Identify a common theme or literary device in two assigned literary pieces from different literary periods.

Gonzalez
ENGL 2321
COMPARE/CONTRAST ESSAY
Description: Each student must complete a compare/contrast essay. In this essay, students will
compare AND contrast a theme or literary device used in two pieces of assigned literature from
different periods. Students should:
1) Identify a common theme or literary device in two assigned literary pieces from different
literary periods.
2) Create a thesis that explains the purpose of comparing the theme or literary device in the
two texts.
3) Support and develop this thesis using appropriate references to the assigned readings
AND two outside sources.
Research: Students need to refer to 2 outside sources, not including the required textbook, in
the body of the essay. Use these sources to support and develop your thesis and to
compare/contrast the two assigned literary texts. Your sources must be taken from the MCC
library databases (or a comparable online academic database). The best outside sources to use
are The Oxford English Dictionary, Gale Literature Criticism, JSTOR, and the MLA
Bibliography (all are available through MCC’s library web page). You may not use SparkNotes,
Chegg, CourseHero, Shmoop, or comparable study websites as outside sources.
Requirements: The essay must be 750 to 1,500 words in length and conform to MLA format.
Please refer to the 8th edition of the MLA Handbook for MLA format guidelines (available at the
Bookstore; I also have MLA resources posted on our Brightspace page, for your reference) and
contact me if you have any trouble with MLA format. Appropriate parenthetical references in
the body of the essay and a correctly formatted Works Cited page must be included in the
document.
As with all written essays, standard English grammar, mechanics, and punctuation should be
observed. No essay can successfully communicate its thesis without following these rules. If
you struggle with writing clear sentences or strong paragraphs, or if you have trouble articulating
your ideas, you may want to submit your essay to SmarThinking (available via Brightspace) or
MCC’s Academic Support & Tutoring Center to get feedback on your work.
Academic Honesty: Students who participate in collusion on or plagiarize this assignment will
be subject to the disciplinary actions outlined in the “Academic Honesty” section of the syllabus.
Tips and Hints: The best essays begin by clearly identifying their subject and specifying the
purpose of the analysis in the thesis statement. This is followed by a thoughtful comparison of
the two literary texts in relation to the stated thesis. Remember, I am looking to see how well
you can articulate your own analysis of the course texts, using course materials and outside
sources as your guides.

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