Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

A 7 page overview of these novels. Written partly as biographies and partly as fiction these books span several genres. Incorporating elements of myth superimposed on historical fact, these novels have sometimes been misunderstood by critics. This paper asserts, however, that this mish-mash of styles provides an accurate picture of the Chinese-American ...

This paper explores Richard Condon's book and Frankenheimer's movie 'The Manchurian Candidate' in terms of conspiracy theory and McCarthyism of the era (1959-1960). There is a brief comparison of the two and a short biography of Condon. The book focuses on the psychological and political aspects of the story. Bibliography lists 4 sources. JVcondon.rtf

A 5 page paper which examines the biography of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page overview that addresses the career of Robert Frost. The writer briefly touches on Frost's biography, and then uses three poems: "The Oven Bird," "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," and "The Road Not Taken," to discuss the principal themes and orientation of Frost's work. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

13 pages. Graham Greene's compelling book The Power and the Glory is influenced by his social, political and intellectual surroundings. This paper will examine these influences and summarize the results of Greene's proposed reasoning behind what he wrote. Bibliography lists 11 sources.

An 8 page paper which discusses the author Amy Tan in relationship to what inspired her to write and how her writing has changed her life. The paper also takes two of her short essays/stories and compares then in relationship to thematic content. The short essays/stories are found in her work "The Hundred Secret Senses" and are titled "The ...

A 4 page overview of Poe's life and works. The writer focuses mainly upon the events of the poet's life and the dates that various key works were published. More of a biography than an analysis. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 6 page paper, including a short outline. The paper first provides a brief biography of Miller and how the Great Depression affected his life, including his plays. Many of his experiences can be seen reflected in his work. The second part of the paper discusses The Crucible. Ostensibly, the play was about the witchcraft ...

A 5 page analysis of the business dealings in Sinclair Lewis’ novel "Babbitt." The protagonist of this work, George Follansbee Babbitt is, arguably, the most lifeless character living the most mundane life in recent literature. However, he does provide the focus for Lewis' biting satire on the life and business practices of the American middle ...

This is a 3 page paper discussing business, political, historical and cultural aspects of Joseph Heller’s novel “Good as Gold”. American writer Joseph Heller (1923-1999) is probably best known for his anti-war novel “Catch-22” written in 1961. Born of poor Jewish parents however, Heller often reflected on his cultural heritage and its place in modern ...

A 5 page analytical review of this contemporary author's sequel to 'Jurassic Park'-- which illustrates a genetic experiment gone bad which warns mankind about our own emerging self-destructive powers. 3 additional sources are cited and listed in a bibliography.

Toni Morrison's 1970 novel has become a classic definition of the destruction of racism, as well as how one can "cope" through imagination. The power of the tale is staggering, and provides the core of this 5 page discussion.

A 3 pages essay that discusses the short story "The Business Man" by Edgar Allan Poe, who was known for his macabre horror stories, but here offers a satirical comment on one of the defining factors of modern life--business. Poe recounts the defining philosophy of business by quoting an "old saying" at the onset of ...

This 3 page paper argues that Steinbeck's purpose in writing "The Grapes of Wrath" was to illustrate the way in which management exploits labor, and he did it by creating a protagonist (Tom Joad) who changed from a disinterested person to a man committed to organizing labor. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 5 page essay that examines Arthur Miller's award-winning play The Crucible, which concerns one of the most infamous incidents in American history – the Salem witch trials. The writer argues that the self-sacrifice of John Proctor, which evolves from his love for his family, provides an inspiring demonstration of the power of love in ...

In this 4 page essay, comparisons are made concerning depictions of culture and power (as they relate to gender and feminity) in 'Turn Of The Screw' and 'The Mask.' The first of these suggests that a man can also be the object of a mastering look and that the association of that position with the ...

This 7 page paper contends that as shocking as the mention of homosexuality was in the 1950s when this novel was written, this novel is as much about the power relations that structure class as it is about sexuality. Bibliography lists four sources.

A 4 page paper which examines the power of parents, present or absent, in This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff and Into the Forest by Jean Hegland. No additional sources cited.

This 3 page paper considers the novel America 2014 written in the style of George Orwell’s 1984 written shortly after the Second World War, is a criticism of the way in which power may take away freedom and liberty as a result of the manipulation of free in the post 9/11 society where the war ...

This 5 page paper looks at how the author uses science as a major part of the plot. The power of science is discussed in addition to gender roles and thematic elements. No additional sources cited.

6 pages. A text is a ground of ideological conflict. It may endorse unwittingly that very ideology it is it's overt project to expose. When one takes this statement within the context of certain texts, it is easy to assimilate the differences to which it refers. In Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory and in ...

This 7 page report discusses “Love Medicine” and the moral issues associated with understanding the truth about one’s personal identity. The families in the book are steeped in two cultural traditions: the Chippewa culture of their ancestors and the Western traditions brought by Catholic missionaries who wee determined to “civilize” the tribe. Both of these ways of thinking present contradictory ...

A five page paper looking at Arthur C. Clarke’s science fiction novel in terms of its analysis of the dichotomy between religion and science. The paper shows how Clark uses the metaphor of the transition from childhood to maturity to show how humanity can incorporate both its imaginative potential and its reasoning powers into something ...

A five page paper looking at this little-known work in terms of its affective power. Through a comparison of Johnson’s account of his friend’s character with the biographical data we have from James Boswell, we can see how Johnson deliberately slanted his account to provide a favorable account of his friend. Bibliography lists three sources. ...

A five page paper looking at Toni Morrison's novel in terms of the way sex is used as a vehicle of power rather than intimacy. The paper concludes that sex in "Beloved" is much more akin to violence than it is to love. No additional sources.