part one
Comparison and Contrast Essay
Your Essay Assignment
Using the assigned eText pages for this module as a guide, use one of the five prompts listed below to compose a 2-3 page (minimum two full pages) MLA formattedLinks to an external site. comparison and contrast essay of two assigned works of short fiction you studied in Module Two and Module Three. I attached a file formatted in MLA style below.
You must choose from the eight assigned short stories we studied Modules Two and Three: “A & P,” “Sonny’s Blues,” “Cathedral,” “Greasy Lake,” “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” “The Lottery,” “The Interpreter of Maladies,” and “The Things They Carried.”
Note: To get the most out of this writing assignment (and to earn the highest grade possible), you must use one of the below prompts to write your essay. The section titled “Comparison and Contrast” in the chapter on “Writing about a Story” contains a sample comparison and contrast student essay, which is a sample response to the first prompt below; the author of this essay compares and contrasts the trait of ‘adapting to a changing environment’ in two short stories. This sample student essay offers you one way a student approached one of the below prompts.
Here are the prompts you have to choose from. Remember, select one of the below prompts for your essay. You may not stray from these choices.
- From two of the stories you read, compare and contrast two characters who share a single important personality trait–be sure to focus on just one trait. Make character the focus of your essay. Keep in mind that you must select from the eight assigned short stories from Module Two and Module Three. Be sure to support your thesis with examples from your chosen short stories.
- Compare and contrast the points of view of two of the assigned short stories. Make point of view the focus of your essay. Keep in mind that you must select from the eight assigned short stories from Module Two and Module Three. Be sure to support your thesis with examples from your chosen short stories.
- Compare and contrast two short stories that rely on setting in a similar way to help convey the stories’ larger themes. Keep in mind that you must select from the eight assigned short stories from Module Two and Module Three. Be sure to support your thesis with examples from your chosen short stories.
- Compare and contrast the use of symbolism in two of the short stories you read. Keep in mind that you must select from the eight assigned short stories from Module Two and Module Three. Be sure to support your thesis with examples from your chosen short stories.
- Compare and contrast the writing style of two different authors. Keep in mind that you must select authors of the eight assigned short stories from Module Two and Module Three. Be sure to support your thesis with examples from your chosen short stories.
Assignment Tips
For your comparison and contrast, be sure that you (1) assert a clear argument—this is your thesis, and (2) logically support that argument with adequate textual evidence–this includes using parenthetical documentation for any direct passages taken from the works. As you know, you will use MLA documentation style to format your essay and to cite the literary works you are comparing and contrasting. The sample essay in the “Comparison and Contrast” section in the chapter titled “Writing about a Story” shows you how to cite quoted material in the body of your essay (using in-text citations) in MLA style.
If you choose to incorporate an outside source (a maximum of two are allowed), use the “Writing a Research Paper” section in your eText to review the basic guidelines for citing your sources in a Works Cited page. With that, keep in mind, if you choose to use outside sources, you must include a Works Cited page. Any essay using outside source material will not be accepted without a Works Cited page–this does not include our eText, for which you do not need to include in a Works Cited page. Lastly, you may not use open content sites, such as Wikipedia and YouTube, as outside sources. If you would like to read outside sources, I recommend using the databases available through the MCC Library. Ebscohost and The Literature Resource Center are excellent databases to search for peer-reviewed articles about literary works.
It is important that you do not write a summary–don’t confuse summary with the act of briefly relating some aspect of a work’s plot to support a larger point–in place of a comparison and contrast essay.
How to Submit Your Essay
To submit your file, click “Browse” under “File Upload” to upload your file and click “Submit Assignment.” You also have the option to attach files from Google Drive or Office 365. Remember, Metropolitan Community College uses Microsoft products as part of its standard software, so you must save word-processed file documents for file attachments in .doc or .docx format. If your software does not allow either of these, then save files in Rich Text Format (.rtf).
Attachments:
How to Format an Essay Using MLA Style.docx
How to Format an Essay Using MLA Style.rtfDownload How to Format an Essay Using MLA Style.rtf
Part two
Reflection on the Short Story Unit and First Essay
Your Assignment
Please answer the reflection questions below using MLA formattingLinks to an external site. regarding the short story unit and your first essay assignment. Students often write about one full page for this assignment, but you may certainly write more if you like. Some students just answer the questions listed below (that is, they write “1.” and write their answer, “2.” and write their answer, etc.). Other students answer each question by writing their reflection in essay format with paragraphs. I am fine with whichever format you prefer. I really just want to understand how you connected with the short story unit in the hopes of keeping you better engaged and connected in our next two units.
Questions about the Short Story Unit:
- What was your experience, understanding and appreciation of short stories coming into this class (that is, before completing our short story unit)? Has your experience, understanding, and appreciation changed after completing our short story unit? Please explain why or why not?
- Were you surprised by the way you connected with any of the short stories? Was there anything in particular (characters, conflicts, writing styles, etc.) in one or more of the short stories that resonated with you?
- If you used AI during any stage of the short story unit, please explain how you used it? If you did use it, do you think it helped/hurt your thinking, experiencing, and learning about the short story genre and the specific short stories we studied? If you didn’t use it, please explain why you decided not to.
Questions about your essay:
- Why did you choose to compare and contrast the two stories that you did? Why did you choose to answer the essay question that you did?
- What was your goal for this essay? That is, what did you want your audience to experience and understand upon reading your essay?
- How well did your thesis statement support your goal for this essay? How did you decide on your thesis for this essay?
- What challenges did you face when drafting and revising this essay? How did you try to overcome these challenges? For the next two essay assignments, is there a way that I can better support you as you draft and revise?
How to Submit Your Reflection
To submit your file, click “Browse” under “File Upload” to upload your file and click “Submit Assignment.” You also have the option to attach files from Google Drive or Office 365. Remember, Metropolitan Community College uses Microsoft products as part of its standard software, so you must save word-processed file documents for file attachments in .doc or .docx format. If your software does not allow either of these, then save files in Rich Text Format (.rtf).