UNIT 1

Compare and Contrast Essay

Expository Writing

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

# 5

Dark red always ________ well with

bright yellow.

A. Compares

B. Contrasts

Contrasts

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

Examples?

What to compare/contrast?

Place

Nutrients

What can be made?

What to compare/contrast?

Price

Features

Mileage

What to compare/contrast?

Setting

Theme

Characters

Mood

What to compare/contrast?

Appearance

Powers

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?

DAY 2

The Prompt

Compare and contrast the two poems by

Edgar Lee Masters.

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 One

• Give your essay a title.

Two Poems from Spoon River Anthology

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 4: Make a Plan-Block it Out

Thesis + Plan

Character Mood Theme Conclusion

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?

DAY 3

Write our compare and contrast

essay……..

Practice

Write your own compare and contrast essay.

“Rikki-tikki-tavi” and “The Corpse-Maker”

Watch video “In the Age of Beowulf”

(scope.scholastic.com)

Read the drama “The Corpse-Maker”

Complete Organizer

Write Expository Essay