American Literature essay. Free Essays, Literature. american literature 1. Author’s Name. AmericanLiterature. In essence,David Mamet’s “Race” is a play, which pushes the boundaries interms of discussing matters of race, prejudice, and injustice in theUnited States. Set in , the play focuses on the dilemmas of twocorporate lawyers (Henry Brown) and (Jack Lawson).Estimated Reading Time: 8 mins Apr 02, · CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION American Literature begins with the orally transmitted myths, legends, tales and lyrics of Indian culture among more than five hundred Indian Languages and tribal cultures that existed in North America before the first Europeans arrived. The result of this arrival, Native American oral literature is quite divers Nov 16, · American literature refers to the body of written or literary works shaped in the history of the United States and its former colonies (blogger.com). Tracing back America’s history, America was once under the rule of Britain as part of the latter’s colonies therefore its literary institution is associated to the expansive tradition of English literature
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Set inthe play focuses on the dilemmas of twocorporate lawyers Henry Brown and Jack Lawson. According to theplay, Brown is African American while Lawson is Caucasian. Hence,their race influences each of their decisions significantly whendealing with court cases. One of thethemes that the american literature essay portrays is the unfair legal system, whichfavors influential people while ignoring the plight of people withless influence. In addition, he uses the play to explain thedisparities between white and blacks given that the law favors whitepeople compared to their black counterparts. For instance, the mainantagonist in the play is Charles Strickland who is a prominent whitebusinessperson in his 40s. Strickland commits a crime by raping ablack woman. Following the charges, Strickland hires the two lawyerswith the hope of clearing his name.
At this point, the lawyers face adilemma on whether to represent him given that their move may affectthe reputation of the firm. American literature essay, both lawyers have an idea ofhow the law works in that people with money have the ability to bribetheir way out of any situation. However, their experience alsoindicates that the law can be fair and just if approached well Mamet, With thatsaid, Mamet uses characters like Henry Brown and Susan to provide theviewpoints of a black person in American society.
Ideally,Lawson is well aware of the issue of race and prejudice in societyand in the criminal justice system. However, he does not havefirsthand experience of discrimination given that his background hasnot subjected him to such a life. For instance, he has an understanding of the dynamics in the courtwhereby black and white jurors will vote according to theirpredispositions. Most of the time, it is difficult to apply fairverdicts seeing as lawyers, judges, and the jury have predisposedopinions of both white and black people due to their pastexperiences. Hence, the Strickland case may not be judged using factsbut through personal preferences.
Mamet explains how different peoplecope with crime and handle the law. For example, he ensures thatjustice is served when a call from the DAs office revels thatimportant evidence was left out from the documents. In turn, the twolawyers learn that Charles is indeed guilty Mamet, american literature essay, Theplay brings to light the issues concerning race american literature essay gender by talkingabout the issue of american literature essay, prostitution, and discrimination. In thiscase, both Brown and Lawrence learn that Charles rapes a young blackwoman after analyzing the evidence and finally hearing about hisconfession.
Ideally, Charles is not a reliable source hence hisclaims are not reliable, american literature essay. He tries to sway the opinion of the lawyersby mentioning that the victim is a prostitute. The play also depictsthe use of sexuality by various characters. In this case,Jack acts as her mentor by guiding her on the american literature essay procedure neededin the law firm. However, he crosses lines when he instructs her towear a sequence dress in court to determine if someone will tear thedress off. This statement is offensive yet Mr. Lawson, a stand up mandoes not recognize the statement and the sensitive nature of the casegiven that American literature essay is a young black woman.
Both race and genderindicate the various forms of discriminations that women and AfricanAmericans experience. As such, one learns that it is hard for a womanof color to cope in a society whereby people like Charles can do asthey please Mamet, Mamet alsotalks about punishments by explaining the various disparities whendeterring judgments. After the analysis of the play, american literature essay, it is evidentthat justice is served within the confines of the play, american literature essay. As such,Charles had admitted to committing the rape, american literature essay. The play highlights thatthough Henry and Jack claim to defend the law, they were creating adefense, which would eventually result in an injustice or lack ofpunishment.
Petersburg Mississippi viewcrime, punishment, and justice. In the book, Tom and his friendHuckleberry Fin witness the murder of Dr. Robinson by Injun Joe. Ideally, in the 19 th century, the law is not as established. Hence, the two boys are notsure of what to do when they witness the murder, american literature essay. In turn, Tom, american literature essay, Huck,and Joe Harper leave the town for a while given that they are afraidof their lives. On their return, to the town, Tom testifies againstthe culprit Injun Joe.
Though the deeds of Injun become public, noaction is taken against him as he manages to run away. In this case,the court does not punish Injun for the murder of Dr. However, when he attacks Widow Douglas, both Tom and Becky informJudge Thatcher that he is hiding in the cave. To attain justice, thecommunity decides to lock Injun in the cave, which results in hisdeath. This shows that the community has its own method of attainingjustice for cases such as murder Twain, Ideally, Billy Budd, an upright member of the British navyaccidentally kills his superior, american literature essay. Melville uses this masterpiece toexplain the legal dilemma that individuals face when in acompromising situation. For example, Billy Accidentally kills hismentor in front of Captain Vere who loves Billy.
However, Vere has toexercise the law and report the case to the authorities as per therules of the military. After the trail, american literature essay, the court sentences Billy todeath by hanging. In this case, the book explains that the law hasharsh punishments, which in some cases do not fit the actual crime. At the time, there was no much consideration for manslaughter, american literature essay. Assuch, Billy suffers the repercussions of the harsh laws leaving hisfriends to deal with his unlawful death Melville, In conclusion, on the analysis of the tworeferences, the reader learns about two different situations, american literature essay, wherebythe locals handle crime, punishment, and justice differently.
In somecases, a society may take the law into their own hands while in othercases protectors of american literature essay law apply its principles despite thenegative outcomes. Mamet, D. London: American literature essay Methuen Drama. London New York : BloomsburyMethuen Drama, New York: Sentinel. Price, S. Basingstoke [England: Palgrave Macmillan. Skip to content Home Free Essays American Literature essay. american literature 1. Related essays: Author essay Crime Decline in the United States in the s essay Article Critique The Myth of a Fair Criminal Justice System essay Interracial Relationships between the Characters in Othello essay.
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American literature Essays. 69 essay samples found Essay examples. Essay topics. One Friday Morning by Langston Hughes – Summary Introduction “One Friday Morning” by Langston Hughes Racism and discrimination in general are things that are sadly practically inevitable. It is very unlikely that you ever will be able to find a society with Essays on American Literature Literature Analysis of "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson Mccullers. Character List Mick Kelly: A young girl who The Hope and Possibility of Life in The Face of Each Person's Unavoidable End in Dawn Revisited by Rita Dove and When "The Autobiography of an Best Essay Examples on American Literature. “The Innocent Man” by John Grisham. He gives a transparent picture of the legal system and reflects how the judicial systems are so unfair to the poor Discussion About Figurative Language. Reaction to
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