WRITING WORKSHOP:
How to write a comparative essay
The Basics
Choosing a question
 Formulating a thesis
 Crafting an introduction
 Organizing and writing the body
 Summing it up in a conclusion
 Good essay habits

Choosing a Question
Three options
 Read each carefully
 Highlight key words
 Go for the gut reaction
 Stick with what you know

Formulating a Thesis
A thesis is…
 a map to your essay;
 clear, concise and conclusive;
 the last sentence in your introduction; and
 the most important part of your essay!
Formulating a Thesis

Topic vs. Thesis
A
topic is a general point of discussion
 A thesis uses an active verb and tries to prove something
or make a specific case

Evaluation vs. Analysis
 An
evaluation judges a work and uses your opinion
 An analysis looks at the author’s intent and examines the
techniques the author has used to achieve a particular
effect or convey a specific point
Formulating a Thesis

How? Why? So what?
 If
your thesis causes a reader to ask any of
these questions, it may be:
 too
general
 too open-ended
 unfocused
 not connected to the question
 irrelevant
 unclear
Formulating a Thesis
1.
2.
3.
Read the question
Jot down your initial thoughts: texts/aspects
Frame the thesis:
a.
b.
c.
4.
5.
Names and titles
What do they do (action words)
How do they do it (techniques)
Test it: how, why, so what?
Plan your paper with your thesis as the guide
Practice: Identify the good thesis!





Top Girls by Caryl Churchill and A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen are both
plays about women.
Both Satrapi and Spiegelman successfully engage the reader though
their use of vivid images, focused dialogue and relatable characters,
allowing the reader to more easily access difficult subject matter.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Miller’s The Crucible have many similarities
and differences, but more similarities than differences.
In this essay, I will talk about the novels Kafka on the Shore and Pride
and Prejudice, examining way in which each makes me feel like I am
part of the plot.
In light of their use of punctuation, diction and voice, E.E. Cummings’
“since feeling is first” and Billy Collins’ “The First Dream” can be read as
classical love poems, aimed at forging an emotional connection between
the reader and poet.
Paper 2: Example Question and Thesis
Question:
A moral or a lesson is a common convention in stories. In
what ways and for what purposes have at least two of
your chosen authors either adhered to or subverted this
convention?
Thesis:
This is seen in both the satirical novels The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, and 1984, by
George Orwell, where both novels, though they do it
via different literary techniques, portray flaws mainly in
their settings, thus yielding a moral or lesson to society
that is perhaps less conventional, but certainly effective.
Paper 2: Example Question and Thesis
Question:
Though plot may be said, at its simplest level, to be a
sequence of events, what truly distinguishes prose fiction is
the use of narrative disruption: impediment, detour, diversion
or digression. In at least two works in your study, how have
writers created narrative disruption and to what effect?
Thesis:
In Atonement, McEwan uses Paul Marshall’s character and
Briony’s character as impediments to the fairytale-like
romance between Robbie and Cecilia, and in
Slaughterhouse Five, Vonnegut uses detour and diversion to
describe how Billy Pilgrim is unstuck in time.
Practice: Writing a good thesis

From these questions below, craft a good thesis:
Discuss a scene in which a particular mood or atmosphere
contributes significantly to the total effect of each of the plays you
have studied, making clear how each dramatist creates that mood or
atmosphere.
 How far do you think the staging can affect an audience's response
to a play in the theatre? In your answer consider the presentation of
particular scenes from the plays you have studied.
 'The theatre inevitably plays an important part in bringing into the
open what are the burning issues of the time.’
In what ways have dramatists used the theatre to express their views
about burning issues of the time in the plays you have studied?

Crafting an introduction

Lead in to the topic with …
a specific detail
 a direct address of the question
 a generalized statement related to the question
 an anecdote




Introduce the texts
Limit the subject and define terms used
Indicate the plan


Give some discussion about the topic that helps lead
readers to the inevitable thesis
Thesis!
Crafting an introduction

Your intro should be shaped like an inverted triangle:
General
Specific
Crafting an introduction

Get the examiner’s interest!
Stress the importance of the subject
 Arouse the reader’s curiosity
 Amuse the reader

“He killed his brother. He married his brother’s wife. He stole
his brother’s crown. A cold-hearted murderer, he is described
by his brother’s ghost as “that incestuous, that adulterate
beast” (I.v.42). The bare facts appear to stamp him an utter
moral outlaw. Nonetheless, as his soliloquies and anguished
asides reveal, no person in Hamlet demonstrates so mixed a
true nature as Claudius, the newly made King of Denmark”
(qtd. in McIntyre).
Organizing and Writing the Body

Organization is KEY  Think first, write later.
 Outline
 Venn
Diagram
 Coded List

Essay-writing timeline
 figure

it out and stick to it
Compare AND Contrast
 (It
says to do it in the instructions, so do it.)
Essay Structure

Two types of organization:
 Block
Style
 First
one text, then the other
 Used when contrasting is minimal
 Mostly used for explanation/deciding between two texts
 Point-by-Point
Style
 Both
texts are addressed in relation to each point
 Used for comparing and contrasting
 Allows for analysis of both texts
 THE RIGHT ONE TO USE

(not that we’d ever say there is one right way to do something…)
Essay Structure Example:
A comparison of cats and dogs
Block

Topic 1: Cats
fluffy and cute
 opportunistic and
independent
 no meow, all lethal claws
Point-by-Point




Topic 2: Dogs
clumsy and cute
 loyal and dependent
 all bark, no bite

Point 1: Adorable factor


Point 2: Dedication



Cats: fluffy and cute
Dogs: clumsy and cute
Cats: opportunistic and
independent
Dogs: loyal and dependent
Point 3: Attack factor


Cats: no meow, all lethal
claws
Dogs: all bark, no bite
Paragraph Structure

Topic sentence
Address the point
 Relate it to both texts


Mini-topic sentence for first text
Explanation
 Analysis


Segue and mini-topic sentence for second text
Explanation
 Analysis



Connecting thoughts on both texts as they relate to the point
Conclusion sentence
Paragraph Structure Example:
A student’s paper from the last exam

Both young Maya and Richard were able to react to the
comfort of literature, as a way to deal with their difficult
individual experiences. Some of the most painful encounters
led each character to this form of escape, something that
helped them strive for their interests and continue to remain
true to their identity. For young Maya, this event was
remembered as a horrific sexual violation, when Mr. Freeman
raped her at the age of eight. … As she stated: “Words were
different than set on paper. It takes the power of the human
voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.”
Parallel to this exploration of literature after such a
catastrophic event, young Richard is able to develop his talent
of writing through the rejection of religion. …Like the sexual
abuse that Maya endured, this terrifying physical abuse drives
him further from his home and closer to his love of writing.
Paragraph Structure Example:
A student’s paper from the last exam

One method used by Miller and Williams is the
introduction of new or old characters to the plot. Miller
introduces a character from Willy’s past, his brother
Ben, to show Willy’s desire to be successful and for his
children to be successful. … In a similar way, a new
character creates drama for Stanley and Stella. … In
both these instances, drama is created, but the type of
drama is different. The audience has sympathy for
Willy who is trying hard to help better the lives of his
children. However, the audience feels disgust for both
characters in Williams’ example: Blanche, for her
actions in the past, and Stanley, for his current abusive
actions.
Transitions!

Did you notice the transitional phrases in the
examples?
 Parallel
to this …
 In a similar way …
 In both these instances …
 However …


Use transitions to make your essay FLOW!
Other examples:
 Comparing:
Likewise, At the same time, Just as, In addition
 Contrasting: Even though, On the other hand, Conversely,
Meanwhile, Although
You try it!



Practice with the questions below (same as last week!).
First, craft an outline for your essay.
Second, write your topic sentences with transitions.



Discuss a scene in which a particular mood or atmosphere contributes
significantly to the total effect of each of the plays you have studied,
making clear how each dramatist creates that mood or atmosphere.
How far do you think the staging can affect an audience's response
to a play in the theatre? In your answer consider the presentation of
particular scenes from the plays you have studied.
'The theatre inevitably plays an important part in bringing into the
open what are the burning issues of the time.’
In what ways have dramatists used the theatre to express their views
about burning issues of the time in the plays you have studied?
Summing it up!


Your conclusion should restate your thesis, but it should not
JUST be a restatement of your thesis!
DO:


DO NOT:


“There are also some moments of poor connection (eg, “Another
method these author’s employ is”) but the mark awarded is justified
by the development of argument and by the concluding section,
which draws together various threads of the response in such a way
as to facilitate comparison.”
“The conclusion is disappointing and the response ends abruptly
with one comparative sentence at the end of a paragraph on
word choice.”
These both come right from an examiner’s notes!
Summing it up!

Summarize, Synthesize, Extend
 Give
a brief overview of your main points
 Tie them all together in a way that answers the question
and focuses back on the thesis
 Without introducing any new ideas, extend your
thoughts to a final conclusion or musing, or simply zoom
in again on author’s intent
 If
you struggle with this last one, leave it out!
Summary Example

In Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, readers are
able to better understand the characters’ mental anguish through
confusing shifts between memoirs and dreams. Furthermore, the authors
address their respective central problems of slavery and community, and
post-apocalyptic hopelessness and the struggle for survival with small but
indicative implications of situation and setting.
It might even be argued that both authors advocate the importance of
community through the struggles of characters as the black community
exorcises Beloved so Sethe can move on and the man living only to protect
his son. By ‘taking me to the heart’ and understanding of their characters,
the readers adhere to their problems and are thus influenced when these
problems are resolved with the help of community; to exorcise painful
memories or the repopulate the earth after the apocalypse and remain
hopeful.
Good (Timed) Essay Writing Habits
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Take the time to organize – it not only ensures you stay focused, but it also
means the hard work of thinking is done before you even start writing.
Budget your time before the exam and stick to your schedule.
Always leave yourself time to proofread.
Stay in the present tense! Leave the past in the past.
Use paragraphs. If you forget, use railroad tracks to show where the breaks
should occur.
Stay away from personal pronouns. They lower the register. Use “the
audience” or “the reader” as needed, but say NO to I, you and we!
QUALITY is always better than QUANTITY. This doesn’t mean write a short
essay, but it is better to cover three points REALLY WELL than twenty points in
a mediocre fashion.
Don’t skimp on the conclusion. Remember that is the last thing that will be
read, so you don’t want to end with a “meh” feeling!
Works Cited
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Alspaugh, Michelle, ed. “Mt. Vernon High School Writing Handbook: A Collaborative Effort by
the IB English and History Departments.” Mount Vernon High School. Fairfax County Public
Schools, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
“Comparing and Contrasting.” The Writing Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
“Languages Teacher Support Material.” Online Curriculum Centre. International Baccalaureate
Organization, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Malavolta, Gavin. “IB English paper 2 2013 – what examiners and teachers say.”
Kungsholmen’s IB English A Home. n.p., 6 May 2012. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
McIntyre, David. “Essay Writing Guidelines.” David’s IB Language and Literature Teaching Blog.
Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
“Tips for Kicking Butt on IB English A1 Paper 2 – Essay.” The Nardvark. The Nardvark, 22 Apr.
2012. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Walk, Kerry. “How to Write a Comparative Analysis.” The Writing Center at Harvard
University. Harvard U, 1998. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
“Writing a Compare/Contrast Essay.” CLRC Writing Center. Santa Barbara City College, n.d.
Web. 30 Mar. 2014.