Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

This 5 page thesis paper delves into the role of the narrator in Melville's classic tale called "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street." The narrator's mental stability is explored. No additional sources cited.

A five page paper which looks at the themes of adolescent rebellion, the strictures of bureaucracy and the value of personal honour and integrity in Miller’s drama of the Salem witch-hunts. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 6 page paper considers the book edited by Robert N. Bellah called ' Habits of the Heart : Individualism and Commitment in American Life'. The paper considers the second half of the book that considers the public side of society and looks at each chapter, its meaning and how it relates to the book ...

A 6 page review of the first of Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy. Outlines the plot and examines it from different readers age perspectives contending that in many ways it can be compared to Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn". Concludes that while the novel has much to offer a wide range of readers, it is ...

This 5 page report discusses Harriet Beecher Stowe’s and Frederick Douglass’ American masterpieces. Douglass’ lectures on slavery to audiences in Great Britain created a great deal of sympathy for the abolitionists’ cause and prompted his admirers to raise funds to purchase his freedom. And, of course, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s heartbreaking story, melodramatic as it is, reached into the hearts of the “mainstream” ...

A 5 page paper which compares and contrasts the two themes of each novel. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page report discusses Arthur Miller’s modern American classic, “Death of a Salesman.” Symbolism is constant and largely psychological in “Death of a Salesman.” Willy Loman’s constant longing for the good old days is presented in a variety of ways, blurting out to his wife that he is fat, his affair, Biff’s understanding of himself as a ...

This 5 page report discusses the fact that literary works often demonstrate the boundaries that can and cannot be crossed and the barriers people place between themselves and understanding their contemporaries. Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Beloved” demonstrated the ways in which characters must deal with a past that constantly haunts them. Likewise, it is clear in Frederick Douglass’ autobiography that he never ...

A 5 page essay that analyzes Poe's masterpiece of horror, "The Tell-Tale Heart," concentrating on how Poe utilized point of view and meticulous use of detail to paint a psychological profile of the mind of a cold-blooded and utterly insane killer. No additional sources cited.

In three pages this reflective essay considers what the writer learned from these texts and how they can be applied to life’s challenges. There are no other sources listed in the bibliography.

A 5 page review of the work of John Barth, one of the most notable fiction writers of the twentieth century. Discusses the societal need to classify and categorize such works. "Lost in the Funhouse" is a collection of short stories, essays, meditations, and jokes which stands in contrast to most contemporary approaches ...

This 4 page paper discusses some of the literary techniques used by Virginia Woolf and E.B. White in their essays “The Death of the Moth” and “Once More to the Lake,” respectively. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 7 page paper which examines how themes are affected by either British or American backgrounds affects such essays as G.K. Chesterton’s “Piece of Chalk” and “On Running After One’s Hat,” Virginia Woolf’s “Street Haunting: A London Adventure” and “The Death of the Moth,” George Orwell’s “Such, Such Were the Joys,” Henry David Thoreau’s “Walking,” ...

A 4 page paper which rewrites some of a student’s essay on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” 1 source cited.

A 3 page essay that discusses 2 essays by Henry David Thoreau. Writing in the first half of the nineteenth century, Henry David Thoreau’s writing seems to modern readers to invoke a time when nature was freer and less constrained by the imprint of humanity and its influences. Nevertheless, Thoreau, in several of his nature ...

In seven pages this paper presents a detailed analysis of Michael Moore’s “Idiot Nation,” an essay featured in the text Rereading America. Specifically considered are the author’s central idea, who he is addressing, how the key parts relate to each other, the strategies the author uses to generate interest, the persuasiveness of the evidence, ...

5 pages in length. The choosing of stories in The Best Essays of the Century illustrates how Oates understands how basic elements of American perspective are exhibited in many fashions, however, none are more vivid and palpable than those put forth through stories. That a writer can envelope his or her reading audience ...

9 pages in length. This paper includes three separate essays on Ernest Hemingway's work, To Have and Have Not. Essay number one is a comparison/contrast within the work, Essay number two is an argument/persuasion on the work as well as personal opinions as to the argument or persuasion, and essay number three is a literary analysis of the book. ...

This is a 5 page paper discussing the use of metaphors in Ruiz’s essay “Oranges and Sweet Sister Boy”. Judy Ruiz’s 1988 essay “Oranges and Sweet Sister Boy” tells of the experience and feelings a woman has when her brother informs her that he is having a sex change operation and will now be her ...

Describes this book as a testament to the cultural void in which we conduct our contemporary lives. The book is centered around the life of a family who is, to say the least, an odd assortment of individuals who appear to attract the company of even odder individuals. These lives are shaped to ...

This 3 page paper discusses the essay by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez called, My Hips, My Caderas and discusses the theme of colonialism, past and present. Bibliography lists 0 sources.

A 4 page paper which examines how the 1941 short story represents the road of life. No additional sources are used.

This 3 page paper examines Arthur Miller's, "Death of a Salesman", and Hemmingway's, "The Old Man and the Sea", and explains their timeless appeal. This essay asserts that they continue to be relevant stories because the theme of trying to overcome his inner struggles is a timeless and universal theme. Bibliography lists no ...

Fiction fills the world with possibilities as well as perspectives. The essay provides information. This 5 page paper asserts that Silence by Maxine Hong Kingston and Once More To The Lake by E. B. White are both personal narrative essays with different prose styles. Bibliography lists 1 source.

5 pages in length. This narrative is based on two topics concerning this novel: One is commentary on the narrative structure of the novel, and the other is the contrasting settings, the public and private, within the novel. Interesting comments and outlook on this most interesting novel by Margaret Atwood. Bibliography lists 2 sources.