AS Lit: how to write a comparative essay / 2000 word coursework

HOW TO WRITE A COMPARATIVE ESSAY

 

Use your first paragraph to set up your analysis, to contextualise your texts, and to present your thesis (your overarching argument, which will hold your essay together).  When you are writing about two whole texts, you need to give an overview of both texts before plunging straight into detailed analysis. (When you are writing about two extracts from two texts, you also need to put the extracts into context too.)

 

Example 1:

Compare the presentation of change within ‘Purple Hibiscus’ and ‘Things Fall Apart’

 

Both ‘Purple Hibiscus’ (2003) by Chimamanda Adichie and ‘Things Fall Apart’ (1958) by Chinua Achebe explore the theme of change within their novels. Although there is a contrast in the authors’ gender and the period their novels were written in, both novels share the element of change within a Nigerian setting. ‘Purple Hibiscus’ centres on the journey of Kambili, a teenage girl who finds means of freedom within her own family, whilst ‘Things Fall Apart’ focuses on the effects that colonialism and culture have on a community. What is evident within both texts is that change is irreversible – for both the individual and society – even if it is resisted.

 

Example 2:

Compare the presentation of transformation in “Junk” by Melvin Burgess and “Interview with the Vampire” by Anne Rice.

 

In both texts, “Junk” written by Melvin Burgess and “Interview with the Vampire” written by Anne Rice, the writers place the process of transformation at the centre of their narratives. Both writers focus on change in different ways but what connects the texts is that the main characters go on a journey – these journeys are linked to change, mentally and physically, and these changes are presented by both writer through a first person narration.

Once you have introduced your essay, you need to divide up your essay into areas (or strands of argument). For example, in an essay on the presentation of violence in ‘Beasts of no Nation’ and ‘Blue Remembered Hills’, you might want to use these areas to focus on:

     -   how the process of violence is used to dehumanise characters

-  violence and its relationship with power

-  violence and its relationship with identity (fear of being an outsider & the need to ‘belong’)

-   the use of violence to mark a significant development in a character / to foreshadow later events

- violence and morality (including the reader’s/audience’s judgement)

(These are just ideas!)

 

Next, start each ‘area’ of your essay by making a comparative comment about both texts at the start of the paragraph.  For example:

The idea of change within the novels is apparent from the way each writer has constructed their openings.

or

The main characters in both texts begin their narratives innocently, with a lack of knowledge about the unknown.

 

Then go on to focus on this in one text in detail. Remember that you need to focus on how that idea is being presented, so you should be analysing your writer’s use of language, or juxtaposition, or use of metaphor … etc. For example:

 

In "Junk" there is a certain relief involved in Tar's altered psychological state. When Tar's first experience taking heroin is recorded, the writer emphasises that his troubles are leaving him; this suggests that the drug seems to unburden him, it is a form of escaping Tar's "nightmares of the past". The phrase, "It just floated away" enhances the idea that he perceives himself as remaining static and that it is the "negative stuff" that has left him. The word "floating" suggests a romantic quality and does not relate to the very real pain that Tar is mentally facing.

 

You then need to focus on your second text comparatively. Introduce your comments with a comparative word or phrase; for example:

Similarly;                                                               This can also be seen in …;       

This idea is echoed in ..;                                       Like XXX, YYY …;       

This is also the case in …;            

 

In contrast,                                                             Conversely,                

However,                                                                On the other hand,    

Unlike XXX, YYY …;                                                This is explored in a different way by

 

Repeat this for the other areas you are exploring. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to compare between texts in every sentence – this will prevent you from developing your points in the detail you need to get a decent mark. It will usually be in your transitions within your essay that the comparisons will be made.