American Literature Essay Examples and Research Papers Page 5

Sandra Cisneros’ ‘The House on Mango Street’ is begun when a young Latina girl named Esperanza, growing up in the city of Chicago in a small red house on Mango Street. This house is an upgrade from where her and her family used to live but is still to small for the family in a…

Based on what I read, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson tone has a distinct shift from a peaceful, normal, everyday kind of tone to a firmly horrific tone. “The Lottery” has two main characters, a housewife named Tessie Hutchinson, who is the person who wins the lottery at the end, and Mr. Summers, the man…

O’Brien’s symbolism in the story, “Stockings,” exposes the idea that the soldier’s emotional burdens are emphasized by their physical burden. Because of his magnetism towards sentimentality, Dobbins carries a pair of stockings belonging to his beloved girlfriend back home. These stockings are a physical load that accentuate his heavy emotional load that he bears. Dobbins…

In The Scarlet Letter, Arthur Dimmesdale’s primary motivation is a shame, closely followed by remorse. His refusal to confess his crime of adultery rests on his conception of atonement, i.e., he or desperately hopes that mutilating himself in private and remaining a paragon of virtue in public as pastor will be sufficient redress for his…

The author tells the story of the struggles between life for the rich and life for the poor. Stereotyping is the theme throughout the story but when on his own we see through PonyBoy that he begins to realize the socs and the greasers are not so different. Ponyboy acts his role as a greaser…

“The Cask of Amontillado” is a frightening and engaging short story focusing on the severe consequences that emerge from persistent insult and cruelty. Poe’s unique use of gothic elements within the story sets an ideal tone for a dark plot of murder to unwind. This story is loaded with various themes and other literary devices…

Steinbeck’s novella presents many points of friendships and division between his characters, such as the companionship between George and Lennie, and that of the unfair inequality given to that of Curley’s Wife and Crooks. During the 1930s, women and people of colour were often treated with contempt as they were seen as lesser beings, and…

When you imagine what it’s like to live in poverty, you think of life in a run-down apartment, dirty ripped up clothing, and an overall somber feeling throughout the entire household. But can you imagine moving from house to house; and the never-ending promises to your children for a better life just to keep hope…

Langston Hughes represented the African American culture in his poems, describing his utmost feelings towards America during the racial segregation era. Hughes’ use of cultural slang was inspired by the places he lived, which revealed the despairing tone the African Americans felt during this time period. As a result, his poems often shared the same…

Proof of Unreliability in The Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allan Poe is an author known for his pieces of literature which capture the element of mystery. Many times, scholars debate over the true meaning behind his texts as they are often written as narratives. This combination of an unclear meaning behind his work and the…