Essays & Speeches

These study guides analyze powerful words that have shaped and reflected some of the most influential moments in history. Perfect for exploring the power and craft of rhetoric, this collection covers Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments, among many others.

Euthyphro

by Plato

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Tags Ancient Greece, Philosophy, Philosophy

The philosopher Socrates and a man named Euthyphro meet at the court of a magistrate in charge of religious law. They discover that they both have cases to plead there. Socrates explains that he has been accused by a young man named Meletus of corrupting the youth of Athens by questioning the traditional beliefs about the gods and introducing new gods. Euthyphro says that he, too, has received similar accusations before, and that the thing... Read Euthyphro Summary

Existentialism is a Humanism

by Jean-Paul Sartre

Publication year 1946

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Tags Philosophy, Existentialism, French Literature, Education, Education, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

In “Existentialism is a Humanism” (1945), French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre attempts to convince an audience of philosophers and laypeople alike that his philosophy is neither pessimistic, nor relativist, nor quietist, nor subjectivist in the sense of presenting human beings as isolated individuals.He begins by elaborating Christians’ and Marxists’ criticisms of his ideas, then attempts to respond to each. In doing so, he focuses on the key formulation of existentialism, “existence precedes essence.” Then he... Read Existentialism is a Humanism Summary

Flying Home

by Ralph Ellison

Publication year 1953

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Race, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, African American Literature, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

“Flying Home” is the titular story of Ralph Ellison’s collection published in 1944. It tells the story of Todd, a Black Air Force candidate in flight training school in Macon County, Alabama, during World War II. As one of the first Black people accepted into the school, Todd is determined to prove that his capabilities are equal to those of his white counterparts. The story addresses themes of Fear of Judgment, Opportunities and the American... Read Flying Home Summary

Gift From The Sea

by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Publication year 1955

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Marriage, Midlife, Femininity

Tags Inspirational, Philosophy, Women`s Studies, Gender & Feminism, Philosophy, Biography, Self-Improvement, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Gift from the Sea is a 1955 work of inspirational nonfiction literature by American author Anne Morrow Lindbergh. While vacationing on Captiva Island, Florida, Lindbergh explores the questions of how to find a new, more natural rhythm of life and how to gain a deeper relationship with herself and others. To gain inspiration for this, she discusses various shells that she finds on the beach. The first two shells she finds symbolize the importance of... Read Gift From The Sea Summary

Go Carolina

by David Sedaris

Publication year 2000

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Community, Coming of Age, Perseverance, Education

Tags Diversity, LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Social Justice, Sports

... Read Go Carolina Summary

Heavy

by Kiese Laymon

Publication year 2018

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Truth & Lies

Tags Race & Racism, Social Justice, Biography

Heavy is Kiese Laymon’s 2018 memoir. It won the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction and the LA Times Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose. Earning praise from Alice Walker, The Boston Globe, NPR, Time, and The Paris Review, Heavy acknowledges that “we’ve arrived at the point we have as a country in part because of lies we’ve told ourselves about what America means” (Abdurraquib, Hanif. “Heavy.” 4 Columns, 2018).Other works by this author... Read Heavy Summary

Here Is New York

by E. B. White

Publication year 1948

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Community, The Past, Place, Environment

Tags Travel Literature, US History, Urban Development, Creative Nonfiction, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

... Read Here Is New York Summary

Hidden America

by Jeanne Marie Laskas

Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Community

Tags Creative Nonfiction, US History, American Literature, Sociology, World History, Social Justice, Biography

Jeanne Marie Laskas’s Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make This Country Work was published in 2012 to rave reviews and was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as a “Must-Read Best Books.” Laskas is an English professor at the University of Pittsburgh and has written a wide variety of best-selling nonfiction texts. In Hidden America, Laskas explores the way ordinary Americans live by getting to know her... Read Hidden America Summary