NO SOURCES CAN BE USED, you are able to find both short stories on the internet. Use my thesis and outline file I attached and go off of it, if you need to make tweaks to it, by all means, do what you have to. This paper needs to be strong
Instructions:
Your paper is to be a 3-5 page (Times New Roman, 12 font, double-spaced, MLA-style) expository essay that does a thematic comparative analysis of two of the short stories we have read and discussed during Unit I. Your essay, which must be written on one of the approved themes listed below, is to be double-spaced, and in 11 or 12 font, Times New Roman or the equivalent. Please, no cover page. Follow standard MLA format. You may not compare the two stories (Gilman’s & Chopin’s) that I’ve used as a sample. You may, however, choose one of these stories and compare it to another one in Unit I.
Your paper should not be biographical, historical, or mere plot summary. Instead, it must be literary analysis, where you explore a recurring theme in two short stories. No research may be used for this paper!
The following guidelines should be followed for a successful paper:
Begin with an introductory paragraph that (a) effectively draws your reader into your subject matter and (b) clearly introduces your authors, stories, and the thematic thesis you will be arguing. In other words, your intro should make clear what two stories you are analyzing, who the authors are, what the topic of exploration is, and what the assertion about this topic of exploration is.
Be sure that each point in the body of your paper directly supports and furthers your thematic thesis, that it argues for what, in fact, you claim to be arguing.
Discuss one point thoroughly and in relation to both stories, and then move on to the next point.
Be sure to consider the logical arrangement of your points.
Provide clear transitions between new ideas and thoughts.
Be sure to bring in details of the stories—a combination of quotes, references to plot, characterization, symbolism, setting, etc—that will help you to develop the various points you’re making.
End with a concluding paragraph that moves beyond an elementary restatement of your thesis.
Give your paper a title that is (a) not a repetition of the stories’ titles or the authors’ names, but instead (b) thematically captures the content of your paper.
The following are common mistakes that you should avoid:
Don’t say what you’re going to do in the paper. Instead, present a clear thematic thesis and argue it.
Don’t refer to yourself as the reader of the text or the writer of the paper. Do not, then, write a reader-response type paper that uses the pronoun “I.” You may refer to “the reader,” but try not to do so excessively, as it will become awkward and cumbersome. (In my sample paper, I used the first person plural, which is acceptable—i.e. “as readers, we see this when….)
Don’t discuss the stories separately. That is, don’t discuss one story in its entirely and then move on to the analysis of the next story in its entirety. (The preceding is called a block-style analysis, that which you are not writing!) Instead, have a thematic thesis that applies to both stories, and then break this thesis down into separate supporting points, each of which can be applied to both stories. Each story, then, will be discussed in relation to each point. Thus, one point will be discussed in relation to both stories, and then you will move on to the next point, which will be discussed in relation to both stories, and so on. (The preceding is called a point-by-point analysis, that which you are writing!)
Don’t force each story to apply to each point identically. Although you are comparing two stories in relation to their thematic content, they are indeed different stories.
If you find yourself providing plot summary that is not supporting a thematic point, get rid of it. Instead, provide plot summary to support a particular point you’re making to further your thesis.
Don’t discuss plot, symbolism, setting, characterization, or any other literary element in and of itself. Instead, use (and discuss) these literary elements, when appropriate, as a means of developing a certain point.
Do not use outside sources for this paper.
Step-by-Step Approach to Writing Paper
Choose an approved theme (or, if you can do so well, combination of approved themes).
Choose two stories that we’ve read from Unit I that can be applied to your chosen theme. (Remember, you may not compare Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” with the theme of oppression/freedom.)
Build a foundation for your paper by developing your theme into a thematic thesis. Essentially, you arrive at your thesis by answering the following question: What do the two stories I’ve chosen seem to be saying about the theme I’ve chosen? Your thesis should be clear and concise, 1 to 2 sentences.
Create an outline of thematic supporting points that (a) stem directly from your thesis and (b) cover the whole of your thesis. Essentially, in a focused and thorough way, what you’re doing here is breaking down your thesis into separate points.
Develop each point with analysis—specifics (direct and indirect) from the stories. (It is in the development of your points that you will bring in any relevant literary elements/tools.)
Develop each point (of thesis) in the required point-by-point analysis.
