Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

A 6 page paper which discusses the struggles of women in society. The paper examines changes such as those seen in ancient history involving such stories as Sophocles’ “Antigone” and those in more recent history as suggested by Henrik Ibsen’s play “A Doll’s House.” Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 6 page piece which postulates that in 'The Feminine Mystique' and 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem,' Betty Friedan and Joan Didion write (separately) of a women's revolution, Friedan by tracing history toward a thesis, and Didion by adding apocolyptic commentary to the theme by living with the emerging culture, and by observing the unconscious shedding of ...

5 pages in length. In Gunther Peck's Reinventing Free Labor, the author makes his argument using labor and immigration historical accounts. Labor and immigration, he contends, can provide much of the very stuff of which this nation's history is built upon. By focusing on work, an endeavor that most people have to do as a means of survival, ...

A 5 page overview of the agricultural history of California. This author traces this history from the Spanish land grant to the early half of the twentieth century. Central to the tremendous development which occurred was the migrant worker, groups of which McWilliams describes as the “wake of a machine”. The industry ...

A 5 page book review that summarizes and analyzes this historical novel. Arundel by Kenneth Roberts is a novel that part adventure story, part history, but also the coming of age story of the story's narrator and protagonist Steven Nason, of the town of Arundel, "in the county of York and the province of Maine" ...

A 6 page paper analyzing Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel in terms of the oppression of Puritan society in the colonial period of American history. After providing a background on the Puritan faith in general, the paper looks at Hawthorne's novel to show how Hester refused to succumb to the oppression of her society. Bibliography lists six ...

A 5 page paper that compares Mary White Rowlandson's narrative 'A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson' and John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and considers the impact of the form of the travel narrative as well as attitude and themes. No additional sources cited.

A 7 page paper aruging that in these two novels, Austen and Crane create different visions of war, its rebellions and heroes. In both stories, like most humans, the heroes are the anti-heroes as well, because of the prejudicial recriminations surrounding their courageousness. The writer pays strict attention to these themes throughought, but the ...

A 5 page report on the best-selling book by Dee Brown. It explains the history of the Wounded Knee massacre, and shows that Brown is attempting to raise our consciousness about Indian issues through the writing of this book. No additional sources cited.

A 7 page essay that examines the characteristics of the works of playwright Sam Shepard. Included is a brief history of Shepard's early life, the writers that influenced his work early in his career, and the life experiences that led him to develop his own unique, innovative writing style. Also included are brief ...

In his autobiography, Up From Slavery, Booker T. Washington relates what he knows of history: 'in context' and from his personal point of view. Mark Twain uses parody and fiction to express his views in Huckleberry Finn. Both criticize American society. Both held strong opinions concerning race, poverty and illiteracy. This is ...

A 6 page analysis of this turn-of-the-century novel. The writer argues that the early-twentieth century novelist Frank Norris created a work of literature‹a work of art‹that also reflected the actual history of the state of California. Reflective of the school of naturalistic writing that was predominant at that time, Norris was intent on presenting a ...

A five page paper analyzing how Kurtz, the enigmatic central figure in Joseph Conrad’s novel, represents the failure of Western civilization. The paper asserts that society has a light side and a dark side, and by constantly harping on the optimism of rationalism and progress and denying the existence of any dark side at all, ...

4 pages in length. The objective of Pearl S. Buck in her enthralling book entitled The Good Earth is to demonstrate the inherent strength of women despite the fact that a patriarchal society has perpetually kept them oppressed. Clearly defined in the author's portrayal is that of a common bond shared between and ...

A 9 page overview and summary of key elements O’Connor’s classic work. The writer is particularly concerned with the way this novel inverts a racist symbol into an emblem of antiracist redemption. Bibliography cited 5 sources.

A 3 page division essay on Kate Chopin’s short story Desiree’s Baby. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

5 pages in length. An indepth look at Cassara's most well known book. The beginning history of America is based on this new age of enlightenment as outlined by such philosophers as Locke, Hume and Rousseau. Cassara explains this in his book which is reviewed here. Bibliography lists one source. ...

This seven page-paper gives a portrayal of two societies that have been forced into modern times. The Mayas and the Gawas are holding fast to their history even when mankind is pushing them into the future. "Maya Saints and Souls in a Changing World" by John M. Watanabe and "The Fame of Gawa" by Nancy ...

A 5 page paper that presents a critical analysis and discussion of the major theme and primary idea presented in Ray Bradbury's 1943 short story The Crowd. This discussion includes a brief history of Bradbury's writing career and examines how the writer's life experiences and observations are reflected in The Crowd as well as ...

In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, the main theme is the destruction of knowledge and history through the burning of books and how that destruction portends the end of civilization. This 5 page paper explores the book through the perspective associated with Marshall Mcluhan in his book, Understanding Media, and David Abram's The Spell of the Sensuous. No additional ...

In the 'melding pot' of American history, immigration has long been held as an ideal of inclusion and acceptance. This 3 page paper examines the theories postulated in Noel Ignatiev's How The Irish Became White concerning the assimilation of Irish immigrants into American society. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

(8 pp) James A. Michener did not begin writing until he was forty years old, consequently there is a great deal of maturity about all of his work, which touched on religious and racial tolerance, hard work and self-reliance, themes which made him popular with the masses but not particularly in the ...

A five page paper which analyses Walt Whitman’s preface to Leaves of Grass, looking specifically at the way in which he deals with the topics of history and the past, the function of the poet, and the importance of the common man in relation to the United States as a whole. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 5 page summation and analysis of Steinbeck's classic novel. The writer argues that this is a novel of transition as it chronicles the changes in the Joad family, and also discusses the novel relative to Depression history. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 5 page paper explains how the plays, Zoot Suit, Bandido! and I Don't have To Show You No Stinking Badges, by Luis Valdez, encompass the conflict over time and place, race, gender and class that helped to define the history of the American Southwest. No additional sources are listed.