Checklist for Writing a Good Compare/Contrast Paper (Revised October 10, 2013)

Epigraph: Do you use an epigraph to set the tone and the principal theme(s) of the paper? If you do, it should be left
aligned in the center of the page, without quotes, and with a dash before the name of the author on a separate line. The
epigraph is written in the same font as the rest of the paper. Proper epigraph format is on Canvas in Modules under
Writing Materials. A compelling reason to use an epigraph is to help formulate a viable conclusion that doesnt merely
repeat.

Your paper must be in Times New Roman Font 12, double-spaced (not 2.5), with a MINIMUM of 21 lines per page.
Your Title

Does it convey specific information about the subject of the paper as well as the authors or titles of the works
or characters you are discussing?

Good title: Song of the Sirens: Seduction in Homer, the Coen Brothers, and Atwood

Good title: Hero or Monster?: The Individual vs. Society in The Stranger and The Metamorphosis

Note that all major words in a title are capitalized; the first word after the colon (not semi-colon!) is also capitalized

Remember that novel and play titles are italicized. Short story and poem titles go in quotation marks.

A good title is CONCISE. Dont use extraneous words such as a comparison of, a study of, examining the problem
of.

Not concise: Good vs. Evil: A Study of Morality in Fight Club and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

More concise: Good vs. Evil: Morality in Fight Club and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Your Introduction

Does your first sentence grab the readers interest and make him want to read on? Avoid beginnings that are too
general such as Since the beginning of time, or There have always been, or openings that are too vague, such
as Stories can be interpreted in many different ways.

Do the subsequent sentences draw the reader in by situating the major topic of the paper within a broader context
(but not too broad!)? In a short paper it is better to just start right in with discussion of the specific works. Do NOT
use the words people or a person or certain or happy in the intro because it leads you to make unsupportable
generalizations.

Do you include the names of the authors, the titles of the works, and the dates of first publication* in
parentheses? (Repeat: film, play, and novel titles are italicized; poem, article, essay, and short story titles are in
quotes.) [*Do not confuse the date of first publication with the publication of the actual book you read, which goes in
the Works Cited.]

Do the sentences of the introduction build upon one another and lead logically to the thesis statement?

It is important to verify that the names of authors and characters as well as the titles of the work are spelled
correctly. Proofread your title and first sentence very carefully. It looks especially bad if you make a mistake there.

Write out the names of centuries: sixteenth century (not 16th). Use a hyphen when the century functions as an
adjective: nineteenth-century society.

Your intro to your paper may be historical, philosophical, cultural, etc. You may bring in a short text to comment
upon or make a reference to a well known text.
As a fallback, you may give a brief (two-sentence) plot summary/overview to the two works you are writing about
that features those aspects you are going to be discussing in your thesis.
Somewhere at the beginning of your paper, in intro or first paragraph, specify which society characters belong to:
Ex: For Meursault: colonial French Algerian society

Your thesis

Is the thesis statement more than just a statement of fact, more than an obvious statement about the topic? Does it
have some element of controversy? Is it sufficiently specific, and does it make a claim that can be proven within the
space of the paper? In a compare/contrast paper, you are not permitted to say that the portrayals of the characters
are different or similar [these words are taboo in the thesis and topic sentences] because that is a given. Explain
how and why and be specific! Also taboo: use of any synonyms of same/similar or different

Avoid statements that are too general and do not give the reader specific information, such as These two stories are
alike in certain ways and different in others.

Here are some examples for the compare/contrast paper:1) Whereas both Henrik Ibsen and Charlotte Perkins Gilman
explore how the husband's assumption of authority causes the "imprisonment" of his wife, in "The Yellow
Wallpaper" the imprisonment is physical (or maybe you like this better: literal), while in A Doll's House it is
metaphorical (figurative). Or, if you want to talk about outcome: 2) Whereas both Henrik Ibsen and Charlotte Perkins
Gilman explore how the husband's assumption of authority causes the virtual imprisonment of his wife, in A Doll's
House Nora is able to break free and liberate herself, while in "The Yellow Wallpaper" the narrator remains entrapped,
a victim of her husband's dominance.

Here are two patterns you might find helpful, though you are by no means required to use them: 1) Thesis that first
states a similarity and then shows the difference(s) without using those words: Whereas both authors
____________________________ (specific description of what they argue), in Text A _____________while in Text
B__________. 2) Thesis that acknowledges differences only to insist upon a similarity without using those words:
Whereas Text A (or Author A) argues that __________________________________________________ and Text B
or Author B claims that ___________________________________________________, in both works the
characters ultimately/the outcome ultimately shows that ____________________________________ (and here you
would specifically describe how they are similar without using that word.) Please Note: YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE
either of these EXACT PATTERNS. IT'S JUST TO HELP THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE STRUGGLING AND WANT SOME HELP.

Your Body Paragraphs

1. Examine your topic sentences. Do they
give the reader a clear and specific idea of what the principal point of each paragraph is? In a compare/contrast
paper, it is important to compare or contrast (or both compare and contrast!) the works or characters.
progress logically from one to the next? If the reader reads just your topic sentences, will he have a good idea of
what the major claim(s) of your paper is (are)? In fact, if a reader reads your thesis and topic sentences, will he
have a good idea of what the paper is arguing?
If you had to break up long paragraphs into separate paragraphs, make sure the new topic sentence both ties
back to the old one (briefly) and gives the reader an understanding of what the new paragraph holds.
2. Examine the interior sentences in each of your paragraphs. Do they
build logically one upon the next to create your argument as stated in the topic sentence?
use creative and appropriate connectives (however, in contrast, therefore, etc.) to show the relationship
between sentences? In compare/contrast papers you need to use your compare/contrast words. (c/c words).
Avoid lame transitions like also or another. If you find yourself writing Another important aspect, erase it!
Ask yourself instead how the second point relates to the first and show the relationship by writing in contrast,
on the other hand, nevertheless, however, although, similarly, in parallel fashion, etc.
develop and elaborate your claims by referring to specific and relevant aspects, symbols, or events in the text
that weave in rich, authentic detail?
Use appropriate transitions when you move from discussion of one work to the next?
Avoid taboo words such as a lot of or contractions?
Use both relevant quotes and clips from the text to show your familiarity with the text? Clips are short (one,
two or three word) quotes from the text that convey the flavor, tone, or specific language of the text to the
reader.
Avoid repeating words, phrases, or ideas? It helps to read the paper aloudthis way you can HEAR the
repetitions.
Keep analysis in the present tense
show sentence fluency (flow well, are varied in structure, with precise and vivid word choice)? Hint: read your
paper aloud to hear the cadence of the sentences.
Avoid spelling, grammatical, or mechanical errors? (See Modules under Writing to see a list of Senior English
unpardonable errors.)
ANALYZE rather than merely describe the characters, themes, etc.?
Do NOT leave an extra space between the paragraphs. The entire paper should be double spaced.
The analytical parts of the paper must be written in the present tense.
Review proper punctuation, especially with quotes.

 Offer ample quotes to support your claims. Include ample analysis and specifics and elaborate your
ideas fully.
3. Examine your summary sentences (last sentence in the paragraph). Do they

close the paragraph successfully without slavishly repeating what you have already said?

Finish the paragraph on a conclusive note that makes an important point or comparison?

If you cant write a good summary sentence that isnt merely repetitive, dont write one; just leave it out.

Your Conclusion
Does it summarize the argument not by restating the thesis statement slavishly, but rather by restating the argument in
a fresh and relevant light?
Does it use a conclusion technique that brings the reader back to the title, epigraph, or some other aspect of the paper
that provides a definitive sense of an ending? Try bringing your paper full circle by picking up an image, incident, or
keynote from the beginning of the paper. AVOID truisms and sweepingly general statements like: This story shows how
a single text can be rich in multiple interpretations. Avoid hollow clichs (and so it is clear that you can not teach an
old dog new tricks).
Does it recontextualize the argument and/or answer the question So what? (i.e., does it show why the argument was
worth making? See information about conclusions on the Website Writing page.
Other strategies: Bring in a reference to another text that is pertinent and can shed fresh light on your topic.
TAKE A STEP back. Ask yourself what your paper is about and what it all means and try to address this broadly. A good
strategy is to address what the authors were trying to claim with respect to your topicwhat were they trying to
provewhat message were they trying to send (though we all know that most literature isnt about simply sending
messages)
MLA information: SEE A SAMPLE WORKS CITED UNDER MODULES UNDER WRITING

1. The Works Cited, (these words are CENTERED on the page), has works listed in ALPHABETICAL order by author last name,
and indents the SECOND AND FOLLOWING lines if an entry is more than one line long:
Do you include the name of the translator, if there is one?
ONLY the important name of the publisher (Grove, not Grove Press), (Farrar, not Farrar, Strauss, Giroux). There is
a list at the back of the MLA with many of the names.
For university presses either U of Michigan P or Stanford UP (depending on how the press writes its name)
2. In the text, do you use proper PUNCTUATION:
Leave off quotes and readjust the position of the period when using block quotes?
Put commas and periods INSIDE quotes: He said, I love you. This is not true when they are followed
by parentheses: He said, I love you (Orwell 42).

Before handing the paper in to Canvas did you:

Proofread MANY times? It helps to try to read backward to make you pay closer attention.

Read your paper ALOUD to hear repetitions or awkward phrasing?

Check to see that you have not used contractions (no contractions in formal writing)

Use Search and/or Replace in Word to make sure a) you have spelled difficult names and words correctly, b) you have not
overused words such as use or society c) correctly punctuated with however (see website under writing) d) properly
accented authors names: Cortzar, Garca Mrquez

Check to see if you have proven your thesis (if not, rewrite thesis or fix paper)

Miscellaneous important points:

1. In quoting poetry and dramatic poetry (such as Euripides, Sophocles, or Shakespeare) use forward slashes to show line breaks:
I think that I shall never see / A poem as lovely as a tree. / A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed /
2. See page 126 of Hacker to learn how to cite Euripidess and Sophocless work in the body of the paper in parentheses. Use
line numbers (there are no acts or scene numbers in these two works)
3. Note that Hacker says: For a first reference, use the word lines: (lines 5-8). Thereafter use just the numbers: (12-13).
4. Euripides example:
5. I would rather fight three times / In war, than go through childbirth once! (lines 239-240) first reference to the play
6. After the first reference: You are right to take revenge on your husband (255).
7. Remember