Topic 2

English 102 
Keith O'Neill 
Spring 2020

Essay #2 - Short Story Comparison/Analysis

Instructions: Write a 3-5 page, typed, double-spaced essay that includes an introduction with a thesis statement, body paragraphs with supporting quotations, and a conclusion. Format your paper according to the MLA standards outlined in class. NOTE: Please include a “Works Cited” page with this paper.

Take any two stories we’ve read and write a comparison of their themes. Show first how the stories are similar in interesting ways by pointing to parallels in characters, plot, etc., and then show how the stories are different. If successful, the contrast between the two should allow us to see both stories a bit more clearly. Some possibilities:

• Common themes in the two stories by O'Connor
• The Old South vs. New South
• Characters with obsessive control issues
• Misfits and/or outsiders
• Gender
• Race
• Identity--essential to one's nature or a construct of society?

THIS PAPER IS DUE Tuesday, March 3.