Collection 6-Finding Ourselves in Nature Tone Essay
Consider all of the selections we read in Collection 6. Choose two works write a 4-6 paragraph analytical essay that compares how the authors use literary devices (diction, imagery, details, language, syntax, and figurative language) to convey their attitudes about nature.
A Comparison/Contrast Essay:
- Explores the similarities and differences between two items
- Reveals unexpected relationships between two items
- Can be written to: inform, persuade, entertain, or evaluate
- Uses specific examples to show similarities and differences
- Is organized clearly
- Uses transitions to clarify similarities and differences
The Introduction should:
- Express what is more important, the similarities or differences
- Suggest a generalization made about two items
- Draw a conclusion or relate a discovery from the comparison of the two items
Organization:
Choose a pattern to organize your essay. The two major patterns for organizing a comparison/contrast essay are:
Subject by Subject (Whole-to-Whole). Write first about one of your subjects, covering it completely, and then you write about the other, covering it completely. Each subject is addressed in a separate paragraph. The points of comparison or contrast should be the same for each subject and should be presented in the same order.
Point by Point. Each point is addressed in a separate paragraph. Discuss both of your subjects together for each point of comparison and contrast. Maintain consistency by discussing the same subject first for each point.
“Compare and Contrast” (from the OWL at Purdue)
This classic writing prompt can be quite challenging because it sounds almost as if you are being asked to compile a list of similarities and differences. While a list might be of use in the planning stage, this prompt is asks you to use what you discover to arrive at a conclusion about the two works under discussion.
Example: “Compare and contrast the two endings for Dickens’ Great Expectations paying special attention to the situation of Stella at the close of the novel.” Strategy:
- Find three or four elements from the texts upon which to base your comparison.
- Examine possible connections and determine a thesis.
- Base your outline around the elements you’ve chosen, remembering to give equal coverage to each side.
“Discuss the theme of x as it appears in works a, b, and c.”
This is an extended or re-named compare and contrast prompt. In this situation, you are given a general theme, such as “loss of innocence” or “self-revelation.” Your job is to use the instances of that theme to arrive at some general conclusions regarding how the theme works in the text you are analyzing.
Example: “Discuss the ways in which Shakespeare talks about the passing of time in three of the sonnets we read for class.” Strategy:
- Re-read carefully the selected works looking specifically for the theme or motif in question. Then research the ways in which other critics have examined this theme.
- Determine your argument. Will you make a claim for similarity (“A, b, and c use x in much the same way.”), difference (“A, b, and c, when dealing with x, take highly individual approaches.”), or superiority (“While a and b deal with x, c clearly demonstrates a richer, more nuanced treatment.”)?
- Organize your paper around the works, making each point deal thoroughly with a discrete work. Remember that connections are of the utmost importance for this paper, so pay close attention to your transitions.
“What is the role of women/the role of class/the role of the Other as presented in this work?”
All three examples above serve as first steps to the larger world of literary theory and criticism. Writing prompts like this ask you to examine a work from a particular perspective. You may not be comfortable with this new perspective. Chances are that since your instructor has given you such an assignment, the issues in question will be at least partially covered in class. Example: “Discuss the ways in which the outsider or Other is dealt with in James Joyce’s story “The Dead.” Strategy:
- Categorize the persons or characters in the piece. What are they in the most general, stereotypical way? Male or female? Lower or upper class? Natives or foreigners? Strangers or friends?
- Examine the ways in which the characters you’ve categorized fit or don’t fit into the boxes you’ve assigned them. Do they support or undermine the categories, and what do others (including the author) say about them and their place in the world?
- Write your paper as if you were giving a new definition (or an amended definition)of the category in question using the text as your guide. Your main points should highlight the ways in which the text uses or discards the accepted categories.
“Critic A has famously said “B” about this work. In light of our study of the piece in question, would you agree or disagree, why or why not?”
This sort of question is often asked as an in-class essay, but can appear as a prompt for larger papers. The goal of a question like this is to give you the opportunity to deal with the critical voices of others in your own writings.
Example: “C.S. Lewis has said that Chaucer is “our foremost poet of joy” in the English language, and in this field he “has few equals and no masters.” Discuss how this applies to the ending of “The Knight’s Tale” from The Canterbury Tales.” Strategy: