Compare-Contrast Essay for the stories “Zoo” and “He-y, Come On Ou-t!”
Name: ___________________
Choosing a topic. Think about the following questions:
1. Which characters, parts, or themes in the stories “Zoo” and “He-y, Come on Ou-t!” would make a good
topic for a comparison-contrast essay?
2. How many similarities and differences can I think of for these two stories?
3. Which topic would my audience find the most interesting?
Possible topics to choose (there are many more besides this list)
 Characters from the different stories that share similar experiences
 Common theme between the two stories
 Details about the settings of each story that relate to science fiction
 Science-fiction characteristics of each story
My topic 1: ______________
My topic 2: ______________
A good comparison-contrast essay…
 Identifies the topic of the essay in its introduction
 Discusses at least two similarities and two differences You must do this in your essay!
 Is organized by the block or point-by-point method
 Includes specific details and examples to support your points
 Closes with a summary or restatement of the main idea
Organize your essay. You have two options to choose from:
1. You can organize your essay using the block method. That means you will discuss one story at a time,
explaining how certain parts are used in that story. You might outline your essay like this:
Paragraph 1: Introduction
A. Start with an attention getter (Ex: ask a question, describe something from the story)
B. Introduce the topics
C. End your first paragraph with a thesis statement (the main topic sentence for the entire
essay)
1. Use the following sentence for the last sentence of paragraph 1: The science fiction
short stories “Zoo” by Edward Hoch and “He-y, Come On Ou-t” by Shinichi Hoshi
have many similarities and differences between them.
Paragraph 2: Discuss only elements of “Zoo” (Source 1)
A. The unknown creatures in “Zoo” (Example Topic 1)
B. The surprise ending in “Zoo” (Example Topic 2)
Paragraph 3: Discuss only elements of “He-y, Come on Ou-t” (Source 2)
A. The unknown creature in “He-y, Come On Ou-t” (Example Topic 1)
B. The surprise ending in “He-y, Come On Ou-t” (Example Topic 2)
C. Directly point out the similarities and differences you want your audience see
Paragraph 4: Conclusion
A. Give a solid concluding sentence. Wrap it all up.
B. Restate the thesis statement in a different way. Use the following sentence for the last
sentence of paragraph 4: Many similarities and differences can be found in the short
stories “Zoo” and “He-y, Come On Out.”
2. You can organize your essay using the step-by-step method. That means you will discuss each story
element, one at a time, explaining how it is used in each story. If you organize by element, you might
outline your essay like this:
Paragraph 1: Introduction
A. Start with an attention getter (Ex: ask a question, describe something from the story)
B. Introduce the topics
C. End your first paragraph with a thesis statement (the main topic sentence for the entire
essay)
1. Use the following sentence for the last sentence of paragraph 1: The science fiction
short stories “Zoo” by Edward Hoch and “He-y, Come On Ou-t” by Shinichi Hoshi
have many similarities and differences between them.
Paragraph 2: The unknown creatures (Example Topic 1)
A. “Zoo” (Source 1)
B. “He-y, Come on Ou-t” (Source 2)
C. Directly point out the similarities and differences you want your audience to see
Paragraph 3: The surprise ending (Example Topic 2)
A. “Zoo” (Source 1)
B. “He-y, Come on Ou-t” (Source 2)
C. Directly point out the similarities and differences you want your audience to see
Paragraph 4: Conclusion
A. Give a solid concluding sentence. Wrap it all up.
B. Restate the thesis statement in a different way. Use the following sentence for the last
sentence of paragraph 4: Many similarities and differences can be found in the short
stories “Zoo” and “He-y, Come On Out.”
Regardless of which method you use, you will want to literally point out the similarities and differences. In
your essay, you will want to include phrases similar to those below:
A. In “Zoo,” it is similar because…
B. In “He-y, Come On Out” it is different because…
C. Both of these stories have…
D. While “Zoo” includes _________, “He-y, Come On Ou-t” includes _________ making
it different.
E. On the other hand, “Zoo” is different from “He-y, Come On Out” because…
Example Beginning Essay of Step-by-Step Method:
Science-fiction stories have technology, outer space, and supernatural elements. In “Zoo” and in “He-y,
Come On Ou-t” there are unknown creatures within each story. Each of these stories also has a surprise ending.
The science fiction short stories “Zoo” by Edward Hoch and “He-y, Come On Ou-t” by Shinichi Hoshi have many
similarities and differences between them.
In “Zoo” there are spider-like horse alien creatures that exist on the planet Kaan. They live in small homes
and enjoy attending the zoo that travels around with Professor Hugo on a spaceship once a year. While these
creatures are aliens, in “He-y, Come On Ou-t” the unknown creature is not an alien at all; it is a mysterious black
hole. This hole was discovered after a shrine was destroyed by a typhoon in a small fishing village in Japan. The
black hole is used as a garbage dump by the villagers, and it never seems to fill up. It is a never ending hole. While
the alien creatures from “Zoo” are very different from the black hole in “He-y, Come On Ou-t,” both are unknown
to our world and add to the science-fiction genre of the stories.
The notes need to be done on notebook paper. The final draft will be handwritten in class and home or
typed at home.