Essay comparing Oedipus and Hamlet
For this assessment, you will plan and write a 1,500 word comparison essay in response to the following question:
Which character shows greater resilience: Oedipus or Hamlet?
You will be guided through the writing process to develop your comparison essay. You will submit your essay outline for feedback from your teacher before proceeding to write your essay. Once you have received and incorporated their feedback, you will write your essay and submit it for a grade.
Remember, it’s quality that counts.
The word count is a guide for depth in your writing. If your essay is a little under the word count, but you’ve offered great arguments and evidence, you’ve done your job. Don’t add extra words just to fill the count.
On the other hand, if you’re a little over the word count, can you trim by editing out “filler”? You’ll probably have a better essay if you do.
More isn’t better – better is better!
Cite as you write
Let’s say you moonlight as a creative writer in your free time and decide to post some of your best work through an Instagram post. How would you feel if someone reposted your latest short story through a regram … without giving you credit?
Thoughtless! What an affront!
This regram is an act of plagiarism. When paraphrased ideas or direct quotes are used without giving credit to the author, this constitutes an act of plagiarism. Plagiarism undermines the intent and purpose of scholarship, as we lose the thread of the sources that are used to credibly substantiate an argument. You’re stealing someone else’s ideas and erasing their hard work.
Before engaging with the guided writing process that follows, be sure to review the Citing Sources section of Start here – Student Resources on the course home page. You can also review the same information regarding the MLA citation style in the following document entitled “MLA Citation Guide”. Press “MLA Citation Guide(Opens in a new window)” to access the document.
Your teacher will assess your work using this rubric. Before submitting your assessment, review the rubric to ensure that you are meeting the success criteria to the best of your ability. Learn more about the success criteria by pressing the tabs. Expectations:
- Demonstrates understanding of the writing prompt with accuracy
- Compares resiliency between Oedipus and Hamlet with accuracy and depth
- Uses significant and thoughtful examples from both texts
- Insights are logical, relevant and significant
- Demonstrates understanding of appropriate essay structure
- Expectations:
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- Insightful explicit thesis demonstrates depth of understanding
- Formulates complex and compelling ideas that are relevant and significant to the critical analysis
- Provides direct quotations from texts that are relevant and supportive
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Expectations:
- Writes clearly and concisely; demonstrates a strong command of the English language
- Uses a clear third person voice for an academic audience
- Avoids colloquialisms and contractions
- Organizes ideas logically and concisely
- Adheres to the conventions of grammar, sentence structure and spelling
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Expectations:
- Uses an effective and meaningful hook in the introduction (anecdote, definition, rhetorical question, external quotation, or other persuasive device).
- Applies the comparison essay structure with accuracy
- Uses quotations with proper punctuation and embedded references (MLA) accurately
- Creates an accurate Works Cited List (MLA)
- Use of the writing process is clearly demonstrated with evidence of feedback and revisions