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Prompt — Comparison/Contrast Essay
In this comparison/contrast essay, you’ll use the point-by-point (also called topic-by-topic) to compare or contrast the honesty and selfishness Michael and Frances bring to their marriage.
The overall essay will include the following:
Title: The title is properly capitalized and suggests what your essay is about. The title is not “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses” or Comparison-Contrast Essay of Essay #2.
Introduction: The first sentence will identify the author, the name of the story, and the theme as you perceive it. Just like you did in “if the Dog Ate Your Homework, Read This.” aThere is no single right answer regarding theme, and different writers may react differently to the meaning of the story.
The intro will contain a brief summary of the story.– the specific events that happen in the story. You don’t have to go into great detail. Just the main events. Again, very much like you did in the summary section of “If the Dog Ate Your Homework…” The last sentence of the intro will be your thesis. In this case, your exploring honesty and selfishness, so the thesis should relate to those two qualities of the marriage.
Compare-Contrast Body Paragraphs: In a separate paragraph for each, compare or contrast how Michael and Frances are similar or different regarding honesty and selfishness. These are the two characteristics you should be looking for in the story. One paragraph will discuss honesty, the other selfishness, in any order you like. Use transitions between and within paragraphs where necessary for clarity and flow. Support your observations with quotes, scenes, paraphrases, and your own analysis from elements from the story.
Response Paragraph: Write a well-thought-out response to the story. (See “Summary/Response” section of the Bookletand review the “Response” section.) Did the story make you angry? Did you learn something new? Did the story cause you to understand or reconsider something from your own life? Will you behave differently because of the story? Did you find yourself sympathizing with a character that you initially disliked? Or vice versa? This paragraph can be written in first person because it represents your own observations about the story.
Conclusion: An effective conclusion for any essay may end with a warning, prediction, or call to action relevant to the story. For example: “While honesty is important to keep a relationship together, too much honesty and the sort of destructive honesty Michael and Frances display toward each other may very well destroy their marriage.” Something like that is a warning. Your conclusion will depend on what you draw from the story.
The introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion must be written in third person. The response, because it’s your own, original observations and thoughts, can be written in first person.
