WRITING #1.0: Comparative Analysis Paper English 1302 Spring 2015 SYNOPSIS OF TASK Americans love independence. It is at the very core of the nation’s foundations. Many of our most cherished ideals come from individuality and the right to choose our own path in life. Rebels and outlaws can become innovators and icons. Despite this, we also share a great love for being a part of something bigger. Americans also have a great desire to fit in and belong. Being outside the norm, in any way, carries with it the possibility being ostracized. It comes as no surprise then, that these conflicting ideals can cause a lot of problems for people. This struggle between conformity and rebellion is a popular topic for writers. The works listed below all discuss this broad topic in one way or another Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison 283-294 The Lottery by Shirley Jackson 415-421 Two Kinds by Amy Tan 636-643 “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost 811 “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy 1023 “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks 732 “The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy 689 “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen 909 “The Soldier” by Rupert Brooke 910 “Harlem” by Langston Hughes 762 “The Unknown Citizen” by W. H. Auden (http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/unknown- citizen) For this assignment, using at least four of the works listed above, you will write a paper that compares what the writers say, and then (briefly) comment on what the writers say in your conclusion. In other words, by your paper will (1) identify and summarize essential points made by the writers and (2) compare/contrast those points, based on what the writers argue. Such analysis of sources is a common practice both in college writing and in the writing of scholars. Your “commenting” will occur in the conclusion, where you can evaluate the strengths and/or weaknesses of the authors’ arguments. You will give no evaluation in the paper prior to this point. The completed paper will be 3-4 pages in length (double spaced and not including the works cited page) SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE TASK. Probably the most difficult part of your task for this paper will be the connections you make among the articles you choose. These primary connections (“themes,” “points,” “ideas”) will, of course, represent what is in the articles, but making such connections is a matter of your input: your accurate, insightful reading, interpretation, and analysis. Although you will need to reproduce accurately what is in the articles, your paper’s real success lies in how insightful your connections are among the four articles. Try to find areas in which the works share a common ground, as well as looking for ways in which they are different from each other. All the works have something to say about rebellion, conformity, or both. No two works say the exact same thing, nor do they say similar things in the exact same w.