The laughing man and For esme Comparison

For this paper you are going to make and analyze connections you see in “For Esme…” and “The Laughing Man.” The connections you find can

be related to an idea the text explores, a theme or main topic that both stories encompass, or a motif or recurring symbolic element/image

that spans the stories.

While this may seem like a typical comparison paper, it asks you to go a step further and engage in analysis. Here the comparison is the

method you use to reach a conclusion, not the conclusion itself. While you do need to consider how the elements of the two stories connect

or relate to each other, you must discuss how understanding this connection helps you and your readers understand both the stories and the

theme/image/idea better?

Some questions to consider as you think through the assignment:

Do you think Salinger is trying to work through similar ideas in both stories?
Does he do so in a similar way?
Do the characters have points in common across the stories?
How do you understand the stories or idea/theme/image better now that you have thought about it in this way?

For this paper you will be evaluated on the following criteria:

Thesis –Is it clear? Is it appropriate to the scope and substance of the paper?

Development – Do you fully explore and articulate your ideas? Are there gaps?

Structure – How does the paper move from idea to idea? Are there transitions within and between paragraphs? Is the paper well (logically)

organized?

Citations – are all the textual references accurate and correctly documented?