essay comparing two characters

Note: The following essays were not edited by EssayEdge Editors. They appear as they were initially reviewed by admissions officers. SAMPLE ESSAY: Columbia, Athlete and Musician (sailing and bass guitar) Write a chapter from your autobiography. Chapter 34: One Memorable Sailing Practice The sun's glare off the water forces my watery eyes to close even more. Spray leaps over the bow and blocks my vision as it slams into me like hundreds of little pebbles. The salt water has irritated my eyes enough already, but I am only beginning my practice for today. The Buzzards Bay Regatta is only three days away, and I must get comfortable with the boat. Skimming over the waves on a screaming plane, the boat senses every movement. The boat is like a leaf being blown across a pond. With only the rear end of the hull in the water, I am half flying and concentrate on positioning my weight aft for the most speed. I shuffle my butt half a foot aft and the boat rounds up towards the wind, but I fight the motion off with the helm and regain my original course. With one hand on the tiller and the other holding the mainsheet, I see that my hands are in the same position when I play my bass guitar. Comparisons between the two mesh together in my mind as I realize the similarities between bass guitar and sailing. I recall the practicing involved in bass and see how sailing requires the same diligence. My thoughts no longer focus on fine tuning my sailing, but they vividly connect bass guitar playing and sailing. I probe to find out what the essences of sailing and music are. While on the water in a sailboat, I accept the elements as they present themselves to me. Given certain wind and wave conditions, I manipulate the sailboat to attain the best harmony between by boat and its immediate environment. I imagine the sailboat is an extension of my body and plunge, accelerate, and rock with.
Introduction It is easy to compare two characters—and do a good job of it—if you remember four points: The Purposes of Comparison Why What How These four points interrelate, but let's start with the most important: the purposes of comparison. You can compare any two things—an apple and an aardvark, or a slug and a skyscraper. It's easy to compare things like that: a slug is ___ whereas a skyscraper is ___. You could fill in the blanks without even thinking. And that's the problem: you can do it without thinking. That's why so many papers comparing characters are (say it softly) bad and (even worse) boring. The writers don't know their purpose for comparison in general or for comparing those two characters in particular. There are three general purposes for comparing any characters: 1) You compare things in order to find meaningful similarities and meaningful differences. The more important these are, the more important—and interesting—the comparison. That's why the whole slug/skyscraper thing falls apart. 2) As a student, you compare literary characters in order to demonstrate your understanding of the work as a whole. If you're writing about Shakespeare's Hamlet and you compare Marcellus and Gertrude, you've pretty much demonstrated you don’t understand the play well, because there's little meaningful connection between the two. On the other hand, if you compare Ophelia and Hamlet, as two adults following their respective fathers' advice to their deaths, you've demonstrated superior comprehension. 3) As a writer, you compare characters to understand the work on a deeper level. (Obviously, purpose 2 and purpose 3 are closely linked.) And that brings us to why. Why are you comparing these two specific characters? You want to examine the two characters and the work they come from until you can complete the following statements: I am comparing these two characters in.
By Grace Fleming Updated December 15, 2014. At some point in your literature studies, probably just about the time you get really good at finding the theme of a novel and coming up with a sound analysis of a single literary piece, you will be required to compare two novels.Your first task in this assignment will be to develop a good profile of both novels. You can do this by making a few simple lists of traits that might be comparable. For each novel, identify a list of characters and their roles in the story or important characteristics, and any important struggles, time periods, or major symbols (like an element of nature).You may also attempt to come up with book themes that could be comparable. Sample themes would include:Man versus nature (is each main character battling the elements?)Individual versus society (does each main character feel like an outsider?)Struggle between good and evil (are your characters involved in good v. evil scenarios?)Coming of age (do main characters experience a tough lesson that makes them grow?) Note: Your assignment will most likely give you direction as to whether you should find specific characters, story characteristics, or overall themes to compare. If it is not that specific, don't worry! You actually have a little more leeway.Comparing Two Novel ThemesThe teacher's goal when assigning this paper is to encourage you to think and analyze. You no longer read for a surface understanding of what happens in a novel; you are reading to understand why things happen and what the deeper meaning is behind a character, a setting, or an event. In short, you are expected to come up with an interesting comparative analysis. As an example of comparing novel themes, we will look at The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Red Badge of Courage. Both of these novels contain a coming of age theme, since both have characters who grow a new.
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Many essay prompts require a comparison or contrast between two elements (e.g., two characters in a story, two different political theories, two different religious doctrines or scientific explanations, two different historical events, and so forth). Comparison essays tend to focus on similarities, while contrast essays focus on differences. Realistically, either type of essay will usually address both similarities and differences. The key principles to remember in a comparative essay are that you must: 1. Explain precisely what you are comparing 2. Narrow your focus and define what you are looking at and what you are not looking at 3. Keep the comparison alive throughout the essay The Thesis The thesis of a comparative essay can either state a preference for one of the two things being compared or make an interpretative assertion about the differences or similarities between the two. Organization Once the comparison and the basis of the argument have been defined, then you need to organize the sequence of paragraphs in the main body of the argument. In setting up the sequence of the paragraphs, you have some options, as follows: Keep the comparison alive in every paragraph, so that the argument discusses each half of the comparison in each paragraph. Alternate between the two subjects, point by point. State your entire argument for one side first, then consider the other side of the comparison. Here is a sample outline of a compare contrast essay. This article was adapted from the Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers, which is available from Everyday Education, LLC (Janice Campbell’s site). Like this:Like Loading. Related.