Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

This five page paper presents a comparison and contrast with two short fiction stories from an instructional writing book . Bibliography lists one source.

A 5 page paper which discusses the use of particular language elements in Edgar Alan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." Topics discussed include imagery, setting, theme, and point of view. Bibliography lists 4 additional sources.

5 pages. This excellent paper reviews the book by Anne Moody as it describes her turbulent life growing up black in Mississippi. In this tense and very interesting book, author Anne Moody describes to the reader a society that is unlike anything most of us have ever experienced. Anne Moody was one of the ...

This five-page-paper discusses at length the use of symbolism in the stories Miss Brill and Young Goodman Brown. The concet of self evaulation as well as death are both detailed through the discussion of the symbols used in each story. Bibliography lists two sources.

A 5 page paper comparing Wilfred Owen's 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' and Thomas Hardy's 'The Man He Killed,' both poems born of combat in World War I. Reaction to Owen's descriptions in 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' transcends mere emotion; in 'The Man He Killed,' Hardy evokes it by avoiding any allusion to it. Both, ...

A 5 page paper which examines how, in his novel, "Cannery Row," John Steinbeck presented a positive view of morality in that people must be understood within the context of their own environment. Specifically discussed include such issues of morality as abortion, alcoholism, capitalism, domestic violence, and prejudice. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 5 page paper examines F. Scott Fitzgerald, known as the spokesman of the "Lost Generation" of Americans in the 1920s. Fitzgerald's life and major work, The Great Gatsby are discussed. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A six page paper looking at the way William Faulkner portrays justice and the legal system in this 1931 novel. The paper contends that Faulkner posits two basic kinds of justice -- a cosmic level, and a human level -- and neither is operative here. Bibliography lists four sources.

A 7 page overview of Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat". Written during the latter years of the 1800s this short story captures the actual experience of Crane whose boat capsizes and who is flung to the whims of the sea in a small and unstable dinghy with three other men. Through their fortitude ...

A 5 page paper which discusses how cyborg imagery stands to illustrate some very real approaches to resolving problems in society which arise due to individualism. the book "He, She, and It," by Marge Piercy, "Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature" by Donna Haraway, and the movie "Blade Runner" are discussed in this context. No additional sources ...

A 7 page paper which analyzes the search for love and the identity which promised liberation in Kate Chopin's 1899 novel, "The Awakening," by examining the themes of patriarchal oppression, repression, depression and rebellion. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 5 page paper discussing the one who would have for her epitaph, 'Excuse My Dust.' The quick wit and quicker tongue won Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967) a place on New York's most outrageous list. She was in her stride in the roaring 20s when social taboos dropped with regularity, money flowed ...

This 5 page paper considers the nature of irony presented in Bharati Mukherjee's story A Father. Specifically, this paper looks at the dream of Mr. Bhowmick and the reasoning behind placing the dream setting in a Club Med vacation. In addition, this paper also looks at correlated thematic elements, including why Kali's tongue is represented ...

A five page paper looking at these two works, by Stephen Crane and William Dean Howells, respectively, in terms of their anti-war statements. The paper concludes that both authors are trying to shock us into realizing the implications of our enthusiasm for death. No additional sources.

A three page essay on Joyce Carol Oates' nonfiction work, explaining her analogy between boxing and life. The essay argues that the person who ultimately comes out of the ring a victor is the one who is psychologically the best-prepared -- who sees the fight as something more than a fight, who sees himself as ...

A 5 page paper which discusses the husband and the wife of John Steinbeck's novel, "Chrysanthemums." The two are incredibly different, with the wife struggling to find her place in a world of definite gender roles, and the man is obviously very simple and content with who he is and where he fits in, questioning nothing it seems. ...

This six page paper present a critique of Jeanette Winterson's "Written on the Body": . The use of food as a replacement for sex is discussed along with some of Freud's sex theories. Bibliography lists three sources.

A 5 page paper that examines Anthony Lewis' 1964 best-selling non-fiction work entitled Gideon's Trumpet and the importance of the events it documented. These events include the trial without representation conviction and imprisonment of Clarence Gideon in 1961 and the resultant landmark court case and Supreme Court ruling. These events are briefly discussed, but ...

A five page thematic comparison of these two works, by Daniel Keyes and Langston Hughes respectively. The paper argues that both works deal with the difficulty of "double-consciousness" -- the sense of not being at home in one's own self. Bibliography lists three sources.

5 pages. This well-known novelist and playwright had a distinctive talent when it came to writing about the variety of subject matter for which he was so well known. James Michener educated untold millions of people throughout the world, entertaining them with his epic journeys. This paper explores the author's life and ...

John Steinbeck's Grapes Of Wrath has a great many symbols and allegories embedded within it, not least of which is the religious symbols that are portrayed through the characters of Rosasharn (Rose of Sharon), Tom and, especially, Jim Casy, the preacher. This 6 page paper examines the role of religious symbols and explores Steinbeck's portrayal of Casy as a representation ...

This six-page-paper presents a discussion on whether or not Hamlet and his fellow characters fit the description of Aristotle's tragic hero. Hamlet, as well as his stepfather and mother are held against the Aristotle benchmark and analyzed. Bibliography lists one source.

This five-page-paper presents a discussion on the tragic heroes seen in the play Romeo and Juliet. Why they are tragic heroes and what traits re needed in any setting to qualify as a tragic hero. Bibliography lists one source.

This 10 page paper is based on P Winter's book 'Paranormal Phenomena : Opposing Viewpoints' . This is a series of essays written from opposing perspectives and presented for the reader to decide from themselves on many issues such as life after death, ESP, UFO's and many other paranormal phenomenon. The bibliography cites 1 source. ...

An 8 page paper which discusses oppression in August Wilson's book "Fences." Although the book is about African Americans, and does focus on some aspects of oppression as they address this particular culture, the oppression illustrated in Wilson's book is predominantly an oppression that attacks all of mankind. Bibliography lists 3 additional sources.