Description
Write a 7-8 page (double-spaced) comparison essay with a research component. Your task is to
present a thesis about two eligible course texts. Use one of the topics below as a starting point for
your argument. Your thesis should 1) establish a basis for comparison, 2) explore how the texts
differ, and 3) explain why the similarities and differences between the texts are significant. As
with your Short Essay, you must use textual evidence (quotations from your primary sources)
and close textual analysis to support your thesis. In addition, in this essay you must strengthen
your argument by including quotations from at least two appropriate (read: credible, relevant,
scholarly) secondary sources. At least one secondary source must be a work of literary criticism
(ideally, a scholarly book, journal article, or reference work that is about your primary text).
MLA formatting is required
Question of choice: Write a comparative analysis about two first-person narratives (works of fiction). How
does the use of first-person narration and enhance the story? How are the respective
narrators and the methods of narration similar and different? Why do these similarities or
differences matter?
Eligible Course Texts:
- The Black Cat - Edgar Allan Poe (Contains an unreliable First Person Narrator)
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - James Thurber (Contains an unreliable First Person Narrator)