American Ethnic Literature

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that ethnic authors use their personal experiences to illustrate the troubles and discrimination they have faced in an attempt to gain the understanding of readers and to perhaps change some long-held ideals and falsehoods. The paper then points out that American ethnic literature is a strong and vital part of American literature. The paper uses the writings of prize-wining African-American women to exemplify American ethnic literature: Poet Gwendolyn Brooks (Pulitzer Prize for Poetry), Alice Walker (Pulitzer Prize) and Toni Morrison (Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize).

From the Paper:

"Another perspective all ethnic literatures seem to share are their views of traditional American values, such as equality and freedom, and that is not surprising. Ethnic writers, like anyone else, desire those values, but it is difficult to support them traditionally when they are not applied to your race or circumstances, and much of their writing reflects that. Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" is an excellent example of these values, and how they are missing in many ethnic lives. She writes, "I never had an education myself. After second grade the school was closed down.""

Sample of Sources Used:

• Kim, M. J. (2004). Literature as engagement: Teaching African American literature to Korean Students. MELUS, 29(3-4), 103+.
• McQuade, D., Atwan, R., Banta, M., Kaplan, J., Minter, D., Stepto, R., Tichi, C., & Vendler, H. (Eds.). (1999). The Harper single volume of American literature (3rd ed.). New York: Longman.

More papers on American Ethnic Literature:

• Analytical Essay # 34140 : "Gender and Ethnic Identity in Asian American Film and Literature"
• Analytical Essay # 50115 : "Obesity in Ethnic American Women"
• Term Paper # 112400 : "Migrant Literature"

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