What formal choices does the author use to get at that core, and how does that shape the meaning and experience for the reader?

Choose two of the texts we’ve read or looked at in our discussion section and
address the following questions: What lies at the core of your first chosen text,
what formal choices does the author use to get at that core, and how does that
shape the meaning and experience for the reader? How does your second chosen
text align with or stray from those choices, and with what consequence(s)?
Essentially, what can we glean from putting two texts in conversation with one
another?

Get at specifics—use direct quotations and refer to specific moments and
passages in the text in framing your analysis. You might focus specifically on
point-of-view, themes you perceive, character development, plot arc and
structure, voice, tone, dialogue, the role of setting and place, color and
illustration style if you’re looking at one or more of the comics/graphic
novels/visual narratives, etc. Do the two authors use similar techniques with
differing results? Different techniques to get at the same ideas? Don’t try to
focus on all of those things! And this is not an all-inclusive list; you can move
beyond these suggestions. Pick what most stands out to you.

Make sure any and all quotes are cited properly—you can use whatever citation
style you’re most familiar and comfortable with as long as it’s clear what material
you’re pulling form, where you’re using direct quotes vs. paraphrasing, page
numbers, etc.
This essay is more traditional and will require a thesis, but do not write a “five paragraph essay.”
By all means embrace ambivalence and uncertainty! But remember that doing so
does not negate the need to organize your work in a coherent and linear fashion.

The two texts for this assignment: “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid and “Wants” By Grace Paley

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