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ENC 1101, Freshman Composition I Do I want this car … ? Do I want this car … ? … or do I want that other car? … or do I want that other car? Instructions for the Comparison or Contrast Essay

Do I want this guy … ? Do I want this guy … ? … or do I want that guy? … or do I want that guy?

Do I want to visit Egypt on my next vacation … ? Do I want to visit Egypt on my next vacation … ? … or do I want to go to Las Vegas? … or do I want to go to Las Vegas?

Do I want to eat something healthy … ? Do I want to eat something healthy … ? … or do I want something bad? … or do I want something bad?

Understand what comparison or contrast requires you to do. Always choose two equal items—two cars, two vacations, two sports stars— not two unequal items, like a car and an octopus. Next, decide if you want to compare or contrast as your primary strategy. The essay should be 80/20 in favor of one strategy, not 50/50. Your job is to interest the reader. Choose points to discuss that are not immediately obvious.

Now let’s test your understanding... Now let’s test your understanding...

A baby is like a vacuum cleaner. WRONG!

Even though my little brother Fred is 20 years my junior, he and I have much in common. Yeah, baby!

My sister and I look alike, have common hobbies, and enjoy the same foods. Boring!

Even though Venus and Serena Williams are both professional tennis stars, they differ in their opinions about men, movies, and music. Excellent!

Make the comparison or contrast interesting. Be sure that your essay has a purpose. Ask yourself this important question: Why would anyone want to read this comparison or contrast? Consider giving the essay a specific audience. Imagine the essay is a letter to a specific person. Dear Mom and Dad, My current car is a death trap! Do you want me to be the reason I-4 traffic is at a standstill? For this reason, I want you to consider helping me pay for my dream car, a 2011 Honda Accord …

Pick a pattern for your essay. Pattern A is a typical 5-paragraph essay. The thesis statement will read like this: Because of X, Y, and Z, Subject A is similar to [ or different from ] Subject B. Each body paragraph will discuss both Subject A and Subject B. IntroductionIntroduction All about Point X All about Point Y All about Point Z ConclusionConclusion

Pattern B will look a bit different. Pattern B has only 4 paragraphs. Alas, the essay must still be 500 words. The thesis statement should not include restrictions, like this: Subject A is similar to [ or different from ] Subject B. One body paragraph will discuss X, Y, and Z for Subject A ; the other body paragraph will do the same for Subject B. IntroductionIntroduction All about Subject A All about Subject B ConclusionConclusion

If we follow the advice above … Do we have two like things? How are they alike? Would it be better to compare or contrast? What is the purpose? What will make the essay interesting? Would Pattern A or Pattern B work the best?

Format the Pattern A outline correctly. I.Point X A.Subject A 1.Detail 1 2.Detail 2 3.Detail 3 B.Subject B 1.Detail 1 2.Detail 2 3.Detail 3 I.Point X A.Subject A 1.Detail 1 2.Detail 2 3.Detail 3 B.Subject B 1.Detail 1 2.Detail 2 3.Detail 3 Roman numerals address the X, Y, and Z from the thesis statement. Capital letter A is always for the first subject ; capital letter B is always for the second subject. A detail for Subject A must correspond to a detail for Subject B.

Thesis statement: The two Sigourney Weaver movies, Aliens and Gorillas in the Mist, have three important points of comparison [or contrast]: X, Y, and Z. I.Point X A.Gorillas in the Mist B.Aliens I.Point X A.Gorillas in the Mist B.Aliens II. Point Y A.Gorillas in the Mist B.Aliens II. Point Y A.Gorillas in the Mist B.Aliens III. Point Z A.Gorillas in the Mist B.Aliens III. Point Z A.Gorillas in the Mist B.Aliens

A Pattern B outline looks a little different: I.Subject A A.First Point of C/C 1. Detail 2. Detail 3. Detail B.Second Point of C/C 1. Detail 2. Detail 3. Detail C.Third Point of C/C 1. Detail 2. Detail 3. Detail I.Subject A A.First Point of C/C 1. Detail 2. Detail 3. Detail B.Second Point of C/C 1. Detail 2. Detail 3. Detail C.Third Point of C/C 1. Detail 2. Detail 3. Detail II.Subject B A.First Point of C/C 1. Detail 2. Detail 3. Detail B.Second Point of C/C 1. Detail 2. Detail 3. Detail C.Third Point of C/C 1. Detail 2. Detail 3. Detail II.Subject B A.First Point of C/C 1. Detail 2. Detail 3. Detail B.Second Point of C/C 1. Detail 2. Detail 3. Detail C.Third Point of C/C 1. Detail 2. Detail 3. Detail Thesis Statement: Subject A is different from/similar to Subject B.

Pattern B Outline Topics: Expectation vs. Reality VacationClassDateCarFriendPetJobComputerSchoolScholarshipChurchConcert Sports event Membership

Decide the topic for your actual essay: Your comparison/contrast essay will discuss the similarities/differences between the Disney version of Cinderella or Snow White and the Brothers Grimm or Anne Sexton version or the Vietnamese Cinderella. DisneyDisney VS Brothers Grimm, Anne Sexton, or “The Story of Tam and Cam” Brothers Grimm, Anne Sexton, or “The Story of Tam and Cam”

Consider these points of comparison or contrast: CharactersAnimals Costume and setting Violence Parents and step-parents Lessons Reading and viewing

Remember that you need a purpose for the comparison / contrast. So decide which fairytale version you would share with a specific child. Remember that you need a purpose for the comparison / contrast. So decide which fairytale version you would share with a specific child.

Create a works cited page: Use MLA-style page numbering: your last name and the page number. The works cited page is the last page of the essay. Title the page: Works Cited. The entire page is double spaced [with no extra spacing between entries]. For each entry, all lines after the first are indented five spaces. Punctuation and capitalization require your careful attention. The list of entries is alphabetized.

Note the format: Williams 4 Works Cited The Greatest Movie Ever Made. Dir. John Bowman. Funtime Studios, DVD. Robertson, Zachary. “Wow Story.” The Greatest Website Ever Made. Web. 19 Feb Williams 4 Works Cited The Greatest Movie Ever Made. Dir. John Bowman. Funtime Studios, DVD. Robertson, Zachary. “Wow Story.” The Greatest Website Ever Made. Web. 19 Feb

For a movie, the entry needs this information: The Title. [in italics] Dir. Director’s First Name and Last. [Dir. stands for Directed by.] Studio Name, Year of Release. Publication Medium.

The entry will look like this: Title of Film. Dir. Director’s First and Last Name. Studio Name, Year of Release. DVD. Title of Film. Dir. Director’s First and Last Name. Studio Name, Year of Release. DVD.

Your two movie options: Title: Cinderella Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske Studio: Walt Disney Pictures Year: 1950 Title: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Director: David Hand Studio: Walt Disney Pictures Year: 1937

For a document within a website, the entry needs this information: Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Story or Poem.” [in quotation marks] Title of Website. [in italics] Publication Medium. Date accessed. [Day Month Year]

The entry will look like this: Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Story or Poem.” Website Name. Web. 11 Feb Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Story or Poem.” Website Name. Web. 11 Feb

Your two author options: Authors: Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm Title: “Cinderella” or “Little Snow White” Website: National Geographic Author: Anne Sexton Title: “Cinderella” or “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” Website: Miami University or Poets.org

Tam and Cam: Author: None – so skip it! Title: “The Story of Tam and Cam” Website: The Homepage of Professor D. L. Ashliman, University of Pittsburgh

Find your outline and the printout of the story or poem you plan to use.

On your “Integration and Documentation” handout, list the three areas that you plan to contrast in your essay. Some possibilities are:  Characters  Animals  Costume and setting  Violence  Parents and step-parents  Lessons  Reading and viewing

Add support with direct quotations. First, introduce the quotation with an introductory tag. The Queen says, … According to “Little Snow White,” … Then use the exact words from the source in quotation marks. You can make small changes with brackets like these: [ ] You can omit chunks of text with ellipses, three periods in a row where you have removed words in the middle or at the end. Follow with an in-text citation [aka parenthetical reference] If you have one or more authors, use the name(s) of the author(s) in parentheses : (Grimm and Grimm) If you do not have an author, use the abbreviated title of the work in parentheses : (“The Story”)

Format the quotations like this: According to _____ [story or poem’s title], “E/exact words” (In-text citation). __________ says, “E/exact words” (In-text citation). According to “Little Snow White,” our heroine “was as beautiful as the day, and more beautiful than the Queen herself” (Grimm and Grimm). The queen says, “[B]ring me her heart … and I will salt and eat it” (Sexton).

Note these rules about names: If you refer to the character, treat his/her name as your own and just capitalize. If you refer to the short story or poem, use quotation marks and capitalize all major words. If you refer to the movie, use italics and capitalize all major words.

Draft the introduction. Remember that you are explaining which version of the story is appropriate for a specific child. Use the introduction to give your reader background on that child. Write sentences that explain the child’s personality and/or situation. Have these sentences lead up to your thesis statement.

Consider a two two -sentence thesis statement: Disney’s ______ differs from _______ in Point A, Point B, and Point C. Because of these differences, I will share _____ with _____.

I remember taking my four-year-old cousin Maria to Sea World the first time. The whole day she wouldn’t shut up, but everything changed when she met Shamu, the killer whale. The entire show she sat quietly staring at Shamu as he jumped in and out of the water. When Shamu began splashing the audience, a high-pitched scream started ringing in my ears. Maria thought that Shamu was going to eat her! Ever since that day, Maria screams whenever she’s scared. It’s impossible to watch a violent movie without thinking I am going deaf. Because of the difference in the parents, animals, and level of violence, I think Disney’s Cinderella would be much better for Maria than the short story by the Grimm Brothers.

Children are a bunch of little brats. They are filled with pride and think the world revolves around them. I personally think children should not be allowed in public until they are eighteen, especially my seven-year-old niece Mia. She always breaks into my room and paints what she calls “works of art” all over my clothes with my make-up and tangles my jewelry into one huge knot. She believes that only she deserves to look dolled up. Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs differs from “Little Snow-White” in setting, characters and violence. Since “Little Snow-White” is more gruesome and violent, I will share it with my niece Mia so I can terrify her into submission.

Comparison and Contrast Transitions Also By the same token In comparison LikewiseSimilarlyAlthoughBut Even though However In contrast On the contrary On the other hand Yet

Most importantly, I don’t want my young nieces exposed to violence. Compared to Disney’s Cinderella, “The Story of Tam and Cam” is too vulgar and rough. Disney’s movie, though, had no real violence. The worst thing to happen is that the evil step-mother and step-sisters neglect Cinderella. They make her do all of the housework, so she was more a servant than a daughter. In “The Story of Tam and Cam,” Tam is also required to do all of the housework, but she doesn’t have a choice. Tam will be flogged if she doesn’t comply. We learn that the step-mother “always flogged Tam as hard as she could” (“The Story”). I don’t want my nieces to think that they are required to do slave work, and if they don’t, my family will beat them.

First Draft Directions To earn all of the points on your prewriting sheet, do the following: Be sure to include a correct heading at the top left of the first page. Be sure that the essay has a correct and interesting title. Remember that rough drafts can be messy. Be sure that you have written 500+ words. Be sure to work in at least three quotations that have in-text citations.

Prepare the final draft of the essay. Be sure that you have MLA-style page numbering on every page. The works cited page should be the last page of the essay. Confirm that you have three quotations—correctly integrated and cited —from your print source. Know how many points each skill is worth on the evaluation sheet. Visit the Writing Center [5-155] for advice. Be sure to read and follow all of the format guidelines on your syllabus. Send the essay as an attachment before you arrive to class!

The End. Look, I don’t have time for this. I’m going to get to work.