Greetings,
below you will find a copy of the handout we discussed in class on Wednesday.
Have a wonderful and safe weekend. See you Monday.
English 10, Fall 2012, C. Fraga
Writing an Essay
using Comparison and Contrast
Comparison or
Contrast, a method for developing ideas, is the careful look at the
similarities and/or differences between people, objects, or ideas, usually in order to make some conclusion or
judgment.
In your text, Between
Worlds, in Chapter 10: Methods for Developing Essays, the comparison and
contrast essay is explained and a sample essay is provided. (pages 407-413).
As practice, you have looked at two essays, “A Good
Daughter” and “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of
Imagination.” You have brainstormed by listing similarities and differences between
the two authors, Caroline Hwang and J. K. Rowling. Then you have organized your
brainstorming into the two different methods of organization—the block and the
point-by-point.
Now you will brainstorm and write a compare/contrast essay
on a topic of your choice. You will be
submitting all your brainstorming, your planning, rough drafts, and final
draft, so please do not discard anything.
Additionally, you will be typing the essay in a way you
probably have never done before. You will be writing each paragraph of the
essay on a separate sheet of paper.
This is so you will focus intently on each paragraph.
Assignment:
The choice of topic is yours. (On page 413 in your text,
there are six suggestions, but you are not required to choose ANY of these.) I
want you to select something to compare/contrast that you really want to
explore.
EXAMPLE: I have
decided to compare high school classes with college classes. Here is my sample
brainstorming:
HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES COLLEGE
CLASSES
meet 5 days a week meet
only 2 or 3 times wk.
daily homework long
term assignments
no research papers research
papers required
discipline prob. in class no
discipline prob. in class
Consider now what method will be best—the block method or
the point-by-point method? At this stage, review your brainstorming list and
ask yourself if you have a list that is complete. Have you left out any point that might need to be
considered? Do you have at LEAST three points and do you have enough material
to develop both parts of the topic? You do not want the comparison or contrast
to end up one-sided with all the content about only one part of the topic.
Make an outline, choosing one of the two formats.
EXAMPLE:
Block Method
1.
Topic 1—High School Classes
A.
meet 5 days a week
B.
daily homework
C.
no research papers
D.
disciplinary problems in class
2.
Topic 2—College Classes
A.
meet only 2 or 3 times a week
B.
long term assignments
C.
research papers required
D.
no discipline problems
Point-by-Point
Method
1.
First Point—How often classes meet
A.
Topic 1—high school classes
B.
Topic 2—college classes
2.
Second Point—Homework
A.
Topic 1—high school classes
B.
Topic 2—college classes
3.
Third Point—Research papers
A.
Topic 1—high school classes
B.
Topic 2—college classes
4.
Fourth Point—Discipline
A.
Topic 1—high school classes
B.
Topic 2—college classes
DUE MONDAY, NOV. 5TH:
TYPED AND DOUBLE SPACED:
1. Your brainstorming
2. An outline for
your essay, utilizing the block method or the point by point method.
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