Essays and Research Papers on African-American Literature

This 3 page paper examines the book Passing, and argues that it, like Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, is about an America that forces its black citizens into a life of invisibility. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 3 page analysis and summary of Valerie Wilson Wesley’s “When Death Comes Stealing.” Bibliography lists 1 additional source.

A 3 page paper which examines how the male protagonists in each of these respective works experience a crisis of masculinity, comparing and contrasting their causes and resolutions. No additional sources are used.

A 3 page paper which examines how dialect is used in the novel as part of self-representation. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This is a 5 page paper which argues that the main theme in Nella Larsen's "Passing" is racism and its impact. The bibliography has 1 source.

A 3 page essay that briefly summarizes the plot to this novel and what happens to its protagonist, Pecola Breedlove. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page annotated bibliography that addresses sources on Walker's novel Possessing the Secret of Joy. The writer summarizes 4 secondary sources and the primary.

A 6 page paper which compares and contrasts “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright and “How Far She Went” by Mary Hood. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 7 page essay that contrasts and compares these two works. While separated by millennia, the twentieth century play Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and the ancient Greek play Antigone by Sophocles share thematic similarities due to the fact that in each work there are characters who rebel against the standards of society, ...

This 4 page paper explicates Baldwin's short story, 'Sonny's Blues.' Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 4 page paper which examines the conflict between mother and daughter as seen in Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use.” No additional sources cited.

A 5 page paper which examines how some of the characters in Ernest Gaines’ work “A Lesson Before Dying” try to achieve subjectivity. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the friendship of women regarding Celie and Sofia in “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page paper which examines how black women overcome oppression and rise above the standards established by society in the novel, specifically considering Celie’s relationship with Shug, and how she and her female contemporaries are ultimately stronger and fare better than their deceitful and domineering male counterparts. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 6 page paper which examines the theme of racism in Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 7 page paper which examines the theme of money in Zora Neale Hurston’s story “The Gilded Six-Bits.” Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

A 3 page paper which examines coming into adulthood and being betrayed by adults as seen in “Araby” by James Joyce and “Battle Royal” by Ellison. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page essay that offers a close reading of two passages, one from The Darker Face of the Earth” by Rita Dove and the other from “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles. No additional sources cited.

This 6 page paper discusses the novel "Caucasia" and argues that Sandy never succeeds in breaking free from her "WASP" origins. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 4 page comparison and contrast between Alice Walker’s Everyday Use and James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues. No additional sources cited.

A 10 page research paper that addresses five specific issues/questions concerning Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye. Issues addresses are: how racism functions in the story; racism or sexism as the greatest threat to the children; symbolism of Shirley Temple; Cholly's childhood; and use of stereotypes. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses Anne Moody's book "Coming of Age in Mississippi. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 3 page book review of William Wells Brown's novel Clotel, or, The President's Daughter, which was first published in 1853 and has the distinction of being the first novel authored by an African American. The fundamental premise of the novel is that Thomas Jefferson fathered children by one of his slaves. The narrative begins ...

A 5 page paper which provides examples of possible monologues of the protagonists in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited,” William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning,” John Cheever’s “The Swimmer,” Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People,” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use.” No additional sources cited.

A 4 page essay that discusses the overall framework of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, which features a female protagonist who survives both racism and patriarchy to become a strong, independent woman. Janie Crawford, Hurston's heroine, is first presented as an idealistic, but compliant girl who agrees to marry a man she ...