English 155: Introduction to Literature
Compare/Contrast Paper (750-1000 words)
Your final paper is designed to help you see connections between the different works we've read this semester. Your assignment is to compare and contrast two works we've studied this semester. This means you must discuss both similarities AND differences between the two works. Start by finding some aspect that both works share. This could be a theme (such as love), but it might also be a technique (such as first person point of view), an image (e.g. animal imagery), a symbol, etc. After finding a connection between the two works, then you will discuss its other similarities and differences. Please note that the two works you discuss must be from different weeks of our unit (that is, please don't compare two short stories, or two poems).
For example, you might compare the theme of ambition in two works or you might compare the theme of romantic relationships in two texts.
In other ways, the paper is similar to others you've done this semester: you should be interpreting the text (not summarizing it) and supporting it with quotations and other references to the work.
Keep in mind the following:
- Include both similarities and differences. If differences are most obvious, focus on similarities and vice versa. For example, "Although both ____ and ______ demonstrate how love has gone wrong, in _______, the problem is caused by X, whereas in _______, the problem is caused by Y.
- Be sure you are going beyond plot summaries in your comparisons. Your goal is to interpret the two works, not simply to tell us what happened. Always think "Why?" "So What?" What are the two authors suggesting about a given topic? Where do they agree and where do they disagree?
- Remember that the authors' views are not necessarily the same as the characters' views.
- Make sure the two elements (the similarities and differences) are related. For example, don't say something like, "although both works portray abused children, text #1 is written in the 1600s, while text #2 is written in the 1900s. (There is no obvious relationship between the similarities and differences.) A better strategy would be to say something like, "Although these two texts were written in dramatically different historical period, they both portray the theme of abused children. {this is the similarity} However, text A suggests that abused children have no option but to suffer the abuse, while text B argues that children have ways of fighting back. {this is the difference}
There are two ways of organizing the body of a compare/contrast paper:
Text A:
Point 1.
Point 2
Point 3
Text B
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
OR
Point 1
Text A
Text B
Point 2
Text A
Text B
Point 3
Text A
Text B
How would you rate the following thesis statements?
- Both The Great Gatsby and Frankenstein address the issue of socially created monsters.
(Not so good because there is a similarity but no difference.)
- Both The Great Gatsby and Frankenstein address the issue of socially created monsters, but Fitzgerald's monster is a rich man, while Shelley's monster is a scientist.
(Not so good either, because the facts about being "a rich man" and a "scientist" sound like just random facts. How they help us to understand the texts better/)
- Both The Great Gatsby and Frankenstein address the issue of socially created monsters, but Fitzgerald's monster (Tom Buchanan) is created by excessive materialism, while Shelley's monster (Frankenstein) is created by excessive ambition.
(This is better because the differences are related to the similarities AND they are
interpretive statements that help us illuminate the texts-not just random facts.)
Checklist for Paper #3: Comparison/Contrast
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Topic
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Thesis.
a. Is it truly a thesis (an interpretation) rather than a topic statement? Ideally it should be something someone could disagree with, or a subtle point that a casual reader might not have noticed.
b. Does it specifically refer to a narrow aspect of the book, not a broad overview?
c. Does it include both similarities AND differences?
d. Are the similarities and differences related to each other and are they interpretations rather than facts?
e. Does it appear in the first paragraph?
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Understanding of Text.
Does the writer demonstrate a solid understanding of the "facts" of the literary work? Are there any factual errors? Does the writer demonstrate insight and sensitivity to the ideas and language of the work?
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Support.
a. Does everything in the body of the paper directly support the thesis statement? Is the body of the paper mainly interpretation and analysis rather than just a plot summary of the text? Does the writer stay focused on the text (rather than discussing society in general or the writer's personal views on the subject?
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b. Is every interpretation supported by a direct reference to the text
(including the page number)? In other words, does every point
have evidence to support it?
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c. Is every quotation from the text followed up with the writer's own
analysis of its significance?
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Development.
Does the writer develop his or her ideas fully? Are both texts given (approximately) equal amount of attention? Does it fulfill the page length requirement (approximately 1000-1250 words)?
As a rough guideline, aim for two or at most three paragraphs per page. It is much better to have a few main points, but to go into depth on them to have a lot of points that you breeze over superficially.
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Organization.
a. Is every paragraph unified? In other words, is there one main point
to the paragraph and does everything in the paragraph relate directly to that point?
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b. Does every paragraph begin a main pointed stated in the writer's own words, not a quotation from the text or summary statement?
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Grammar, mechanics, style.
a. Does the paper follow the proper format?
b. Is the paper grammatically correct? Watch out especially for sentence fragments and comma splices (using a comma when a semi-colon or period is necessary.)
c. Is the style clear and smooth, with syntactic variety and a rich vocabulary?
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