Compare and contrast
Order Description
Essay #2 – Compare and Contrast
Overview
Comparing and contrasting ideas in essay form is something you will do throughout your academic career. Many of you will have had some practice with this essay mode at
some point. Perhaps you have compared the works of two authors such as Toni Morrison and bell hooks, or maybe you have compared and contrasted two advertisements for
health foods. Many of you have had to argue a position in light of a current controversy such as same sex marriage, immigration, or universal health care. The engine
that makes many of these arguments fun is the comparing and contrasting of different points of view and usually different authors and articles that express such views.
So see our next assignment as a classic standard in academic writing and civic discourse. I hope you are excited to argue your ideas and interpretations in a logical
and measured way that involves considering the views of others.
The Assignment
In 1600-2100 words, compose an essay in which you compare and contrast the ideas in two of the following essays:
Barry, “Red, White, and Beer” (CR 452-453)
Frank, “Ad Absurdum” (.pdf in the Course Content section on Blackboard)
Gitlin, “Supersaturation, or, The Media Torrent and Disposable Feeling” (CR 463-469)
Goodlad, “Why We Love Mad Men” (CR 436-439)
King, “My Creature from the Black Lagoon” (CR 444-451)
Ross, Escape from Wonderland: Disney and the Female Imagination” (CR 471-483)
Sachs “A Nation of Vidiots” (CR 441-443)
Steinem, “Wonder Woman” (CR 455-462)
Warshow, “The Ganster as Tragic Hero” (CR 430-434)
(You may use up to four of these sources in your essay if you want.) Be sure to indicate in your thesis which author you feel has the more/most important ideas and
why. You should also include your own analysis and interpretation of the texts or phenomena discussed in the essays you choose.
Composing Advice 1
This essay requires that you read all the essays in Chapter 9 carefully. After considering all the essays, you must choose at least two to work with at length. To show
you the possibilities of this assignment, I’ll suggest the following parings as examples:
Frank/Goodlad – Mad Men
Both Frank and Goodlad attempt to explain the cultural significance of Mad Men, but they present decidedly different conclusions. You could compare and contrast their
views and explain why one argument is more compelling than the other. You could also watch and closely analyze a few episodes of Mad Men yourself and engage in the
critical conversation with Frank and Goodlad explaining your view of the cultural significance of the show. (If you’re not familiar with the show, you can get a decent
grounding in the first season by watching the following episodes, which are available on Netflix: 1:1 “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”; 1:3 “Marriage of Figaro”; 1:9 “Shoot”;
and 1:13 “The Wheel.”)
King/Warshow – Horror Films vs. Gangster Films
Both King and Warshow discuss the cultural significance of different film genres. Pairing these essays would give you the opportunity to include your ideas about the
significance of both the horror and gangster genres and could also give you the opportunity to compare these genres yourself. (Do horror and gangster movies both
depict monsters? What actual human fears are fictionalized/metaphorized in each?) On the other hand, this pairing could also give you the opportunity to offer your own
interpretations of some of the films mentioned by King or Warshow. Warshow mentions Scarface and King mentions a plethora of films, and you could add depth to your
essay by analyzing one or more of them on your own and contributing to the critical conversation. (You may be able to find some of them on Netflix or just online. For
example, you can find the original 1932 version of Scarface here: http://vimeo.com/38791303.)
Ross/Steinem – Depiction of Women
Ross and Steinem each describe very different depictions of women in different types of texts. You could compare how each of these writers is using her primary texts
to make an argument about gender. This pairing could also give you the opportunity to interpret their primary texts for yourself. Thus, you could analyze some Wonder
Woman comics (as Steinem does) or one or more of the Disney films that Ross mentions and contribute to the critical conversation about those texts.
While you may certainly use any of the above pairings, please do not feel limited to them. There are many creative ways that you can pair these essays.
Composing Advice 2
Next, read and annotate the essays carefully and compose a one or two page summary or “think sheet” on what you feel are the most important aspects of each essay.
Hopefully, you will be able to see at least three or four main ideas that each author offers as well as their similarities and differences. At this stage, you should
compose your outline, which should show a clear plan for each paragraph of the essay (and which I will be collecting). Try to distill each author’s major points to
paraphrases or use quotation to nail down specifics. You should also be thinking about which author/essay you find the most persuasive and reasons why you think so.
Start drafting your essay by introducing your overall topic—media and popular culture—and how you are seeing it take shape in the readings. You may briefly mention the
authors and titles of the essays here. Signpost your major ideas here and offer a thesis right away to guide your reader. Composing the body of your essay should
involve a comparing and contrasting of several shared ideas between the authors along with your views on the subjects they discuss. Finally, end your essay by
explaining which author does the overall best job of persuasion and why. What arguments does the author use that ultimately set her/him apart from the rest?
Source Use
Use at least two of the essays above and no more than four. Be sure to cite or paraphrase from each source to make things clear for the reader. Assume your reader has
not read the sources. Use MLA style when citing and paraphrasing. You may cite as many pertinent media sources (films, comic books, TV episodes) as you want, but
remember that you’ll also need works cited entries for these sources. (See Hacker 121-162 for guidance.)
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT 🙂