Name: __________________________
American Literature
Compare/Contrast Essay on Short Stories
Instructions: To demonstrate your close reading and understanding of the short stories we’ve
read and discussed, you’ll be writing a compare/contrast essay using two of the short stories
we’ve studied.
To develop a topic:



Find a point of comparison (this might be a literary technique, a motif, a theme, etc.)
Make an argument about the differences
Conclude by making a connection to something outside both texts (another text, current
events, history, a personal experience, etc.)
Requirements:





Your essay should reflect sophisticated thinking about both stories.
Your essay should demonstrate your familiarity with and understanding of the literary
terms we’ve studied.
Your essay must include at least 3 carefully chosen, well-incorporated quotations from
each story that support your thesis (6 total).
Your conclusion should say something new that extends your argument.
Your writing process should involve multiple drafts and revisions. It will be important to
self-edit and peer-edit before your final draft is due.
Available Texts:




“Snow” by Anne Beattie
“What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” by Raymond Carver
“White Angel” by Michael Cunningham
“Memorial Day” by Peter Cameron