Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

A 3 page paper which examines how women are portrayed in Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery.” Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

This 3 page paper discusses his autobiographical novel, "A Place to Stand," by Jimmy Santiago Baca. Bibliography lists 2 sources/

4 pages in length. The writer briefly discusses how Orwell's imaginative literary work is beginning to reflect the not-so-subtle occurrences in today's society. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page paper which examines the significance of Mary Shelley’s subtitle to Frankenstein; “The Modern Prometheus.” No additional sources cited.

This 6 page paper provides an overview of the application of two lifespan theorists, John Watson and John Bowlby, in an assessment of the personality of Edgar Allan Poe. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

A 6 page essay that discusses how Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" was possibly inspired from details of her parents' marriage, and particularly, her father's death. The writer discusses similarities between the story and Chopin's life and the nature of nineteenth century marriage. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

This 4 page paper discusses the narrator of The Invisible Man and whether or not he has learned anything from his experiences. Bibliography lists 1 source.

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 5 page discussion about Lance Armstrong's account of his fight against cancer. This paper provides several quotes from Armstrong's book as well as a detailed review of the physiological changes that come about with cancer. Bibliography lists sources.

A 3 page essay that includes a 1 page outline of the essay. At first glance, Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour," which was first published in 1894, seems to portray a woman who is a "monster," as she revels in the death of her husband. However, when the modern reader understands ...

This 3 page paper examines this Native American novel that confronts issues about heritage and lineage. Various aspects of the work are discussed. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page paper which examines the existence of pride in Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 4 page essay that discusses Royall Tyler’s late eighteenth century play “The Contrast,” which reflects an era when the young United States was still struggling to establish its own cultural identity, apart from European influences. This purpose explains the principal theme of the play, which contrasts the virtues favored by the nascent American culture ...

A 5 page essay that describes the unusual structure of Tim O'Brien war novel The Things They Carried. The writer than contrasts and compares two of the stories, "The Man I Killed" and "Ambush," relating this to O'Brien's overall intention in this work. No additional sources cited.

This 3 page paper reviews Jonathan Reed's book "One South: An Ethnic Approach to Regional Culture," about Southern identity. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 4 page analysis of The Luck of Roaring Camp by Bret Harte. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 3 page paper briefly reviews Marc Prensky's book about using computer games to help young people learn. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page paper which summarizes and then reacts to the novel The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox. No additional sources cited.

A 6 page essay that explores 2 works. Yoshiko Uchida's memoir Desert Exile (1982) and Anzia Yezierska's Bread Givers (1925). In these books, readers encounter the accounts of two women, each descended from first generation immigrants to America, each facing prejudice and obstacles and each coming to terms with the difficulty of being of ethnic ...

This 5 page paper examines this work by Sinclair Lewis. The issue of social stratification is highlighted. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 3 page paper considers whether or not Peanuts could be considered as an examination of existentialism as well as an extremely amusing comic strip, and concludes that it can. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 4 page essay that discusses similarities between Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary with his protagonist of Emma Bovary and Kate Chopin's The Awakening with Edna Ponteiller. The writer argues that the reader, with these novels, encounters two female protagonists who each have difficulty reconciling their outward behavior to their inward reality. Western culture at ...

A 7 page research paper/essay that argues that Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman conforms with the Aristotelian definition of tragedy as discussed in Aristotle’s Poetics. The writer cites and discusses the play’s setting, plot, characterization and use of imagery in defending this position. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 3 page paper compares the writing styles of Kate Chopin, a Victorian writer and the contemporary Argentinean, Luisa Valenzuela. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 4 page research paper essay that analyzes and discusses the work of Anne Bradstreet, who was the first American poet to have her work published. Bradstreet accomplished this while simultaneously raising eight children within the social context of Puritan colonial society, which had strict views on appropriate decorum and gender roles. While it violates ...