compare and contrast

Compare/Contrast Essay

First draft due: Tuesday, March 23

Second/final draft due: Tuesday, April 6

Once you complete both Literary Analysis Sheets, you will use that information to prepare your compare/contrast essay. You will select three literary elements to compare and contrast between the two stories by your author.

The paper must be five paragraphs, typed, double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12 point font. You MUST include at least one direct quotation from each story in your paper in APA style (Keep the following guidelines in mind:

1. The Introduction should introduce your assigned author briefly using cited information from your author research. Then introduce the two stories you will compare and contrast, ending with a 3-part thesis that analyzes your three chosen literary elements.

2. Each of the body paragraphs should include all of the following in this order:

a. Topic sentence introducing the literary element and its role in the author’s works

b. Explanation of the literary element and its importance in the first story

c. Explanation of the literary element and its importance in the second story

d. Similarities and differences between the two stories’ use of the element

3. The Conclusion should rephrase your three-part thesis and summarize your ideas about how the author uses the three elements and how these elements help to make the author’s work successful. Use a quotation from your research to strengthen your conclusion.

4. The References should list the two stories on a separate page in APA style as well as any other sources you use (such as in the introduction and conclusion), and remember to cite them all both on the References page AND with in-text citations!

***Remember, this paper cannot simply tell WHAT the three literary elements are. You must analyze WHY these elements are important. What do they accomplish in the story? What does the author use the literary elements to reveal? Be sure to use the appropriate literary analysis terminology when discussing the literary elements.

Sample thesis statement:

In “The Story of an Hour” and “The Storm,” Kate Chopin uses settings, characters, and conflicts to reveal the depth of gender bias in her time and the effects society’s bias had on women.

Sample topic sentence:

In these stories, the setting shows the biased society of Chopin’s era and its negative impact on women’s lives.