Block Day 11/12-13 ~ Comparative Literature Essay

Short Story
Finish going over "By the Waters of Babylon"

Grammar/Roots Quiz

Comparative Literature Essay

• Prompt: Compare two of the short stories we've read in class using the lens of any literary device or writer's tool as your point of comparison. The main goal is to examine the writer's craft.
• Some "lenses" to consider: conflict (internal or external), irony, theme, plot, organizational structure, point-of-view, characterization (direct or indirect), imagery/description, tone, allusion, transitions, allegory, symbolism, etc...)

Take a look at a few thesis statements. Notice that only the third is specific and meaningful beyond summary.

• There are ways in which the two poems are similar, but they also have many differences.
• Auden’s and Whitman’s poems are mostly different: Auden’s rhymes, and is about a lover who has died, while Whitman’s is free verse and addresses a multitude of ideas.
• Though significantly different in form and in focus, both Auden’s and Whitman’s poems communicate their ideas chiefly through imagery of the commonplace and the everyday.

A couple of other thesis examples:

• Although Jackson and Bartlion both urge the reader to consider the life lessons presented in nature, they differ in writing approach: Jackson relies on personification, while Bartlion employs visual imagery. 
• While Odysseus and Achilles are both frequently tested by hostile forces and combat, they differ in their behavior during critical situations as seen in their views of the warrior code and treatment of others who are in battle with them. 

HW: Start reading The Power of One!