for brilliant answer

English Essay 2 Assignment

Find a thematic likeness between any two of the plays we’ve read, or between one play and one short story, and write a thesis which explores how these two works look at the same idea similarly and differently. The goal of a comparison/contrast essay is to illuminate each individual work by juxtaposing it with another.

Your thesis should concede points of contrast but emphasize points of comparison as you are trying to connect 2 works to one idea. As you discuss how both works illustrate the theme, you will point out their differences and identify how those differences help make your theme more nuanced and interesting.

Example Thesis (with points embedded): In both The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and “my dream about being white” by Lucille Clifton, we see how young African American girls dream of beauty, how the beauty they dream of is white and socially constructed, and how they have to resist this dream to survive.

Example Thesis for Oedipus Rex with “Cathedral”:

Example Thesis for Oedipus Rex with Death of a Salesman:

See comparison / contrast examples and templates for instruction on structure.