MLA FORMAT
NO AI DETECTION
NO PLAGARISM
Essay 1: Theme Analysis Essay
Instructions
Prepare
First, choose which two works you’ll be focusing on for this essay.
· You can choose two short stories, two poems, or one of each
· It is recommended (though not required) that the two works you choose come from the same Module
· The two works should have a topic or theme in common
Then, re-read the works.
· What do they have in common? What topics, themes, and literary devices are shared?
· How do they differ? Are they expressing the same theme in different ways? Discussing the same topic but expressing different themes?
· What literary elements does each use to illustrate or emphasize its theme?
· Make note of quotes from the texts that you might want to use in your essay.
Review these resources:
· The Spiderman Paper.docx: This annotated sample essay points out all the required formatting and organizational components in an essay
· Video guide to literary analysis
· Writing Toolkit: Compare / Contrast
Write
For this essay, you’ll be comparing how two different works explore the same or similar themes in their own ways.
You can choose A or B:
A. Write about two works that share theme – which means they both make the same overall point
B. Write about two works that share a topic, but have different themes – which means that they each make a different point about the same general topic
For example, if there are two stories about growing up that seem to make the same point, that would be option (a); if there were two stories that each made a different point about growing up, that would be option (b).
Your essay should:
· Be about 900-1,000 words long (3+ pages)
· Be organized – it should have an introduction (including your essay’s thesis), at least two discussion sections, and a conclusion
· Focus on supporting its thesis statement
· Include quotes in each body paragraph
· Use MLA format, including internal citations
You should avoid:
· Copy / pasting from other submissions
· Summary – focus on making and supporting points
· Unprofessional discourse
· Conversational language (you, I, etc.)
Compare Contrast Poetry Essay Explanations
Sample Prompts:
· In the two poems below, Keats and Longfellow reflect on similar concerns. Read the poems carefully. Then write and essay in which you compare and contrast the two poems, analyzing the poetic techniques each writer uses to explore his particular situation.
· The following two poems present animal-eye views of the world. Read each poem carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze the techniques used in the poems to characterize the speakers and convey differing views of the world.
· In the following two poems, adults provide explanations for children. Read the poems carefully. Then write an essay in which you compare and contrast the two poems, analyzing how each poet uses literary devices to make his point.
· Carefully read the two poems below. Then in a well-organized essay compare the speakers’ reflections on their early morning surroundings and analyze the techniques the poets use to communicate the speakers’ different states of mind.
· The poems below are concerned with darkness and night. Read each poem carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, compare and contrast the poems, analyzing the significance of dark or night in each. In your essay, consider elements such as point of view, imagery, and structure.
· These two poems present encounters with nature, but the two poets handle those encounters very differently. In a well-organized essay, distinguish between the attitudes (toward nature, toward the solitary individual, etc.) expressed in the poems and discuss the techniques that the poets use to present these attitudes.
Other things to consider…
· How does the language of the poem reflect the speaker’s perceptions, and how does that language determine the reader’s perception?
· How does the poet reveal character? (i.e., diction, sound devices, imagery, allusion)
· Contrast the speakers’ views toward a subject in two poems. Refer to form, tone, and imagery.
· Given two poems, discuss what elements make one better than the other.
· Relate the imagery, form, or theme of a particular section of a poem to a part of another poem. Discuss changing attitude or perception of speaker or reader.
· Discuss the poet’s changing reaction to the subject developed in the poem.
Faced with a daunting list of seemingly unrelated similarities and differences, you may feel confused about how to construct a paper that isn’t just a mechanical exercise. Your introduction will include your frame of reference, grounds for comparison, and thesis. There are two basic ways to organize the body of your paper. Below I have included a sample outline of each – you do not have to use these outlines.
· In poem-by-poem, you discuss all of A, then all of B, then talk about the similarities or differences.
· In point-by-point, you alternate points about A with comparable points about B (usually preferable in this type of essay). Your points might be techniques or elements listed in the prompts above.
Poem by Poem Outline (better for similarities)
I. Introduction
· Begin with a sentence that catches the reader’s interest. (A question, something significant about the poems, or something they both have in common.)
· Name the 2 poems you will be comparing and/or contrasting (include full author names the first time, thereafter, use last names only).
· Build an idea about these 2 poems that produces your Thesis.
· Make a claim about the 2 poems in your thesis (this should be specific – and, someone else could argue against you or could have a different perspective on it)
Body Paragraphs
· 1stdiscuss the features of one poem (topic sentence)
. Use quotations or paraphrasing to prove your point
. Use as many paragraphs as needed to avoid very long paragraphs – be sure you have explored your subject thoroughly.
· Transition – 2nd discuss the same features with the next poem (topic sentence)
. Use quotations or paraphrasing to prove your point
· Transition – 3rd discuss how the two are similar or different in what manner and elements (topic sentence)
. Use quotations or paraphrasing to prove your point
II. Optional – Counter Argument (and Rebuttal)
· Provide a viewpoint that challenges your thesis. (imagine a skeptical reader reading your essay – show how different conclusions can be made)
. One might object here that… or, It might seem that… It’s true that… Admittedly… Of course… But how?… But isn’t this just? … But if this is so, what about…?
· Then, turn back to your own point of view – disprove the counter-argument. Acknowledge its validity or plausibility, but suggest why on balance it’s relatively less important than what you propose.
. But… Yet… However… Nevertheless… Still…
Conclusion
· Reflect on your thesis and mention your strongest points (in general terms).
Point by Point Outline (better for differences)
I.
Introduction
· Begin with a sentence that catches the reader’s interest. (A question, something significant about the poems, or something they both have in common.)
· Name the 2 poems you will be comparing and/or contrasting (include full author names the first time, thereafter, use last names only).
· Build an idea about these 2 poems that produces your thesis.
· Make a claim about the 2 poems in your thesis (this should be specific – and, someone else could argue against you, or have a differing perspective on.) Include the points/elements you will compare
II. Body Paragraphs
. 1st Point (topic sentence)
. Discuss the first poem in relation to your point
. Use quotations or paraphrasing to prove your point
. Discuss the second poem in relation to your point
. Use quotations or paraphrasing to prove your point
. Transition – 2nd Point (topic sentence)
. Discuss the first poem in relation to your point
. Use quotations or paraphrasing to prove your point
. Discuss the second poem in relation to your point
. Use quotations or paraphrasing to prove your point
. Transition – 3rd Point (topic sentence)
. Discuss the first poem in relation to your point
. Use quotations or paraphrasing to prove your point
. Discuss the second poem in relation to your point
. Use quotations or paraphrasing to prove your point
II. Optional – Counter Argument (and Rebuttal)
· Provide a viewpoint that challenges your thesis. (Imagine a skeptical reader reading your essay – show how different conclusions can be made)
. One might object here that… or, It might seem that… It’s true that… Admittedly… Of course… But how?… But isn’t this just? … But if this is so, what about…?
· Then, turn back to your own point of view – disprove the counter-argument. Acknowledge its validity or plausibility, but suggest why on balance it’s relatively less important than what you propose.
. But… Yet… However… Nevertheless… Still…
IV. Conclusion
· Reflect on your thesis and mention your strongest points (in general terms).
Transition Words:
To help your reader keep track of where you are in the comparison/contrast, you’ll want to be sure that your transitions and topic sentences are especially strong. Your thesis should already have given the reader an idea of the points you’ll be making and the organization you’ll be using, but you can help her/him out with some extra cues. The following words may be helpful to you in signaling your intentions:
like, similar to, also, unlike, similarly, in the same way, likewise, again, compared to, in contrast, in like manner, contrasted with, on the contrary, however, although, yet, even though, still, but, nevertheless, conversely, at the same time, regardless, despite, while, on the one hand … on the other hand, whereas
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Sample Block Format Outline: 1. Introduction/thesis 2. Poets’ Use of Line b. Whitman b. Ginsberg 3. Voice of First Person Speaker c. Whitman c. Ginsberg 4. Vision of America d. Whitman d. Ginsberg 5. Discussion/analysis 6. Conclusion |
Sample Integrated Format Outline: 1. Introduction/thesis 2. Whitman’s “Song of Myself” b. Use of Line b. Voice of First Person Speaker b. Vision of America 3. Ginsberg’s “Howl” c. Use of Line c. Voice of First Person Speaker c. Vision of America 4. Discussion/analysis 5. Conclusion |
Writing Toolkit: In-Text Citations
In-text documentation is important for attributing credit to our sources. Here are some sources to help you with writing your in-text citations:
·
Videos from YouTube on MLA in-text citations (Links to an external site.)
·
MLA Citations: The Basics (Purdue Owl) (Links to an external site.)
·
MLA In-Text Citations and Parenthetical Guide (Links to an external site.)
·
MLA Citation Guide (8th Edition): In-Text Citation (Links to an external site.)
Or, if you’d like a quick-and-easy cheat, remember this:
· Author + page number (e.g., a printed book):
(James 235).
· Author + no page number (e.g., an online article):
(James).
· No author + page number (e.g., online PDF, online government document):
(“2010 Census Report” 235).
· No author + no page number (e.g., online article):
(“How to Stop Global Warming”).
