Paper One
Compare and Contrast
In this essay, you will be comparing and contrasting two characters of your choice from two different stories. You may use any of the short stories we have read so far.
When choosing the two characters you want to compare and contrast, you will need to choose not only two characters, but also a purpose for the comparison. For example, you could compare and contrast the theme of isolation found in both "Eveline" and "I Stand Here Ironing." Your focus could be on the women instilling the lesson. You should then ask yourself why is this important? Always ask yourself this question or a variation of this question (why is the topic I’ve chosen important to these texts? What do these texts show about this theme? Why does it matter that I compare and contrast these two texts?) in order to create your thesis statement and to make sure you are analyzing the texts and characters instead of summarizing them.
Please let me know if you have questions. I’ll also provide feedback on your invention and outline activity to help you get started.
Creating Your Paper:
- Building on your writing activity, use the outline and comments to start the essay.
- Find textual support for similarities and differences you saw in the brainstorm and outline. You must integrate quotations from the short stories you have chosen into your essay. You should also include in-text citations and a works cited page.
- Draft your essay, following the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion structure and following the point-by-point outline you used in the writing activity. You will also need to include a thesis that explains why the analysis of the characters is important. What do you plan to show about the comparisons and contrasts in the short stories you have chosen? What do they show about the overall theme you see between the two stories? In other words, why are these similarities and differences important? Your thesis should not say that the stories are similar and different.
- Once you have drafted the essay, revise the essay for grammar and spelling issues.
Requirements:
- MLA format for in-text citations and works cited page; must include direct quotations from the short stories
- At least 3 pages Times New Roman twelve point font
- Title tailored to your thesis, not the titles of the characters or the story. The title should also not include the term “versus.”
- Do not include any sources besides the short stories. We will work on secondary sources for paper two.
Draft A:
Draft A should meet all of the above requirements; in other words, it should be a completed draft. Please note that you must turn in Draft A (please see the Draft A and B process in your syllabus).
Draft B:
Draft B is the optional draft. After receiving feedback on draft A as well as a grade for Draft A, you may choose to revise Draft A and resubmit it. The higher of the two grades will
be taken for the paper grade. If you choose to submit Draft B, you must show where the changes to the original draft were made and include one paragraph about what you revised and why. You can highlight or bold the areas. You can receive up to ten additional points on Draft A.
- For this writing activity, you will be brainstorming and creating an outline for your first essay, a compare and contrast essay. The assignment page is the previous page in this module. Be sure to draw on your past experiences with compare and contrast essays and use the links below.
To complete the writing activity, please submit the two items below:
- Your invention stage: this could be a brainstorm, diagram, free write, or web. This can be messy. If you are like me, I brainstorm in my notebook. If this is the case, you can upload a picture.
- Turn your invention stage into an outline. Use a point-by-point outline (link below) to more formally show what you think your paper will look like. Your outline must include a rough draft of your thesis statement.
I will make comments on your activity to help you get started with the paper. Please submit this activity and then begin your first paper.