Essays and Research Papers on African-American Literature

This 5 page paper compares aspects of Dave in "The Man who was almost a Man" (Richard Wright) with Clay from "The Dutchman" (Amiri Baraka). Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 5 page paper discusses the names of the characters Beloved and Sethe in Toni Morrison's novel "Beloved," and argues that the characters are named as they are because of the way they behave. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

In five pages this paper examines the common thread of African American women’s identity that forges a community through the generations as revealed in Bambara’s short stories ‘My Man Bovanne,’ ‘Gorilla, My Love,’ ‘The Lesson,’ and ‘The Survivor.’ Three sources are cited in the bibliography.

This 4 page paper discusses the religious symbolism in Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat.” Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 4 page paper which examines the theme of dreams in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. Bibliography lists 1 additional source.

This 3 page paper discusses Ida B. Well's book "Southern Horrors and Other Writings," and why Wells calls lynching terrorism. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 3 page paper examines this novel and looks at symbolism, plot line, thematic elements and characterization. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 7 page paper which compares the images of Carson McCullers’ Café and Zora Neale Hurston’s Porch. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the dreams of the characters in Lorraine Hansberry’s novel A Raisin in the Sun. No additional sources cited.

In eight pages this paper presents a detailed summary of Barbara Chase-Riboud’s historical novel, Hottentot Venus. There are no additional sources listed in the bibliography.

This 4 page paper discusses Alice Walker’s short story, “Everyday Use.” Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 5 page essay that discusses Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, which are similar in that both authors use the structure of their novels as a tool that facilitates the achievement of their thematic purposes. In The Bluest Eye, Morrison’s references to the Dick-and-Jane reading primer aids Morrison ...

This 3 page paper discusses bell hooks’ memoir Bone Black, and argues that the poverty, racism , class distinction and religious betrayal she suffered as a child molded her into the writer and poet she became. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 4 page essay that contrasts and compares the work of African American poets Raymond Carver and Langston Hughes, who are separated by decades, but nevertheless shares similarities in that both poets favored an abbreviated style that employed an economy of words. Each poet favored choosing the precise image that would conjure understanding in ...

A 3 page paper which examines oppression in Alice Walker’s short story Coming Apart. No additional sources cited.

This 3 page paper explores the characters, theme, setting, plot and point of view of Jean Rhys's short story "Let Them Call It Jazz." Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 3 page paper which examines the significance of drug use, as it relates to the impact on family, in James Baldwin’s short story Sonny’s Blues. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page paper which examines the symbolic significance of the snake in Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat.” Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 8 page paper examines the concept of motherhood as Toni Morrison describes it in “Beloved” and “Song of Solomon.” Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page essay that discusses abuse, racism and feminism, which are all evident features of three literary works: Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues," and Raymond Carver's "Cathedral." The characters in each of these works are, of course, very different, but the authors share a desire to explore the parameters of ...

A 3 page paper which examines moral ambiguity in Toni Morrison’s novel Sula. No additional sources cited.

In three pages this paper examines how the ways in which an individual handles situations of perceived injustice influences the conduct of that person’s life, affects those around him or her, and can have social consequences. References made to Tablet II of The Epic of Gilgamesh and an incident in Essie Mae’s life described ...

A 6 page paper which examines the conflicts between mothers and daughters in these respective African-American works. No additional sources are used.

A 6 page essay that examines several of Ellison’s short stories, as well as his novel Invisible Man, as these works demonstrate that Ellison frequently addressed two literary ideas. The first concerns the motif of initiation, which is a literary device that affords Ellison a means of critiquing society due to the fact that ...

A 5 page research paper which examines the work and messages of Langston Hughes. Bibliography lists 6 sources.