Robert Penn Warren's Night Rider

Throughout the history of American Literature, there have been hundreds of influential pieces which have left a mark on other writers. The book “In Honor of David Anderson Brooks, My Father” by Gwendolyn Brooks utilizes a unique writing style, theme and American values.

As a gay black writer in racist mid-twentieth century America, James Baldwin felt a great need to escape. And he did, he moved to France where he spent most of his life. Baldwin often took inspiration from his own life experiences for his stories, and as a result, many of his stories are semi-autobiographical, and it is possible to see Baldwin in the place of the title character. Baldwin’s characters escape from their struggles by listening or playing music, taking part in a romantic relationship, traveling, drinking excess amounts of alcohol, or acting in a theater or in movies. Baldwin’s short stories have an episodic feel to them -- short intervals with loosely connected events. Across three of his stories, Previous Condition; This Morning,

In any poll by historians or American citizens, Theodore Roosevelt ranks among the top five presidents of the United States. He is undoubtedly one of the two or three unique individuals who ever held the office and was an instrumental figure in shaping the nation we now know. Without his passion for education, he would have never been in the position or had the determination to be one of the youngest presidents of the United States. Without his education, he would not have been able to accomplish what he did and had the keen mind and other traits that he had. He was a keen observer of life around him and his education was very important to him. He strove to learn as much as he could in all studies, despite his obstacles. Truly, throughout

Stephen King’s “The man in the Black Suit” is his homage to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”. Stephen King believed that “Young Goodman Brown” is one of the ten best stories ever written by an American. “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “The Man in the Black Suit” by Stephen King have similar storylines, yet a different climax and resolution.

Forgetting is one of the most complex words to understand and use properly. So many people have a different definition of this word that it’s nearly impossible to use; but people still throw it into the wind and use it for anything they can think of. Some people believe that it’s a sign of someone not caring, others use it for an excuse when they don’t complete a task, and others take it as a sign of betrayal. Believing is another thing that could be as simple as agreeing with someone, or it could be the difference between life and death. Elie Wiesel’s Night was a horrifying, sitting on the edge of your seat kind of book. It was almost like a form of torture; you never knew what was going to happen next, and you didn’t know how to prepare yourself

Elie Wiesel, author and victim of the Holocaust wrote the novel Night which portrays his experiences in the Holocaust. During the Holocaust the Nazis dehumanized many groups of people, but primarily the Jewish people. Elie writes about his personal journey through the Holocaust, and how he narrowly escaped death. In Elie’s novel he also provides detailed descriptions of what the victims of the Holocaust had to suffer through, and the different ways the Nazis made them feel like nothing more than animals that are meant to be used for work and slaughtered.

Many of the allusions used by Annie Dillard in An American Childhood are put into the story to provide a clear cultural picture of Pittsburgh in the 1950’s. By using made of the references that she does, Dillard is able to “paint a picture” of society in the 1950’s, because she is referencing objects, places, or people that are familiar to some today, but mostly those who were alive around the 50’s or later. As well as 50’s culture references, Dillard also uses some classic American references. The first major allusions seen in the book are examples of the latter. Dillard brings up Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson in the prologue of the book while writing of pre-settled Pennsylvania, about its wildness and vast expanse

Did you see the lanterns in the church belfry was there one or two? There are, many similarities and differences between the historical account of Paul Revere’s ride and the fictional portrayal, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. In both texts, the lanterns were both hung in a church. In the historical account, Revere got rowed across the river. In the fictional portrayal he rowed himself across the river. Longfellow used history to make a more interesting story for us to read.

A Well Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America

In the book, “In Cold Blood,” Truman Capote takes us through the lives of the murderers and the murdered in the 1959 Clutter family homicide, which transpires in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. The first chapter, “The Last to See Them Alive,” vividly illustrates the daily activities of the Clutter family—Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon—and the scheming plot of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith up to point where the family is found tied up, and brutally murdered. In doing so, he depicts the picture-perfect town of Holcomb with “blue skies and desert clear air”(3) whose safety is threatened when “four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives”(5). Through the eyes of a picture perfect family and criminals with social aspirations, Capote describes the American Dream and introduces his audience to the idea that this ideal was no more than an illusion.

Justice is derived from the root word just, meaning agreeing to what is considered morally right or good; treating people in a way that is morally right; or reasonable or proper. However, society has become so entangled up in the power which certain individuals possess, they forget all about what is “just”. The justice theory is that justice is at the advantage of the stronger. When an individual is described or depicted as being “strong”, that individual is typically of a larger build, possesses some sort of weapon that causes them to be mighty, and is typically large in size. No matter what circumstances arise, these individuals are expected to be victorious in each battle they fight. The justice theory states that justice is at the advantage of the stronger; however, there have been cases where even the strongest have been defeated. Take Ovid’s Apollo and Daphne for example, or from a biblical perspective, the Book of Judges, or even Elie Wiesel’s novel Night. These writings each

Ever had a mental “fork in the road?” Of course you have. We all have those tough decisions to make at times. William Stafford’s “Traveling Through the Dark” is about one of those very instances. But there’s more to it than meets the eye. In fact, one could argue that the point of view character has this internal struggle due to a psychological theory called behaviorism. Behaviorism is the psychological theory that we are influenced by our environment through social means. Because of behaviorism theory, the main character develops a moral struggle caused by his surroundings. To delve deeper, here’s a line-by-line analysis of “Traveling Through the Dark.”

Toni Morrison’s Sula celebrates liberation from society’s constraints on individuality and self-discovery, and illustrates the negative impact of conformity. The novel follows the lives of several members of The Bottom’s community who refuse to relinquish their identities to fit the expectations of how a certain race or gender should act and the impact it has on their lives and their society. This society, influenced by the 1900’s racial segregation in America, enforces specific standards, and ostracizes whoever defies the cultural norm. Although certain characters choose to retain individuality and isolate themselves, they never fully establish their identities and desperately search for something in order to do so. The characters cling to

Truman Capote’s book In Cold Blood, focuses on a quiet town in eastern Kansas where the slaughter of the Clutter family occurred. Although Perry is a brutal murderer, he is the result of his troublesome past; therefore, indicating that the past plays a part in the character of one's future self.

Jack London’s short stories are held in high regard to this day, and are still considered to show the true harshness of mother nature and the ignorance of man. London himself knows all too well the unforgiving vexation of the Klondike Gold Rush, having developed scurvy and an injury that permanently affected the use of his leg. His stories are also influenced by the literary movement of naturalism, which focuses on extreme conditions that shape human mentality. London’s usual writing style consists of very long, drawn out descriptions of the characters or the scene around these characters. A large sum of his stories focus on the instincts of animals and the questionable survival of man in extreme conditions and situations. A recurring theme