Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

This 7 page paper examines the concept of total war by focusing on Sherman’s march to the sea. The military action is discussed as the beginning of a change in military strategy for the U.S. Several examples are provided. The concept of total war is defined and discussed. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A five page paper looking at several of Twain's works in terms of their most characteristic feature: his creation of an innocent, unworldly protagonist who is able to see the adult world with fresh eyes. Specific works discussed are 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,' 'The Prince and the Pauper,' and 'Life on the Mississippi.' Bibliography ...

This 5 page paper presents an example book review of Jo-Ann Mort’s anthology on the AFL-CIO. The compilation of writings includes a variety of topics including those pertinent to American politics as well as those which affect workers abroad. No additional sources cited.

A six page paper looking at the degree to which J.R.R. Tolkien was influenced by Norse and related mythologies in writing his Middle-earth fantasies. Specific works mentioned include 'The Hobbit,' 'Lord of the Rings,' and 'Return of the King.' Bibliography lists nine sources.

A five page paper showing how Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay aids the reader in understanding the motivation of Huck in Mark Twain's 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' The paper argues that the social rules cannot keep Huck from answering the call of his conscience and his heart. No additional sources.

A five page paper looking at chapter 31 of Mark Twain's novel, in which Huck decides he’d risk going to Hell to help Jim escape. The paper discusses the dramatic irony at work in this chapter, and shows why Huck's ignorance of the morality of his decision makes it more noble. No additional sources.

A 5 page analysis of All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes by Maya Angelou, which is the fifth volume in her serial autobiography. This volume is an account of Angelou's experiences in Ghana in the early 1960s. This narrative relates how Angelou found a job teaching at the University of Ghana and began working ...

This 5 page paper compares and contrasts the characters of Willy Loman, in Death of a Salesman, with Abner Snopes in William Faulkner's Barn Burning. The theme of death in both works is duly noted. The nature of the characters is the focus of this paper. No additional sources cited.

5 pages. The main character, Merle, is a competent well-educated character with an inner strength. Her discussions include that of sexuality as well as the search for African and Caribbean roots. Her mission is to tell the people to learn from their past and from the mistakes of earlier colonies. This ...

A five page paper looking at the types of problems Upton Sinclair's protagonist Jurgis encountered on the job, and how these have eventually been resolved in business today. The paper concludes that the single biggest reason working conditions have improved in the past hundred years is that the plight of the workers has been brought ...

This 8 page paper considers Hemingway's theme of 'grace under pressure,' as shown through the aging process, in this 1935 short story. Segments of his personal life seem to differ greatly from this theme, unless this exemplary story is examined closely. Bibliography lists 11 sources.

This 5 page paper provides an overview of the issues presented in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. This paper outlines the way in which the novel represents the decline of modern values in the post-World War I era and the depiction of this through the culmination of Gatsby's lusts. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page paper which discusses "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne and illustrates that the birthmark itself stands to represent a multitude of things. The themes concerning the birthmark itself are that it represents the desire for the simplicity of scientific explanations, it is a symbol for the downfall of society through science and technology, and the aspect that it ...

This 10 pager paper is a book review of 'Helter Skelter' by Vincent Bugliosi the prosecutor in the Manson murders. Charles Manson was the leader of a 'family' which carried out vicious and brutal murders including the Tate family and the LaBianca's. This book is a detailed account of the events and that recognises the ...

A 5 page paper which examines how Edgar Allan Poe employed literary parallels and dualism to connect events, characters, and senses in his 1839 short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher."

6 pages in length. The writer briefly discusses a common theme among nine of Steel's novels: Daddy, The Gift, Five Days In Paris, Silent Honor, The Ranch, Special Delivery, The Long Road Home, Mirror Image and Bittersweet. No additional sources cited.

A twelve page paper looking at these two playwrights in terms of their treatment of alcohol consumption as an escape from reality. Specific works discussed are Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "A Streetcar Named Desire," and Eugene O'Neill's "A Moon for the Misbegotten," and "Touch of the Poet." Bibliography lists ten sources.

A five page paper showing how Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story is structured to provide suspense and a strong sense of foreboding, which contribute to the reader's readiness for the shocking climax. No additional sources.

A 5 page book review on the book "Shane" by Jack Schaefer. This book is considered by many to be an incredible classic that tells of the old west and of brave men. The paper presents an overview of the story and also discusses what it is about this book that makes it such a classic for young ...

In 6 pages, the author discusses Emerson's speech on 'The American Scholar' and shows how Walt Whitman answered this call using Whitman's 'Song of Myself.' Emerson's call was for intellectual, cultural, and spiritual independence, which are important to transcendentalism. No other sources are cited.

A 7 page overview of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story. Written in 1892 the story traces the treatment of a woman who descends from depression to madness in the male-imposed psychiatric confinement of her room. She finds solitude in the pattern of the wallpaper and eventually is able to recover. Emphasizes the ...

A 5 page paper which discusses the story "Great Falls" by Richard Ford. The discussion involves illustrating what the narrator's involvement is, in relationship to establishing the focus of the story. While the story involves a couple who are in a dying relationship, a fairly common story line, the narrator's presence illustrates a particular attitude towards ...

A 6 page paper which analyzes Ernest Hemingway's short story, "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," in terms of narrative technique, narrative voice characterization, imagery, symbolism, and use of dialogue and descriptive details. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

The newspapers are forever mentioning the word, 'tragedy'. It usually means that there has been a death or deaths associated with a catastrophic event. Surprisingly, this is in keeping with the use of tragedy as described by Aristotle: that it should evoke the emotions of pity and fear in the presence of an action of a certain magnitude. ...

An 8 page paper which discusses how, with the use of characterization, symbolism, and the narrator, Ernest Hemmingway illustrates how people are searching for new values in their lives. They are searching for new values in their lives because many of the old ones were destroyed along with the war. Bibliography lists 6 additional sources.