For this project, you will write a four page essay in which you present a sustained and substantial analysis of two literary works
we have discussed in class and in which you use comparison and contrast as the foundation of your analysis. You should limit your
analysis to two works at the most.
If you choose to compare and contrast two literary texts, you need to do the following:
• Identify grounds for comparison in both texts (a “common denominator” that both texts share).
• Identify grounds for contrast: within this “common denominator,” how do the texts differ? In this case, you need to answer the
question, “how is/are this element(s) treated differently by both writers and in both works?”
• Indicate what we can learn from this comparison and contrast. In other words, answer the question, “what does comparing these two
texts teach us” (about the common element(s) or the strategy/ies the author uses, about the authors’ intent, or about the
characters).
Important Advice:
A- In your opening paragraph, you need to identify the title of the works you will be analyzing and their authors. You will also
need to set out a good, clear, specific common denominator between the texts, which will be the driving point of your analysis and
your thesis. This could be a common strategy that both writers use similarly and/or differently. It could be a common theme that
both writers present in their works for similar or different effects. You can, for example, provide a thesis about the different
strategies each author employs as they present this common denominator. As you develop your preview of the paper’s content, you
might want to prepare an outline for yourself to clarify the progression of your ideas. Make sure you introduce the work(s) and
author(s), state your thesis, identify the argument you will be making about the work, provide some sense as to why this issue is
important, and give a preview of the paper’s content, which mostly is presented in your introductory paragraph(s).
B- In the body, you will lay out your analysis of the work and develop the argument in your thesis. Note that in the body, the order
of the evidence presented should not follow the order of the passage being discussed. Rather, the order of the evidence depends on
how it relates to your central argument. Don’t let the passage walk you through your analysis; instead, re- organize the passage to
suit your discussion of it. You should use textual evidence (quotes) from your chosen work and do close reading of these excerpts to
show how they prove and substantiate your thesis. Make sure each paragraph has a topic sentence and focuses on one central idea.
C- In the conclusion, you should restate your thesis and sum up the main claims your paper discussed and your insight based on your
analysis.
D- You should consult and use two secondary sources that discuss the author or the literary work(s) you choose to analyze. You will
cite these sources properly in your works-cited and in the body of your essay using MLA citation format.
E- You should have a proper works-cited page that lists all the works you cited in your essay including the primary works.