer Prize award-winning novel, The Color Purple has become a classic in defining the role of women of color. This 7 page discussion will look at some of those stereotypical roles of the past and make an effort to determine whether they have changed or just taken on another disguise, in ...

A 5 page paper that provides: a thesis statement, a synopsis of the story, major themes, and symbolism, emphasizing the symbolism of the quilts. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page paper which compares and contrasts these novels, and also examines the theme of the American Dream in each. No additional sources are used.

A 7 page essay t hat contrasts and compares Richard Wright's Native Son and Willard Motley's Knock On Any Door. The writer argues that each novel is similar to a sociological case study, in that the social forces at work in the environment play an intrinsic role in the narrative. While, neither Wright nor Motley ...

This 5 page paper compares and contrasts two works, an article by Barbara Fields and a novel by George Schuyler entitled Black No More. Both authors seem to believe that race is socially constructed. The relationship of race and class is explored. No additional sources cited.

This 6 page report discusses two of the most popular American fiction writers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries are Stephen King and Toni Morrison. King is often condemned as nothing more than a marketing phenomenon or that his writing is just a game of gore and horror but King is a writer that takes chances while dealing with ...

A 6 page essay that examines the manner in which Toni Morrison dramatizes the effects that cultural standards of beauty have on the psyches of an African American family in the 1930s. The writer draws on the definition of "misnaming" given by Hortense Spillers, but bibliographical data for this reference was unavailable. No additional sources ...

This 5 page paper examines the character of Dave Saunders in Wright's classic coming of age story. Many quotes are included and symbolism is discussed. No additional sources cited.

A five page paper which looks at the use of symbolism in three narratives, in terms of the way in which it conveys deeper or universal meanings to the reader whilst forming an integral part of the structure of the story and the personal development of the characters. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page paper analysis of the background, character, theme, symbolism, language, and style of the popular African-American short story. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page essay that compares and contrasts Ellison's "Battle Royal" and Toni Cade Bambara's story "The Lesson." In these narratives, young African Americans receive a complicated lesson in American culture, lessons that will make the protagonists evaluate who they are and the position that they occupy in the society at large, and – most ...

This 5 page paper argues that Stowe has chosen to use symbols and, or characterizations, associated with good, evil and, or, the conflict between the two as a way of making the point of the novel: slavery is evil and should be abolished. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 8 page paper considers the way in which the story 'Native Son' is full of symbolism throughout the story. The writers considers the use of symbolism and explain it using quotes form the book and comparisons with traditional uses of symbolism. The bibliography cites 7 sources.

This 6 page report discusses Octavia Butler’s 1987 novel “Dawn” in which she presents the theme of slavery in the service of another beings’ hierarchy and sense of survival and order. “dawn” became the first book in a trilogy, followed by “Adulthood Rites” (1988) and “Imago” (1989). Nuclear war has decimated Earth in “Dawn” and human beings are almost extinct. ...

A 5 page essay that analyzes the first chapter of Morrison's novel Song of Solomon. The writer discusses the action in the first chapter, and its implications towards use of characterization, setting and thematic content for the novel. No additional sources cited.

A 4 page essay that examines the relationship between Celie and Shug in Alice Walker's The Color Purple. The writer argues that it is through the example set by Shug that Celie sees what being black and female can mean. Shug helps Celie in her journey from being the insecure child that she is at ...

5 pages. The interesting novel Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid gives the reader an in-depth look at the meaning of culture shock. When nineteen-year-old Lucy comes to America from the West Indies to work for a wealthy couple with four children, Lucy almost instantly sees the difference between true happiness and what is only a ...