Essay 2 (On Canvas, too)

Type of assignment: Write a comparative or contrastive analysis of the themes of two poems or two stories.

New skills required: Compare or contrast the assumptions of two works about a single subject, possibly introducing the critical ideas of another writer.

Specific Prompt

Compare or Contrast two pieces’ symbols of death impact on the thematic meaning of each piece: how does each author use these symbols to make thematic statements, and what are those statements? 

Worth: 200 points

Due Dates:

·      Monday, 11/9, by 2pm: Type thesis statement (label) and two body paragraphs for essay. Bring for Peer Workshop.

·      Monday, 11/16, by 2pm: TYPED complete final draft, handed in to professor.

Paper Format Requirements:

• Creative, Informative Title
• 5-body paragraph structure:  Intro | body paragraphs | conclusion
• Bold your thesis statement in each draft
• Use MLA citation guidelines for citing your primary sources – the subjects of your essay
• At minimum: your essay must be at least two and a half pages (2.5), which equals between 600-700 effective words, double-spaced, with at least four developed paragraphs.

Outline help:

I. Introduction to Compare (or Contrast) Essay: What are the symbols of death in each piece?

·       Introduce each author and poem or story

·       Put each piece in context of your thesis statement

·       Introduce your subtopics. You will reintroduce these at the beginning of each Body Paragraph, depending on the order you establish them in your introduction.

·       Use relevant literary terms as they relate to and help develop your thesis argument. Tone and theme are two example words I’d expect to be used by you in your essay, but how are they relevant, contextually, to your argument? 

·       IMPORTANT: use comparative and contrastive language in your thesis and in your topic sentences…words of comparison or words of contrast.

II. Body Paragraphs (The development of the thesis argument by restating and then exploring its subtopic’s arguments)

A.    Body Paragraph 1: 

a.     Start with restating the first subtopic as your topic sentence for this BP!

b.     Why do you find your subtopic’s argument to be valid – give reasons first, not specific examples.

c.     Relevant example from each piece:

·       Text 1 example:

·       Text 2:

·       How are they the same (or different)?

B.    Body Paragraph 2: 

a.     Start with restating the second subtopic as your topic sentence for this BP!

b.     Why do you find your subtopic’s argument to be valid – give reasons first, not specific examples.

c.     Relevant example from each piece:

·       Text 1 example:

·       Text 2:

·       How are they the same (or different)?

C.    If you have a 3^rd BP, then use the same organizational formula!

III. Conclusion:  Wrap up your ideas. Below are a few things to help you do so:

A.    What, again, is your largest argument about how these two are the same or different? Repeat the idea, but feel free (please) to use new language and even develop the idea with further context.  Also, reiterate your body paragraph arguments about how your two subject texts are alike or dissimilar.

B.    Say something of significance about each text as they relate to the theme they both explore. To do so, think about what you’ve learned about the thematic subject and make sure to end on the knowledge each piece gives.