Essays and Research Papers on African-American Literature

This 6 page report discusses two of James Baldwin’s works that consider the ways in which an individual is defined by his or her environment. Just as a city mouse and a country mouse live worlds apart, so do the characters of Baldwin’s stories in terms of life in suburbs or in Harlem. Bibliography lists ...

This is a 5 page paper discussing time elements used in “Diving into the Wreck”, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and “Song of Solomon”. Adrienne Rich, T.S. Eliot and Toni Morrison all use effective perspectives to explore psychological time and history in their works “Diving into the Wreck”, “The Love Song of J. ...

A 5 page paper which examines the New York public school system in Sapphire’s novel “Push.” Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

A 6 page essay that analyzes Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use." In this story Walker offers an intriguing look at what it means to be genuine. Many African Americans feel that they have to look for their culture outside of their own past, that they have to go back to African traditions. While ...

This 6 page report discusses specific passages from Bruce Chatwin's Songlines," Jamaica Kincaid's "A Small Place," and Paul Theroux's "The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific." Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A five page paper which looks at race and gender relationships in Ellison's 'Invisible Man', with particular reference to the protagonist's experience of the 'Woman Question' during his time with the Brotherhood. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines “The Return of Simple” by Langston Hughes. The paper also discusses the importance of Langston Hughes. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This paper compares and contrasts Wiggins and Jefferson in Ernest Gaine's novel A Lesson Before Dying. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the transition from boyhood to manhood in the story “The Sky is Gray” by Ernest J. Gaines. Bibliography lists 3 additional sources.

This is a 5 page paper discussing myths and the acceptance of the ghost Beloved in Toni Morrison’s “Beloved”. As examination of the myths and superstitions which were believed by the American slaves were a fragment of the cultural beliefs from their African heritage and had a great effect on the psyche of the slaves. ...

A 5 page paper which examines racial perspectives in the chapter titled “Equal Opportunity” in Walter Mosley’s “Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned.” Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

A 5 page essay that, first of all, examines the paternalistic rationalization for slavery and then examines the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, a first person account of slavery, to see how well the paternalistic model of slavery fits with actual experience. The writer argues that no rationalization can justify slavery, with ...

5 pages in length. The primary conflicts that arise in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon – murder/death, the use of certain names, shame and domestic violence – are all indicative of the struggles inherent to Morrison's literary characters. That each conflict intertwines with one another speaks volumes about the difficulties these characters face ...

11 pages in length. Richard Wright's Black Boy and James Baldwin's Go Tell It on the Mountain critically apply the themes of family, religious faith and survival in such a way that readers are left pondering whether or not these particular elements are truly reflective of each story's respective characters or if, rather, they ...

A 5 page paper which examines the short story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara in regards to the old saying that it takes a village to raise a child. Bibliography lists 4 additional sources.

This 5 page report discusses Ernest Gaines’ A Gathering of Old Men, originally published in 1983, and allows the reader to hear from a number of perspectives and voices about what the experience of being African American in the South has meant to individual old (black) men. The story is about 15 old ...

A 5 page research paper that discusses the importance of slave narratives both to the study of the nineteenth century and also to African American literature today. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 7 page book report of Discovering the Women in Slavery, edited by Patricia Morton. This anthology consists of fourteen essays that explore the diversity of experience encompassed by female slave narrative and historiography. The writer offers a brief description of each of the fourteen essays. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page essay that examines the role of myth in Morrison's Beloved. The writer argues that Morrison draws on the biblical story of Cain and Morrison explores the nature of being "marked" by sin in a manner that transposes the myth of Cain to a setting that illuminates the emotional ramifications on the ...

A 5 page essay that examines the theme of identity in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. An examination of this classic novel demonstrates how the unnamed narrator of the novel emerges from the "labyrinth" of the self-knowledge to be confident within himself and resolved to act. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page essay that discusses the analogy that Du Bois uses in the Souls of Black Folk that alludes to the Greek myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece. The writer discusses how this analogy aids Du Bois in accomplishing his goals. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This is a 5 page reading note with some tutorial language (in square brackets) describing Anna Deavere Smith’s book and play “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992”. Anna Deavere Smith’s “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” is a book based on over 200 interviews Smith conducted accounting the riots and Rodney King beating which took place in Los Angeles ...

A 7 page analysis of the symbolism utilized by the noted author Alice Walker in her short story “Everyday Use”. The author of this paper details the manner in which clothing and articles such as quilts, hand-carved benches, and a hand-carved butter churn are symbolic in regard to the cultural dilemma faced by the ...

A 5 page paper which examines various themes and characters in Guy Johnson’s novel “Standing at the scratch Line.” No additional sources cited.

A 5 page essay that examines the theme of abandonment in Morrison's novel Sula. The writer argues that Morrison uses abandonment in several ways. First of all, abandonment aids Morrison in the process of characterization because it creates a crisis situation that tests the fortitude and self-image of the individuals involved. Secondly, the pervasiveness of ...