Essay 3: Compare/Contrast
REMEMBER: You may NOT use any sort of Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant to help you with this project. This includes grammar checkers, thesaurus programs, or word washers like Grammarly, Chegg, ChatGPT, or other similar services. If you do so, you will earn a grade of ZERO (0) on this assignment, and you will not be allowed to re-submit it.
In an essay of no less than 600 and no more than 1000 words (not including header information, title, or Works Cited page), write a compare/contrast essay over Marvel Comics and DC Comics using the two articles listed in the “Essay 3: Compare/Contrast” tab (both by Tim DeForest), plus at least two other additional articles you find in the library’s databases on your own. This is an examination of some aspect of the two companies, not just the two articles by Tim DeForest.
Your task is to compare or contrast the world of Marvel Comics and the world of DC Comics. Both have made an incredible impact on our American culture, and there are some amazing similarities and differences between the two.
You may choose several angles from which to write your paper. You could compare the founding of the two companies, the general universe of each line, or perhaps choose two or three characters and their parallels from the other world to compare. Interested in psychology? Look at the driving forces behind our favorite heroes or villains. Going into fashion? Compare the costumes between Marvel & DC or how the clothes have changed over time. Your choices are endless; be creative!
USING QUOTES:
You must include at least one direct quote from each of the two articles, plus two additional sources you find on your own, all properly formatted and cited, both in the text and in a Works Cited at the end of your paper. Failure to properly cite a source can result in charges of plagiarism and a grade of zero (0) on the assignment. Plagiarism information may be reviewed in the “Reference Documents & Videos” tab, under the “Plagiarism Information” folder. DO NOT quote Wikipedia or use it as a source!!! Your sources must come from the library’s databases or reliable online sites (no wiki, no fan-sites, no one trying to sell you anything, etc.). See details within the Unit 3 tab on how to find legitimate, relevant sources. DO NOT use quotes of more than three lines or 40 words; keep quotes short, as they are meant to prove your own point or give an example—not to simply fill out your word count.
Remember also that quoting does NOT require you to quote the entire sentence! Rather than saying: The company really started the portable handheld video game craze. “Nintendo was the first to offer any such device, and many other companies followed suit” (Ishiyama). Try: Nintendo really started the portable handheld video game craze as “the first to offer any such device” (Ishiyama).
Also avoid the In the article “Comics are Code for Love” written by Ashland Norris, it says, “quote here.” construction. It is overly wordy and clunky. Try instead: In “Comics are Code for Love,” Ashland Norris states, “quote here.” You can be even more direct and succinct by saying: Noris states “quote here.” (especially if you’ve already mentioned the author or title previously. If you name the title of the article more than one time in the essay, it just looks like you’re padding your word count.
FORMATTING:
Your final draft must be in MLA style. DO NOT use a pre-formatted template, as they are often incorrect in one way or another. Take the time to go through each step to format correctly. Incorrect formatting will result in automatic deductions from your grade.
A note on using two articles by the same author: When completing the in-text citations for DeForest, be sure to indicate which of the two articles you are quoting by including a shortened version of the title with the citation. For example, “if this were the quote, the citation after it might look like this” (DeForest, “Marvel”). From the other article, “it might look like this” (DeForest, “DC”).
At the end of your paper (before the Works Cited), skip one line, and include “Word Count: ###.” Remember to exclude your header, your four informational lines, the title, and the Works Cited. If your paper exceeds 1000 words, any excess will not be read or graded.
PEER REVIEW:
We will use a peer review process on this paper before you turn it in. Our peer review for this essay will be in class on Wednesday, October 16th, so have your draft completed by then.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS:
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL PARAMETERS FOR THIS PAPER:
After the essay is complete, insert a page break. On the last page, after the Works Cited page, write a 250-word reflection addressing how your position and writing skills have grown over the course of doing your assignment, how you dealt with challenging concepts, and what you can do to further your knowledge in the future.
Additionally, you will submit the file in the “Submit Assignments” tab, under “Essay 3 Secondary Submission.” This is due at the same time as the TurnItIn submission, but you must upload the SAME file in both locations to receive full credit for your work.
This assignment is due no later than 11:59pm on November 8, 2024.
Late assignments will not be accepted without proper arrangements made at least 24 hours prior to the due date.
NOTE: This does not mean that any excuse will be accepted. Circumstances must be egregious
to be granted this extension and will only be considered on a case-by-case basis.
WHAT THE TEACHER IS ASKING FOR
Now, based on what I’m seeing in current grading, many of you are making the same errors repeatedly. If I see these errors on Essay 3 or 4, it will result in major deductions from your grade:
- Many of you are still not putting your essays into MLA style. Every essay MUST be completed in exact MLA format. There are guides in the course to help you format correctly. Go to Content Area > Resources Folder > Writing Resources > MLA Resources. Here you will find a page called “Setting Up Your Paper Properly” that shows you how to do it on Mac, PC, and iPad.
- Make sure you have Times New Roman, 12-pt. font, double-spaced, remove additional space between paragraphs, header with your last name and page number, heading (first page only) that includes your first & last name, my name, the class name, and the date (spelled out in long form).
- The title should be something interesting and related to the discussion in the essay (not “Analysis” or “Marvel vs DC”)
- The Works Cited page (note: it’s Works with an S, plural) should use left-aligned with a hanging indent
- Many of you are still using first person. There should be no reference to yourself in any way within your essay. That includes “narration” of what you’re doing: “this essay will explore” or “this quote shows” is unacceptabe. Don’t tell me what you’re doing, just do it.
- Quotes must be integrated into your own writing, and should not be more than 40 words long. The point of a quote is to help explain or further validate your own writing or to find a point to refute in your own writing. Quotes should be simple and direct.
- You do not have to quote an entire sentence! If you are quoting a partial senentce, never include ellipses (the dot, dot, dot) at the beginning or end of a quote. These are used only if you leave out words in the middle of the quote.
- Make sure to use quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quote, but do not include the parenthetical or in-text citation in the quotation marks.
- Do NOT use quote after quote after quote with barely any of your own writing. The essay should be mostly your own thoughts, not that of other pople. If you’re using two pieces of text from the same article, you don’t have to make them separate quotes. Just use the ellipses to indicate you left something out.
- Citation goes at the end of the sentence, not at the end of the quote if there is other text after the quote.
- Do not include subtitles when naming articles in your writing, and do not name them more than once. Otherwise, it appears you are simply trying to pad your word count