Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

A 3 page paper which provides a summary and analysis of John Whitman’s “Star Wars Galaxy of Fear: City of the Dead.” No additional sources cited.

A 3 page paper which compares and contrasts “The Destructors” by Graham Greene and “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

9 pages in length. Books about World War II are plentiful and comprehensive; no matter what aspect of the great war one might want to know about, there is a publication that covers it ad infinitum. The function that Stephen E. Ambrose and Gerald F. Linderman delve into in their books entitled Citizen ...

This 5 page paper examines the role of violence in Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, as a tool of social and historical commentary. Examples and quotes cited from text. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

An 8 page paper which considers how Hawthorne explores the theme of sin in each story, through metaphor and symbolism, to reach dire conclusions about the Puritan religion of his New England contemporaries. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 1950s movement toward a new type of domesticity was part of the movement of Blacks into the Middle Class and was part of Carl Hansberry’s activist work that helped frame the role his daughter, Lorraine Hansberry, would play in that dream. This is just one way in which the stories and themes in Lorraine ...

This 7 page paper analyzes Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth and Pearl for the impact of adultery on their lives and their development as characters. Quotes cited from text. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

5 pages in length. Inspirational, forthright and positive are three of myriad adjectives one might apply to Shelley Nixon's From Where I Sit: Making My Way with Cerebral Palsy, a touching yet straightforward account of Nixon's life as it has been conceived by way of cerebral palsy, but wholly lacking the requisite pitiful overtones ...

A 7 page paper which examines the modern world of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 4 page paper examines the themes of heritage and gender in Cisnero's two short stories: Eleven, and Barbie Q. Quotes cited from text to support thesis. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 6 page paper discusses the role of Presley in Frank Norris' book, The Octopus. Point of view, themes, brief synopsis, offered. Quotes cited from text. Bibliography lists 0 sources.

A 3 page essay that examines chapter 7 of Thoreau's Walden from the standpoint of the scientific method. The writer evaluates chapter 7, "The Bean-Field," both from a hard and soft scientific approach and argues that Thoreau's account is more successfully and accurately viewed as a sociological experience than an agricultural one. No additional sources ...

A 6 page overview of the contentions presented in this 1967 book. Noting the controversy surrounding the book and its occasional deviation from contemporary evolutionary thought, the author of this paper asserts that Morris for the most part echoes contemporary evolutionary thought. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 6 page paper which examines what Melville suggests is the motivation behind our most cherished values of charity, duty, and responsibility. Also considered are the role Bartleby plays in the narrator’s moral conflict, and the role Billy plays in Captain Vere’s. No additional sources are used.

A 5 page paper which examines the minor characters in William Faulkner’s “The Sound and the Fury” and Willa Cather’s “The Professor’s House.” No additional sources cited.

This 3 page paper discusses the archetypal images and symbols in John Updike's short story: Leaves. Quotes cited from text. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

Book report on the Parkman's classic text focusing on the theme that Parkman became a man through the adventure in terms of controlling his ego as part of the hero's journey. 1 work cited. jvOregTr.rtf

In the process of self-actualization, Erickson would say, every girl has to overcome her upbringing to become an individual. Jamaica Kincaid’s character Lucy makes the break dramatic beyond typical rebellion. Lucy suffers anarchy against the role of woman in society, and in particular, the expected role of mother. Because Lucy must leave behind this traditional ...

A 3 page paper which examines the symbolism present in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Bibliography lists 6 sources.

The concept of power is a theme running through all relationships, and each takes a different turn in Perkin’s Herland and Orwell’s 1984. Van and Ellador reach an understanding, a middle ground that allows each to experience the other’s world. Winston and Julia also find a middle ground in 1984, but this is through the ...

A 4 page paper which examines the development of Edna’s character in Kate Chopin’s novel “Awakening.” Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page paper which discusses the works of Sylvia Plath. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

An 8 page research paper that examines Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which offers an insightful and detailed look into life in a small Southern town in the 1930s. Lee shows the townspeople's strengths, weaknesses, foibles and biases through the eyes of the six-year-old Jean Louise Finch, who is known as "Scout." Because ...

A 4 page essay that examines the questions of whether or not Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman should be considered a tragedy, in the classic sense. The write presents both sides of this argument, but argues that, yes, the play does fit Aristotle's criteria for tragedy. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 6 page paper which examines the literary device of irony used in Edgar Allen Poe’s story “The Cask of Amontillado.” Bibliography lists 5 sources.