E4 IB/DP Comparative Literary Analysis Essay
Using The Stranger by Albert Camus and The Time of the Doves by MerceRodoreda, write a comparative essay for the following topic:“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.” Discuss, comparing the validity of this proposal in works you have studied. (N01)
Your paper must be hand-written in black ink. It should be 900-1500 words in length. Put your word count at the end of the essay against the left margin. Include a full heading on your paper, with your question as your title.
This essay is due at the beginning of the period October 12, 2016.
A comparative literary analysis essay examines the similarities and differences of a particular aspect in two or more texts. The goal of the essay is not to summarize the texts; rather it involves thinking critically about themes, characters, plot, setting and literary devices to draw broader conclusions that further examine the aspect presented in the exam question.
Write a Thesis Statement
The thesis statement gives your essay a focus. Your thesis statement should make a specific point about the aspect of comparison between the two texts and present your answer to the exam question. Remember it is assumed that in a comparative essay you will not only show similarities, but differences as well.
Organize
Organization is particularly crucial in a comparative essay. Whether you choose the "text-by-text" structure or the "point-by-point" structure, you should create an outline of the essay structure before you write. For example, if you are writing an essay comparing how the theme of madness is manifested in "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe, you must plan the order of the content to make certain you are presenting a balanced analysis of both texts, rather than focusing more heavily on one.
Analyze
The comparison of the two texts is made through analysis, in which you examine aspects of the story including literary devices such as flashback, foreshadowing, metaphor, simile and personification. The analysis asks how and why the two pieces of literature are similar and different, and what those similarities and differences express about the texts and about life in general. Analysis requires your interpretation of the texts as well as your reflections on society, morals, history and human nature.
Use Quotations as Evidence
In a literature essay, you must provide evidence from both texts, in the form of direct quotations, to support your comparisons. Every quotation in your essay must be properly cited using MLA style. You must note the author and exact page number for each extract that you include. The evidence must directly support the point you are making in the paragraph, as well as the thesis statement of the essay. For a paper of this type, you should try to use at least five quotes from each book. The quotes should come from beginning, middle and end of the text unless you are focusing on a specific scene in each novel.
I will use the IB Rubric for Written Paper 2 Essay to assess your work. If you do not follow the required format on your paper, I will return your paper for you to correct. The corrected paper will be assessed as a late paper.