Author: wvenus
Last saved by: Venus, Wesley
Company: Gordon College

Compare/Contrast Essay Requirements
Directions: For the Compare/Contrast Essay, you will choose from one of the topics listed below and write a 1,000-word essay that responds fully to the guidelines provided. Students with any further questions should please ask in class during designated times and direct any specific questions to the teacher via email at wvenus@gordonstate.edu.
This essay is due, printed out and stapled, at the beginning of class on Wednesday, November 2. In writing these essays, be mindful of the elements of compare and contrast that we discuss in class, from the beginning of the semester until the due date.
The first four topics are taken from our discussion on what Bess Lovejoy calls “The Great Clown Scare of 2016”:
1.	One common circumstance where compare/contrast arises is in paradox. For example, how can a clown be both scary and funny at the same time?
2.	Why is this happening to us now? Why clowns, of all things? While there are several possible manifestations of what Bess Lovejoy calls the “phantom attacker,” why clowns specifically?
3.	What’s the difference (if any) between the “jester” and the “clown”? Are their cultural functions different?
4.	In what way is the “clown lives matter” protest a tasteful (or untasteful) concept, given its antecedent, the Black Lives Matter movement? Does it trivialize the significance of the BLM movement? Could it be a useful or insightful comparison? 
The rest are more generalized:
5.	Often, there is more than one way to do something, anything, and no answer immediately emerges as the “correct” or even the “best” one. Think of a circumstance like that and write an essay explaining why your favored solution really is the best one.
Advice: For this one, it will be best for you to remember that you’re looking for a solution that isn’t best in an obvious way. You’re presenting a case more for something that is “strongly preferable” than “best.”
6.	What is a comparison that people very commonly make, but you consider it to be a poor one? Write an essay explaining it and explaining why it’s a poor comparison.
7.	What is a contrast people commonly make, likely between two things that on the surface really do seem to be not at all alike? Write an essay explaining this contrast and why you believe the assumption of contrast oversimplifies the two.
8.	What is a remake of a film (or of whatever) you have seen? What are the significant differences between the remake and the original?
9.	As an extension of Topic #8, what is a “re-“ anything that you can think of? For example, a remix, recasting, a re- anything. Pick one, and write an essay explaining the important differences.
10.	Pick a remake that has been done at least twenty years after the original and write an essay explaining how the differences in our society are reflected in the differences in the two examples.
More Advice: It’d be a good idea generally, for any of these seven questions, to avoid statements of this kind in your essay: “There is more than one way to do this, but really it comes down to personal preference.” Remember, this essay is meant to be persuasive in one way or another, so you want to be taking a definite stand.

Minimum Assignment Requirements: Your essay should answer the topic question carefully and fully; be careful not to exclude any part of it or answer it differently than it is asking you to answer it. Your essay should also have a thesis statement near the end of the introductory paragraph. (See “Special Assignment Requirements” below for more on thesis statements.) It should also be based entirely upon your own observations. There should be no evidence of research done in the writing of this essay beyond your own observations and impressions. You cannot expect a grade better than a D if you do not meet these minimum requirements.
Special Assignment Requirements: Below there are listed each of this assignment’s special requirements, along with their numbers and the points deducted for each requirement not met. Requirements 1-4 are MLA format requirements, so you should remember to find and use “Pre-formatted MLA Template” on your teacher’s faculty web page for a tutorial and aid on formatting an essay in MLA style.
1)	Every line is double-spaced (-1 point)
2)	It begins with a properly formatted MLA heading (-2 points)
3)	There are properly formatted MLA headers on each page (-2 points)
4)	It has a title (-1 point)
5)	It is stapled (-1 point)
There are also opportunities with this assignment to gain points. They are in this case connected to the thesis statement. Beyond being present and at the end of your introductory paragraph, your thesis statement will gain you points for each of the following characteristics:
6)	It has no usage of second person (“you”), stated or implied in the form of a question (+2 points)
7)	It is underlined (+1 point)
8)	It can be read as a one-sentence, clear answer to the selected topic question (+2 point)