Prof LOverman
English 355
Essay 2 compare/contrast
Late assignments Will Not be Accepted

Scratch Outline/Thesis Due in class Thursday 3/10-must be TYPED and peer reviewed
for credit. No makeups!
 Essay 2 Due uploaded in Turnitin.com via Moodle Tuesday,1155pm 3/15 for credit.
 Extra Credit LRC visit w/ proof: 10 extra credit points given ONCE for attending LRC
during this essay’s drafting process, but you may go as many times as you need to. Must
include proof of visit attached to your final draft.
 (Note: Instructor will only review rough drafts one-on-one during an appt. you make with
her)
In a well-organized essay – 4 ½ to5 pages, typed, double spaced, 12-pt, font (excluding Works
Cited page) – observe MLA requirements as discussed in class and in your text (suggest
reviewing “Writing a Comparison-Contrast” pg. 40 in our course anthology).
Writing Task:
Briefly compare your chosen works.
(What, if anything, do they have in common? What do you think attracted you to
these pieces? And why? You may want to consider a theoretical lens you might
be more prone to using.)
Analyze how these pieces reflect what you have learned in this course.
Your analysis should be the central focus of your essay.
(You might consider the various ways we have explored some of the varying
genres this semester, such as how the elements of fiction contribute to the
analysis of the works; or how the literary, critical, intellectual, historical, and/or
social contexts/tensions of a time period impact the literary texts; or how
different attitudes are seen in literature during different time periods; or how you
see the relationship between these two texts and what goes on in our world
today.)
Reflect on how these works have (or how the course has) provided you with a greater
appreciation of the diverse critical perspectives of the major themes and
movements in memoir vs graphic narrative literature so far.
You must select section/s from EACH book in your analysis:
The Kindness of the Hangman
MAUS Vol 2
This is NOT a research paper. Do NOT go to outside sources for “ideas”; everything you
need to know is in the text. Your purpose is NOT to come up with a unique, innovative
interpretation of these selections of literature. Your purpose is to show that you recognize
the elements of fiction and to illustrate how they are important to the overall
understanding of the work.
YOUR PURPOSE IN WRITING THIS ESSAY:
• Demonstrate your understanding of short works of fiction.
• Make a point about the work by communicating clearly and with sufficient detail.
• Illustrate your knowledge of various elements of fiction and the terms used to describe them.
• Illustrate your ability to recognize these elements at work in short stories by finding specific examples in
the text and correctly citing them using MLA format.
• Demonstrate your ability to organize details in a logical, persuasive fashion as to effectively prove your
point.
• Exercise the skill of writing well-crafted sentences utilizing standard edited American English.