Grade 7 | Compare/Contrast Essay

Comparison & Contrast Essay

Purpose

            The purpose of this essay is to examine one specific aspect in each of Hinton’s novels and discuss its similarities and differences. *You may use the films as well.

Task

            Choose a literary element— theme, conflict, setting, or character—in That Was Then, This Is Now and The Outsiders. Discuss the similarities and differences of that literary element in your essay.

Format

¨  The introduction will discuss the main idea of the essay, provide background information, and state your thesis.

¨  The body paragraphs will explain the similarities and differences of your chosen element in both texts.

¨  The conclusion will answer the following questions: Are the differences or similarities more prominent? What was learned from the examination or what judgment can be made about the two novels?

¨  Follow the guidelines for using academic essay conventions.

Timeline

Typed Dear Reader Letter: November 5th

Typed First Draft: November 9th

Final Draft: November 14th

Specifics

Typed final draft must be in MLA Format

 

Introduction Outline

  1. Attention Getter.

  2. State the topic.

  3. Bridge or transition sentences.

  4. Thesis statement.

The Introduction is NOT 4 sentences long. It just has 4 parts.

•I. Introduction

A.Attention: Grief, when it comes, can be a dark place. Many characters

B.Topic: In S.E. Hinton’s coming-of-age novels, The Outsiders and That Was Then, This is Now, her characters go through many hardships.

C.Bridge: Family and friends die, and the characters left behind must move on.

D.    Thesis: In both novels, the main characters must deal with their grief in their own way.

Body Paragraphs 1 & 2

•1. Intro Sentence: Introduces the novel and idea you will discuss first.

•2. Main Idea: State your first point of thesis.

•3. Evidence: Quote evidence from the story.

•4. Explanation: Explain how this information is relevant to your main idea/thesis.

•B1.

–A. Intro: In The Outsiders, Dally Winston is…

–B. Main Idea: After Johnny’s death, Dally…

–C. Evidence: “Quote”

–D. Explanation: This shows that Dally…

•B2

–A. Intro: In That Was Then, This is Now, Bryon is…

–B. Main Idea: After Charlie's death, Bryon…

–C. Evidence: “Quote”

–D. Explanation: This shows that Bryon…

Body 3 Outline

•1 or 2) Compare: How is what you’ve provided in B1 & B2 alike? 2 points max.

•

•1 or 2) Contrast: How is what you’ve provided in B1 &2 different? 2 points max.

•3. Explanation & Reflection: Are they more similar than different? Make a statement/ judgment about how you see the two side by side. 

i.e. Although they are similar, That Was Then, This is Now clearly has a more mature way of dealing with loss.

Conclusion 

•The closing paragraph is the second most important paragraph in your essay.

•It is the paragraph that leaves the final impression.

•EXTEND your reasoning.

Draw a literal conclusion.

Conclusion Outline

–A. Connect With Attention Getter:

–B. Restate Thesis & Main Points Quickly:

–C. Answer the Q: What does your research say about Hinton’s literature? 

or Why are the novels are so alike (or different)?