Compare and Contrast

Compare something that we’ve read in class with something that you have read outside of class. The goal is to be able to identify how “human issues in literature” appear and/or are addressed in different works. Therefore, you need to focus on a specific theme and explore how these two works explore this theme.

**It is recommended that the work chosen outside of class is something that not every person has read in middle school/high school. Choose something that YOU are interested in**

Pick ONE of these works and ONE work you have read that is NOT on this list
Works we have read:
-Macbeth (William Shakespear)
-Antigone (Sophocles)
-M. Butterfly (David Hwang)
-Beloved (Toni Morrison)
-Samsa in Love (Haruki Murakami)
-The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka)
-A Gathering of Old Men (Ernest Gaines)
-Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)
-Sexy (Jhumpa Lahiri).

Important Notes:
Name the two works in the thesis statement
ALWAYS say work #1 first and work #2 second
Give the same amount of attention to each work

“Point-by-Point” or “Block” Structure
EXAMPLE
Thesis: Willy Loman of Death of a Salesman and Jay Gatsby of The Great Gatsby pursue their vision of the American dream, but each is doomed by his own illusions and delusions.
Main Points: 1. Their dream 2. How they pursue it 3. How it failed

POINT-BY-POINT
Introduction with Thesis Statement
–Willy: Dream
–Gatsby: Dream
–Willy: Pursuit
–Gatsby: Pursuit
–Willy: Fail
–Gatsby: Fail
Conclusion (Bring together)
Paragraphing may be flexible: you may organize by work (i.e., a paragraph for Willy’s dream then a paragraph for Gatsby’s dream) or by theme (i.e., one paragraph covering Willy’s and Gatsby’s dream).
Use accurate Topic Sentences: if you are covering both works in the same paragraph, be sure the topic sentence points to this.

BLOCK
Intro with Thesis Statement
–Willy : Dream
: Pursuit
:Fail
TRANSITION
–Gatsby : Dream
: Pursuit
: Fail
Conclusion (Bring together)
The paper essentially has two sections–one on each work–but it covers the same themes in the same order. The second section can definitely reference back to the first section.

*Juxtaposition: putting detail or quotes next to each other to show similarity or difference.*