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Nosferatu and Psycho Essay
Comparison or Contrast
You already use comparison and contrast to help you make decisions.
 You compare and contrast two job offers
 you compare and contrast two classes you want to take
 you compare and contrast musical groups you like
Comparison is writing that shows the similarities among subjects—people, ideas,
situations, or items; contrast shows the differences. In conversation, we often use the
word compare to mean either compare or contrast, but in this essay, and for most
expository writing, the terms have separate meanings.
Prompt: In a 2-4 pages paper compare and contrast Nosferatu and Psycho.
Requirements:
-Typed
-Times New Roman
- MLA Format (you do not need to provide a Works Cited page unless you use sources
in addition to the two films and your class notes)
- 12 point font
- 2-4 pages
A successful essay will:
 Give the clear opinion of the writer in the thesis statement
 Have coherent topic sentences that show opinions and are related to the thesis
 Have well-organized and focused paragraphs
 Use focused sentences that have concrete subjects and active verbs.
 Use enough examples to get your point across.
 Follow the essay format and length guidelines stated above
 Use strong clear language and be relatively free from grammar errors
 Include transitional words within your paragraphs to show CONTRAST or
COMPARISON
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Essay Organization for Comparison/Contrast
After you have developed points of comparison and supporting details, you need to
decide how to present them in your essay. There are two ways to organize a
comparison/contrast essay: point-by-point or whole-to-whole. You have to decide
which of the two organizations will best serve your purpose. Choose one and stick with
it throughout the essay; otherwise you will confuse your readers.
Point-by-point
Whole-to-whole
Thesis statement
Topic sentence, point 1
Subject 1
Subject 2
Topic sentence, point 2
Subject 1
Subject 2
Topic sentence, point 3
Subject 1
Subject 2
Concluding statement
Thesis statement
Topic sentence, subject 1
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Topic sentence, subject 2
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Concluding statement
Introduction:
Be sure in your introduction you preface the thesis with enough background so your
reader will be ready to understand both the films. This may include: a brief summary of
the films (including the director, year produced, actors, etc), description of the
conventions of horror, and the history of the horror genre. You should put your thesis
at the END of your introductory paragraph. This will allow your reader to be
introduced to your point of view before you give them your opinion.
Body paragraphs:
As you can see from the essay organization above, you have choices for organizing your
paragraphs. In your paragraphs make sure you clearly and thoroughly explain each
point using examples and referring to your film notes (lighting, editing, sound, etc).
Whichever style you use also use transition words in your paragraph to guide your
reader from idea to idea. Common transitions in Comparison/Contrast Essays are:
Common Comparison Transitions
One similarity, Another similarity, Like,
Both, also, in the same way, likewise,
similarly
Common Contrast Transitions
although, and yet, at the same time, but at
the same time, despite that, even so, even
though, for all that, however, in contrast,
in spite of, instead, nevertheless,
notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the
other hand, otherwise, regardless, still,
though, yet
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Using Concrete Language
Finding concrete specifics doesn't require a big vocabulary or a vivid imagination, just
the willingness to recall what you already know. If you really can't find any examples or
specifics to support your general conclusion, chances are you don't really know what
you're talking about (and we are all guilty of that more than we care to admit).
Where do these concrete specifics emerge in the writing process? You should gather many
concrete specifics in the prewriting steps of invention and discovery. If you have many concrete
specifics at hand before you organize or draft, you're likely to think and write more easily
and accurately. It's easier to write well when you're closer to knowing what you're
talking about.
You will certainly come up with more concrete specifics as you draft, and more as you
revise, and maybe still more as you edit. But you'll be a better writer if you can gather
some concrete specifics at the very start.
Conclusion:
Your conclusion should not introduce any new ideas, nor should it simply restate the
examples you have given to support your decision. Instead, you might restate your
decision in different terms, or reflect on a more global level about how this decision is
important to your life, or to the lives in the world around you. For example, you may
considered why both of these films are so widely taught in film courses.
Grammar:
You have a clue about where your strengths and weaknesses lie in basic grammar, like
sentence fragments, subject-verb agreement, and articles before nouns; make sure you
check for these carefully before you turn in your final draft. Use an active voice, and
don’t pad your essay with unneeded words! I will look specifically for concrete subjects
and active verbs in each sentence in this essay.
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First Name Last Name
Teacher’s Name
Course Name
Day Month Year
Title
Introduction. Make sure to indent all paragraphs one tab (or 5 spaces) from the
left margin.
All film titles must be underlined or italicized.