This month we start with Mike Burns’ choice for the high school book he hated, the not subtly homoerotic Billy Budd by Herman Melville. “Billy Budd, Sailor has been called the best short novel ever written. In his brilliantly condensed prose, Herman Melville fashions a legal parable in which reason Read more…
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin Story of an Hour by Haddon Buschmann “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is a short story about a female protagonist named Louise Mallard who feels the joy of freedom after hearing of her husband’s death. Chopin was one of Read more…
“Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. I loafe and invite my soul, I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass. My Read more…
The Atlanta Compromise Atlanta Compromise by Faiza Khaled The “Atlanta Compromise,” speech was addressed by Booker T. Washington in 1895 at the Atlanta Exposition. The Atlanta Exposition was a world’s fair intended to showcase the Southern economy, agriculture and also expand industrially. The goal of the fair was to attract Read more…
Final Exam Essay by Thea Sargent Table of Contents Thanks for reading The American Experiment! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Part One: Exposition Part Two: Rising Action Part Three: Climax Part Four: Falling Action Part Five: Resolution Cast of Characters Protagonist: America, the working Read more…
The Arlington National Cemetery The Arlington National Cemetery exists as one of the two national cemeteries operated by the American army. It holds almost 400,000 graves with the addition of the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.” In Washington D.C. I got to witness many different museums, government buildings, and historical Read more…
“Sixteen Tons” by Kate Hunsberger In 1947, Merle Travis composed and recorded a popular Folk song called “Sixteen Tons.” A few years later, Tennessee Ernie Ford recorded that same song himself. The song began to skyrocket through the charts as it became exceedingly popular in Ford’s version. The song tells Read more…
This week we revisit the Gothic Horror, Bildungsroman, potential black comedy, Victorian Middle Class novel that is Jane Eyre. This was Nic’s selection for the book he read in high school and hated, but will a reread make it better? It certainly won’t make it shorter! From the back of the Penguin Read more…
Angel of Death by Annalisa Dagnino Frank W. Benson’s Summer is an allegorical painting in the impressionism genre located in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Benson uses oil paint as a medium to create a rich color with a wide range from light to dark. Impressionism is based on the Read more…
Uncle Tom’s Cabin in Images by Julia Nackley In the three images of this particular scene in Uncle Tom’s Cabin the picture is of the same thing but different takes on it. The scene is of Eliza running away with her child to get to a free land. In the Read more…