Compare and Contrast Essay

Resources o This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona (p. 584)
o The Lesson (p.116)
o Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter (p. 568)
o The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas (p. 357)
o Where are you Going, Where have you Been? (p. 752)
o The Things They Carried (p. 1036)
Overview To analyze is to take something apart into its parts and examine those parts. This is the most important skill that any literature student acquires. You must learn how to look at a text and pull out the theme, the characters, the setting, the plot, etc…

In this assignment you will be using those analytical skills to write a compare and contrast essay for two of the short stories above. Specifically, you will be comparing and contrasting two stories that have similar themes.

First, you want to select two stories that have similar themes. Think about what each of the stories above revolves around and what links you can draw between these stories. Once you have settled on two stories, you will then begin thinking about your essay.

For this first essay, I will be providing the frame. In other words, I will provide you with the outline for this essay below and you will know what I expect from each paragraph. Make sure that you are using textual evidence in this essay, just as you have practice last week.
Directions 1. Look over the six stories listed above under “Resources” for this assignment
2. Think about what themes are reflected in these stories.
3. Select two short stories that have a similar theme. (For example, the overall theme of the story may be “love lost” or “the importance of family” or “how identity affects you”)
4. Write an essay that compares and contrasts these themes following the outline below.
Paragraph 1: Define “Theme” and describe the theme that you selected (in the example below the theme is lost love) finishing with a thesis that states what two works you will be analyzing.
A possible thesis would be:
Story A and Story B both show the theme of Lost Love.
Paragraph 2: Explain how one of the two stories shows this theme. Use textual evidence to prove the statements that you are making.
(For each body paragraph,try to follow this basic pattern:
1. Make a claim: For example, state how the theme is shown in the first story.
2. Provide Textual Evidence: Show what lines from the story emphasize this theme.
3. Explain how this textual evidence proves your claim: Explain the evidence that you have presented further.)
Paragraph 3: Explain how the second story shows this theme. Use textual evidence to prove the statements that you are making.
Paragraph 4: Explain similarities and differences between how these two works reflect theme. Use textual evidence to prove the statements that you are making.
Paragraph 5: Conclude your essay by summarizing your main points and evaluating how well the authors reflect their theme.
5. Create a title page and edit your essay for spelling and grammar. Your title page should have the following information:
Title
Student Name
Course/Number
Date
Instructor’s Name

6. Check to make sure that any outside sources are correctly referenced using APA standards.
Submit 1. Your compare and contrast essay
Be sure to submit all assignments using the Assignments Link as an attachment