Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

This 3 page paper discusses Tim O’Brien’s story “Ambush” and how a person would feel today in a similar situation. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 4 page paper focuses on the Arthur Miller play along with Aristotle's definition of tragedy. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 7 page paper is a critical analysis of Barack Obama’s book Dreams from My Father. Bibliography lists 1 source.

In this 2.5 page paper, Mark Twain discusses his disgust with the human race. He conducts various experiments analyzing humans' actions to that of animals and concludes humans are an evil species.

This is a 3 page paper that provides an overview of characterization. The character of Emily in Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is used as an example. Bibliography lists 1 sources.

This is a 4 page paper that provides an overview of the themes present in three novels. The Scarlet Letter, Ethan Frome, and the Crucible are all covered. Bibliography lists 0 sources.

This is a 3 page paper that provides an overview of Tan's "Two Kinds". The theme of generational strife is explored. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 4 page essay that analyzes a realistic short story, "Grit," by Tom Franklin, focusing on the conflict between Roy and Glen. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 4 page essay analyzes William Bradford's "From Of Plymouth Plantation," John Winthrop's "A Model of Christian Charity," and Mary Rowlandson's "A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson" and discusses how each of these authors perceived their Puritan faith. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page essay discusses nineteenth century author Kate Chopin's use of imagery in "The Storm" and "Desiree's Baby." In each work, Chopin's uses imagery to foreshadow future events, establish tone and creates a specific emotional climate that leads inevitably to the story's conclusion. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 4 page essay contrasts and compares Flowers for Algernon with the 1968 film Charly. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 3 page essay presents a quote from F.R. Leavis and then argues that both T.S. Eliot's "Waste Land" and Stephen King's novel Misery exemplify this statement and should be considered as two of the artists on which art and literature depend. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 3 page essay discusses the literary characteristics of the narrative, that is, its plot and symbols, which serve to foreshadow the family's fate at the hands of the Misfit and his henchmen. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

In three pages this paper examines how Poe’s famous short story spawned the fictional detective genre (most notably Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes) and real life crime scene investigations. Two sources are listed in the bibliography.

This 22 page essay draws on literature to substantiates its argument that the novel and film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird played a role within the larger framework of the Civil Rights Movement. Bibliography lists 17 sources.

This 3 page essay considers John Steinbeck's "Flight" in light of the naturalistic perspective demonstrated by Stephen Crane in "The Open Boat." Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 6 page book review, which includes a 1.5 page outline of the paper, is on S.E. Hinton's That was Then, This is Now. The writer explores the differences and similarities in the 2 leading characters according to their appearance, behavior and relationships. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This is a 3 page paper that provides an overview of the Red Badge of Courage. Impressionistic details are used to emphasize theme. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 4 page essay is on the characters of Eliza Harris and Marie St. Clare in Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin." The writer argues that Eliza, a slave, fits the nineteenth century societal ideal for women, while Marie, a plantation owner's wife, does not. Bibliography lists only the novel.

This 3 page essay examines Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn and Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild and argues that both of these protagonists were societal rebels who thought independently of conventions and tried to live life on their own terms. Only the primary sources are cited.

This 5 page essay explicates the themes and symbolism evident in Ernest Hemingway's short story. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 7 page essay compares Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" and Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" in regards to the theme of fantasy and wishful thinking. The writer argues that this theme is portrayed through the perspectives of Amanda and Willy. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This is a 5 page paper that provides an overview of Judith Guest's "Ordinary People". The novel is interpreted through Kubler-Ross' model of grief. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 4 page essay argues that accurate interpretation of Kate Chopin's short story "Story of an Hour" must consider the context of nineteenth century social conventions associated with marriage. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 4 page essay that focuses on the character of Laura from Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, describing the effect that her encounter with Jim O'Connor had on her life. Only the play is cited.