Essay 1: Theme Analysis Essay

Instructor: Add notes, video, audio, links

Prepare

First, choose which two works you'll be focusing on for this essay. 

• You can choose two short stories, two poems, or one of each
• It is recommended (though not required) that the two works you choose come from the same Module 
• The two works should have a topic or theme in common

Then, re-read the works.

• What do they have in common? What topics, themes, and literary devices are shared?
• How do they differ? Are they expressing the same theme in different ways? Discussing the same topic but expressing different themes?
• What literary elements does each use to illustrate or emphasize its theme?
• Make note of quotes from the texts that you might want to use in your essay.

Review these resources:

• The Spiderman Paper.docx Download The Spiderman Paper.docx: This annotated sample essay points out all the required formatting and organizational components in an essay
• Video guide to literary analysis Links to an external site.
• Writing Toolkit: Compare / Contrast

Write

For this essay, you'll be comparing how two different works explore the same or similar themes in their own ways.

You can choose A or B:

1. Write about two works that share theme - which means they both make the same overall point
2. Write about two works that share a topic, but have different themes - which means that they each make a different point about the same general topic

For example, if there are two stories about growing up that seem to make the same point, that would be option (a); if there were two stories that each made a different point about growing up, that would be option (b). 

Your essay should:

• Be about 900-1,000 words long (3+ pages)
• Be organized - it should have an introduction (including your essay's thesis), at least two discussion sections, and a conclusion
• Focus on supporting its thesis statement
• Include quotes in each body paragraph
• Use MLA format, including internal citations

You should avoid:

• Copy / pasting from other submissions
• Summary - focus on making and supporting points
• Unprofessional discourse
• Conversational language (you, I, etc.)