AS ENGLISH LITERATURE
2000 WORD COMPARATIVE ESSAY
A 2000 WORD SUGGESTED COMPARATIVE ESSAY PARAGRAPH
Here is a paragraph I’ve written that might be part of an essay on Rites of Passage or Coming of Age.
I imagine I would have established in the essay already the idea of innocence being an important factor or phase in the process of rites of passage
A title might be Compare the presentation of the theme of rites of passage in Spies and Equus.
FEATURE
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EXAMPLE
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General topic sentence – both texts
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One key aspect of innocence in the main characters of Spies and Equus is their ignorance about the adult world.
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Topic sentence – text 1
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Expand on topic – text 1
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One example of this in Spies is where Stephen does not know what the word ‘privet’ means
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Introduce quotation – text 1
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In chapter 5 Stephen is alone in the lookout confronted by Barbara who challenges Stephen and Keith’s activities. At one point she says
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Quote – text 1
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‘You mean you don’t know what privet means?’
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General comment – text 1
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Stephen is embarrassed and humiliated that Barbara knows something he does not and pretends to her that he does. And Barbara seems to enjoy Stephen’s discomfort.
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Contextual point – text 1
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Knowing things and not knowing things has been an important way of telling if you are a child or an adult. Perhaps this is emphasised further during a time of war. Where knowledge can be a matter of life or death.
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Comparative comment / topic sentence both texts
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However in Equus childhood ignorance is presented very differently than in Spies. In Spies it’s something to be ashamed of and to feel defensive about. But in Equus ignorance is just a straightforward fact of life.
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Expand on topic – text 2
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Introduce quotation – text 2
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For example in Act two scene twenty eight Jill invites Alan to go out on a date. She suggests they go and see a sex film. She says
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Quote – text 2
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‘There’s a skinflick over in Winchester! I’ve never seen one have you?’
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General comment – text 2
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Jill is confident in her ignorance and admits this very easily to Alan. And this enables Alan to be honest about his ignorance about the subject. He replies ‘No’.
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Contextual point – text 2
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Despite the sexual revolution of the 1960’s, when this play was first performed in the 1970’s, sex was still an awkward and difficult subject to discuss and this open declaration may have shocking.
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Comparative comment – both texts
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Ignorance of the world is used as a weapon in Spies. It makes Stephen feel inferior and inadequate. But in Equus Jill and Alan’s shared ignorance is a way of bringing them closer together. It’s a normal part of growing up.
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One key aspect of innocence in the main characters of Spies and Equus is their ignorance about the adult world. One example of this in Spies is where Stephen does not know what the word ‘privet’ means In chapter 5 Stephen is alone in the lookout confronted by Barbara who challenges and questions Stephen and Keith’s activities. At one point she says, ‘You mean you don’t know what privet means?’ Stephen is embarrassed and humiliated that Barbara knows something he does not and pretends to her that he does. And Barbara seems to enjoy Stephen’s discomfort. Knowing things and not knowing things has been an important way of telling if you are a child or an adult. Perhaps this is emphasised further during a time of war, where knowledge can be a matter of life or death. However in Equus childhood ignorance is presented very differently than in Spies. In Spies it’s something to be ashamed of and to feel defensive about. But in Equus ignorance is just a straightforward fact of life. For example in Act two scene twenty eight Jill invites Alan to go out on a date. She suggests they go and see a sex film. She says, ‘There’s a skinflick over in Winchester! I’ve never seen one have you?’ Jill is confident in her ignorance and admits this very easily to Alan. And this enables Alan to be honest about his ignorance about the subject. Despite the sexual revolution of the 1960’s, when this play was first performed in the 1970’s, sex was still an awkward and difficult subject to discuss. Ignorance of the world is used as a weapon in Spies. It makes Stephen feel inferior and inadequate. But in Equus Jill and Alan’s shared ignorance is a way of bringing them closer together. It’s a normal part of growing up.
316 words including quotations
In this paragraph I’ve not inserted a topic sentence for text 1 or expanded on the topic in text 2. I think you need to be flexible in your approach to paragraphs. Use what is relevant and useful in your paragraphs.
Please note that there is no close literary analysis in this paragraph. The comments show how the topic is presented and show how they are comparative.
Also note that you will not be expected to write contextual points in every paragraph. You will have paragraphs where there will be no contextual points made at all. You might have a paragraph that contains just one contextual point about one text.
