What common representations do the symbols share?

Chicana/o Literature
The Comparative Analysis Essay

Introduction
A Comparative Analysis Essay takes two literary works and compares the two in order to arrive at some conclusion about a larger idea. Many times the essay points to larger themes that the two works share. By exposing these themes, we can get a better understanding of how the literature reflects that communitys values. One might compare two post-colonial stories, for example, in order to determine the effects of colonization on a given culture. Or a comparison between two central characters might attempt to arrive at a determination in regards to human nature.

The Assignment
You will write a Comparison/Contrast essay based on any of the given stories/novels/plays that have been read in class. Your essay must be 4 pages long and must cite the particular stories/novels. You will be required to directly quote from each piece at least four times. Use proper MLA format for your citations. Aside from this your essay should follow the same format as the previous one (1 margins, double-spaced, 12 point font). Also use the same heading as the previous essay.

Strategies to Help Organize Your Essay
The following strategies might be useful in helping you to prepare for your essay. Focus on one particular strategy and try to organize your essay around it:

Comparison of two major characters:
Focus on two particular characters that share common traits or characteristics. How does each of these characters deal with the conflicts he/she must face? Describe each of their traits by focusing on and identifying similar actions within the text. Identify major differences between each character and determine what those differences reveal. For example, both Antonio (Bless Me Ultima) and the narrator of Y No Se Lo Trago La Tierra question concepts of good and evil yet they come to question these concepts in different ways. An essay may focus on how these questions seem to illicit a different reaction from each of these characters in regards to their outlook on the future.

Comparison of symbolism within two different stories:
Choose two stories rich in symbolism. Analyze the symbols in each of the stories by identifying key moments where they make in an impact. What common representations do the symbols share? What does each symbol say about those things they are representing? For example: Both The Cactus Flower and Bless Me Ultima are rich with symbolisms that represent the inherent strength of nature. An essay might focus on how the symbols represent this strength.

Comparison of two works from the same period/style
Choose two stories/novels that each represent a particular literary movement/style (i.e. Modernism, Post-Colonialism, the Bildungsroman, the Anti-Hero) and focus on how each of the texts presents this style. For example: One might write a paper about The House on Mango Street and Y No Se Lo Trago La Tierra focusing on their use of the bildungsroman. How does each character confront her/his adolescence? How does the characters perspective of her/his world change?

So youre going to use the book Bless Me Ultima, and the reading in the attachments called the Moths by Helena Maria Viramontes.

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