This document provides instructions for writing an essay comparing or contrasting two short stories covered in a literature course. Students are asked to analyze a major theme found in both stories and emphasize what is surprising or interesting about the similarities or differences. The essay must have a clear thesis, support claims with evidence from the stories, and follow standard formatting guidelines. It should alternate discussing each story paragraph by paragraph to develop an interpretive analysis of their connections.

1. In your first essay, you applied your analytical and interpretive
skills to a work of literary fiction. In this second essay, you will
continue to develop those skills, but will do so by placing two
texts from this course in conversation with one another. In other
words, you will be comparing
OR
contrasting a major theme in two short stories we’ve read thus
far. The goal here is not just to point out similarities or
differences, but to emphasize what is
surprising
or
interesting
about those similarities or differences.
For example, you might ask:
1)
Are there unexpectedly similar themes or messages within two
stories published in very different time periods?
2)
Are there two stories we’ve read that address a similar topic,
but send different messages about that topic?
3)
Are there two stories with protagonists who seem very different,
but who actually struggle with a similar problem?
Your thesis should clearly state the answer to one of these
questions, and your essay should use specific quotes and details
from the stories as supporting evidence.
Purpose
·

2. To emphasize the importance of locating and exploring
connections across different texts
·
To practice effectively organizing discussions of two different
texts
·
To continue to improve your interpretive reading and writing
skills
Format
:
·
4-5 double-spaced pages
plus
Works Cited page in MLA style.
·
12 point Times or Times New Roman fon1-inch margins on all
sides
Writing Guidelines (These will also be used as grading criteria):
1.
Employ a thesis statement in the introduction that clearly states
a) how two stories are similar or different, and b) why that
similarity or difference is significant or surprising
2.
Formulate topic sentences that tie directly back to the thesis and
state the one main idea of their respective paragraphs
3.

3. Support those topic sentences with evidence from the text(s)
being analyzed
4.
Do not “ping pong” back and forth between stories in a single
paragraph. You can alternate your discussions of each story
from paragraph to paragraph, but not from sentence to sentence.
Alternately, you may also address all relevant details from one
story in the first half of your paper, and then turn your attention
to the second story in the second half of your paper.
5.
Keep summary to a minimum: only quote from the story or
paraphrase plot events in the interest of proving a larger
interpretive point, and keep the focus on your analysis
6.
Integrate source(s) smoothly: avoid long block quotations, use
attributive tags, cite using MLA style
7.
Employ an academic tone that avoids conversational or casual
language
8.
Use clear transitions between sentences, correct grammar, and
appropriate vocabulary
Choose any two of these and write the paper on them :
Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues”
Bambara, “The Lesson”

4. O’Connor,
“A Good Man is Hard to Find”
Oates, “Where Are You Going, Where have you been?”
Vonnegut, “Harrison Bergeron”