compare and contrast essay - · pdf filestep one •give your essay a title. two poems from...
TRANSCRIPT
Objective
To write an expository essay
(comparing/contrast format).
07.W.2d: Use precise language and domain-
specific vocabulary to inform about or
explain the topic.
07.W.2e: Establish and maintain a formal
style.
DAY 1
Review
• Compare is a verb that means to
examine two or more items for the
purpose of noting both similarities
and/or differences.
• Contrast is a verb or a noun that means
difference (noun) or to present a
difference (verb).
# 1
Even though the identical twins
possessed very different personalities,
their appearances were often being
A. compared
B. contrasted
Compared
# 2
It doesn't make sense to ____ apples and
bunnies since they are so different.
A. Compare
B. Contrast
Compare
# 3
Nights in the desert offer extraordinary
_______ to its days.
A. Comparisons
B. Contrasts
Contrasts
# 4
Always curious about how similar we are,
we often ______ our homes, cars, and the
kinds of food we eat.
A. Compare
B. Contrast
Compare
What is the Purpose?
• To show the similarities
between at least two
things
and/or
• To show the difference
between two things
• To inform
• To explain
• To analyze
• To evaluate
Group Activity
Compare and contrast two characters…..
Superhero v. Super-Villain
Let’s do a walk-through….
http://www.superherodb.com/
Group Activity
1. Go to: http://www.superherodb.com/
2. Select a superhero
3. Select a supervillain
4. Compare/Contrast
5. Complete Organizers
Use Superhero/Super-Villain Sample Characteristics!
Group Activity Things to consider….
Special powers—such as superhuman abilities, mutations,
or scientific knowledge.
Appearance—are they colorful, funny, serious, drab, dark,
or menacing?
Background—where did they come from, and did they go
through a shocking experience that made them who they
are?
Public or “secret” identity—what is their social life like, do
they have regular jobs, family, friends?
Special equipment—such as tools, weapons, or vehicles.
Place of residence—rural or urban, apartment or house,
secret lair or in plain sight.
Exit Card
Do you think today’s activity was helpful in
understanding how to compare/contrast
characters?
Do you have any suggestions regarding
the activity?
Review- How to Read a Poem
• Read the title
• Mark off the sentences in the poem, using
hash marks #
• Read the poem through quickly,
highlighting unknown words
• Read the poem again for initial
understanding
“George Gray”
Edgar Lee Masters
I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me—
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
5 But my life.
For love was offered me…and I shrank from its
disillusionment:
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid:
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.
10 And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one’s life may end in madness.
But life without meaning is the torture
15 Of restless and vague desire—
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.
•
The earth keeps some vibration going
There in your heart, and that is you.
And if the people find you can fiddle,
Why fiddle you must, for all your life.
5 What do you see, a harvest of clover?
Or a meadow to walk through to the river?
The wind’s in the corn; you rub your hands
For beeves hereafter ready for market;
or else you hear the rustle of skirts
10 Like the girls when dancing at Little Grove.
To Cooney Potter a pillar of dust
Or whirling leaves meant ruinous drouth;
They looked to me like Red-Head Sammy
Stepping it off, to “Toor-a-Loor.”
15 How could I till my forty acres
Not to speak of getting more,
With a medley of horns, bassoons and piccolos
Stirred in my brain by crows and robins
And the creak of a windmill—only these?
20 And I never started to plow in my life
That someone did not stop in the road
And take me away to a dance or picnic.
I ended up with a broken fiddle—
25 And a broken laugh, and a thousand memories,
And not a single regret.
“Fiddler Jones”
Edgar Lee Masters
Active Reading
Answer as many of the 5 W’s as possible
• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?
Theme-
Mood-
Tone-
Notes taken while rereading the poems
George Gray
regretful
sad
fearful
desperate
heavy
dark
tragic
depressing
don’t hide from life
take chances
live your life
Fiddler Jones
artistic
lighthearted
fulfilled
talented
happy
light
playful
optimistic
meaning in life
use your talents
Character
Sim / Dif
Mood
Sim / Dif
Theme
Sim / Dif
Step Two: The Plan
Things I might want to compare and or
contrast-
• Characters
• Mood
• Theme
• Etc.
Step Three: Summary Statement
• State the genre, title, and author
• Give the situation or background
The characters Fiddler Jones and George
Gray speak from the grave in Edgar Lee
Master’s poems about life and death.
Step Four- What is your point?
Thesis Statement
• Here, the point is to compare and contrast.
• What will you compare and contrast?
literary elements, events, or beliefs
Although the characters and mood in “George Gray” and “Fiddler Jones” by Edgar Lee Masters are vastly different, the theme of living life to its fullest is present in both.
Step 5: Make an informal outline-
JOT
Thesis + Plan Conclusion
Characters
Use your notes
for examples,
elaborations, and
Embedded quotes.
Mood
Use your notes
for examples,
elaborations, and
Embedded quotes
Theme
Use your
notes
for examples,
elaborations,
and
Embedded
quotes
Step 6: Use transitions
• similar, another, also, besides, like,
likewise, resembles, comparable, similar
to, comparison, differ, different, unlike, on
the other hand, contrary, but, yet, opposite
from, to contrast, dissimilar, different from,
by comparison
Step 7: Plan a Conclusion
1. Remind the reader of your thesis
2. Repeat key information using synonyms
3. No new information
Steps 8-12
8. Write your first draft
9. Revise your draft
10. Edit your essay
11. Make a final draft
12. Proofread/ Publish/ Share
Two Poems from Spoon River Anthology
“George Gray” and “Fiddler Jones” by Edgar Lee Masters are characters who speak from the grave from the book of poems called Spoon River Anthology. The main characters Fiddler Jones and George Gray are very different. Like night and day, the mood in each poem is in total contrast . Although the characters and mood in both poems are vastly different, the theme of living life to its fullest is present in both.
Fiddler Jones is the polar opposite of George Gray. While Fiddler Jones is artistic and lighthearted, George Gray is filled with regret, fear, and sadness. While Fiddler Jones ended up with “a thousand memories,” George Gray lived life “without meaning.” One character embraced the human experience and the other hid from it.
Similarly, the mood in each poem is at opposite ends of the light spectrum. Fiddler Jones reflects of his life in a light and playful manner. He remembers being taken away by friends to “dance and picnic.” George Gray’s tragic life is punctuated by darkness, missed chances, and regret. He remembers hiding from life because he was afraid.
Both characters arrive at the same conclusion when reflecting on their lives; a life lived without meaning is meaningless. Even though George Gray missed his chance to experience life while living, he now sees the error of his ways. Fiddler Jones lived and felt every joy life offered because he also allowed himself to experience life’s pain.
Closure
• What are the steps for writing a
compare/contrast essay?
• What is the format for writing this type of
essay?