Compare and Contrast Essay

Compare and Contrast Essay You will be writing a compare and contrast essay taking a position on ONE of the following elements: setting, mood, protagonist You will then be comparing and contrasting the element in the stories “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” Your essay will be four paragraphs long with an Introduction paragraph, two body paragraphs, and a Conclusion paragraph

COMPARING… When comparing, we look at similarities between two things. Think of the two stories and the ONE element you chose and find a minimum of three things about the stories that are similar. YOU MUST FOCUS ON THE ELEMENT YOU CHOSE. For example, if you chose setting, you must find three things about the setting that is similar in the stories. Write down a passage that you can turn into an ICE quote. Include the author’s name from the story the passage came from. Write it down word for word.

AND CONTRASTING When contrasting, we look at the differences between two things. Again, think of both stories and the ONE element you chose (same as when you were comparing, you cannot change your element half way through the paper) and find a minimum of three things about the stories that are different. Again FOCUS ON THE ELEMENT YOU CHOSE. For example, if you chose to use mood, find three things about the mood of the stories that is different. Again, write down a passage from one of the stories that you can turn into an ICE quote. Include the author’s name.

About ice quotes You will need a minimum of TWO ICE quotes in your essay. Pick at least ONE from each story. Remember to INTRODUCE the quote, CITE it with the author’s name, and EXPLAIN how the quote supports your position (that the stories are similar or different.)

Ready to begin????? You can do this!!!

First… Look at the two charts you created in your journal for “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” You should have found information and details regarding the setting, mood, and protagonist. CHOOSE ONE ELEMENT TO COMPARE AND CONTRAST IN YOUR ESSAY. WHATEVER ELEMENT YOU CHOOSE, YOUR ESSAY MUST FOCUS ON COMPARING THIS ELEMENT IN BOTH STORIES. Circle the element on the bottom of your sheet.

Your Thesis You come up with your thesis first as this is the main focus of your essay. But is it the first sentence in your essay? NO!!! Your thesis should include the topic (You are being asked to compare and contrast one element (setting, mood, or protagonists) in the stories “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken. Practice writing a thesis statement. Practice writing a thesis for your paper.

In your compare and contrast thesis: Include the titles of the stories “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” Include the element you will be comparing (either protagonist, mood, or setting.) Include the words “comparing/contrasting” or “similar/different” or “similarities/differences”

Can’t come up with your own? Example Practice Thesis: The protagonists from “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” are more different than similar. Even though the settings in “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” are very different, they both have similar effects on the story. The mood of the two stories “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” have several similarities and differences.

Next…Find Support (Stories found on pages 85 and 101) Comparing: Now you will need to find a minimum of three things about the element you chose in stories that are similar. Again FOCUS ON THE ELEMENT YOU CHOSE. Find a passage to write down that you can quote. Contrasting: Then find three things about the element you chose in the stories that is different. Again, write down a passage from one of the stories that you can turn into an ICE quote. Include the author’s name.

Create a Chart to gather support Stories on pages 85 and 101 Similarities Differences 1. 2. 3. Write down one passage from one story that best shows how the element is similar: (Write down the author’s name with the passage.) 1. 2. 3. Write down one passage from one story that best shows how the element is different: (Write down the author’s name with the passage.)

Homework For Monday… DUE: You will need to have a rough draft of your introduction and conclusion paragraphs. DUE: You should have a list of support you will use in your body paragraphs (3 for similarities and 3 for differences.) Whatever you don’t get done today becomes homework that is due on Monday. (Have with you a rough draft of your introduction and conclusion and a list of support.

Remember… Stories can be accessed online through the Holt Textbook website. I have included this assignment and each lessons on the webpage to help you.

Your introduction: (Example) Introductory sentence: Many stories share similarities such as making wishes or using magic. Summary/background: Two stories that have similar elements are “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken. These stories both tell a story about men who are granted three wishes that change their fate. Although the stories are similar, there are many differences making them very unique. Thesis: The (element) of the two stories “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” have several similarities and differences. Preview (think about what details you will be using in your body paragraphs): The similarities between the (protagonists, mood, setting) is very subtle whereas there are many differences.

First body paragraph COMPARING – means to show similarities. Show similarities of the element you chose (setting, mood, or protagonist) between “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” For example: If you choose the element protagonists, you will need to think about a topic sentence for saying how the protagonists Mr. White and Mr. Peters are similar. Use a topic sentence for the paragraph and a concluding sentence. Use at least ONE ICE quote (quotation) from one of the stories (you will need to find at least one passage from each story to quote and use as support within your essay.)

First body paragraph Outline Topic sentence: First the similarities between the two stories can be shown in the (setting, mood, protagonists). Supporting detail 1: One example is… Supporting detail 2: Another similarity in (element)… Supporting detail 3: The last way the (element) can be described as similar is… Concluding sentence:

Second Body Paragraph CONTRAST – means to show the differences Focus on showing the differences for the element (setting, mood, or protagonist) between each story “The Monkey’s Paw” and “Third Wish” Use an ICE quote (quotation) to support how the stories are different. FOCUS on the ELEMENT you chose!!!! Use a topic sentence and a concluding sentence

Second Body Paragraph Topic sentence: Although there are many similarities, the stories’ (setting, mood, protagonists) also have many differences. Supporting detail 1: One example is… Supporting detail 2: Another difference in (element)… Supporting detail 3: The last way the (element) can be described as different is… Concluding sentence:

Conclusion Restate your thesis statement in a new way. Summarize the main points of your body paragraphs. Leave the reader with a final, concluding thought. (Take a position on which is the better story in describing the element you chose?)

Conclusion Example: Restate your thesis statement: In conclusion, the (element) in the two stories “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” have several similarities and differences. Summarize main points: (You have two body paragraphs, you need two summarizing sentences.) First the similarities between the stories’ (setting, mood, protagonists) are similar in… Second the differences shown in the (setting, mood, protagonists) are… Final, concluding thought: (Say which story did a better job describing the element) While the story _________________ is interesting, _________________ does a better job at describing the (setting, mood, protagonist.)

Due Dates Introduction and conclusion drafts due today. (Bring your draft on Monday as you will have some time to work on it in class.) Rough draft of essay including 2 body paragraphs is due on Tuesday. Final draft is due on Wednesday. Type AND double-space your final draft (rough draft can also be typed.) If you absolutely cannot type your final draft, it MUST be written in blue or black ink and skipping every line. If it is not, you will be asked to redo the final draft.