Writing Focus - Comparison and Contrast Essay

You probably compare many different things in your life. Two things you probably compare and contrast are music and clothing. You and your friends might discuss types of clothing or genres of music. Comparing things that you like is easy because it is based on your opinion. How do you compare two pieces of literature? Writing an effective essay that compares and contrasts two pieces of literature is actually done effectively two different ways. Before you begin to compare and contrast, you must ensure that the literature that you choose can be compared and that it can provide the opportunity to go beyond the surface of both works. You must be able to provide significant and meaningful insight on the topics being discussed.  In order to produce a solid and quality comparison and contrast essay, you must plan your ideas as well as figure out how you will structure your essay.

The following presentation will show you two different ways to structure a comparison and contrast essay, but first you must become familiar with poems by Emily Dickinson and Dahlia Ravikovitch. While you are analyzing the poems, try to find similarities and differences between the two literary works.

Writing a Compare and Constrast Essay

Did you find obvious similarities and differences between the two poems? Were you able to easily analyze the two poems? In this interactivity, you will learn how to properly construct two different styles of comparison and contrast essays, while also analyzing the two poems you just read. Click the player button to get started.

View a printable version of this interactivity.

 

Writing a Compare and Contrast Essay Review

Now that you have learned how to effectively organize and write and comparison essay, check your knowledge. In this non-graded activity, fill in the blank of each statement with the correct term from the drop-down menu. Read each statement and use the drop-down menu to select the appropriate answer. Then, click SUBMIT. Click the player button to get started.

 

 

Exploring Idioms

As you learned in the previous topics, an idiom is a commonly used expression that cannot be taken literally.  For example, many individuals use the phrase “it is raining cats and dogs” to describe a heavy rainfall.  You know that cats and dogs are not literally falling from the sky; however, in using this idiom, you are able to express how hard it is actually raining.  In the following activity, you will create a chart like the one shown below. Then, you are to read the idioms provided on the left in the chart, and explain what they actually mean in the column provided on the right.

Idiom	Explanation
At the eleventh hour
Beat around the bush
Bent out of shape
Icing on the cake
Bite off more than one can chew

Example

Idiom	Explanation
It's all Greek to me	This idiom means that the content of what is being discussed is too difficult to understand. Greek is a difficult language to learn and not many people speak Greek.

Once you have completed your idiom explanations, please submit it to the dropbox.