Compare Contrast Guided Drafts WS: Intro Come up with Thesis Lesson

To brainstorm a thesis, it can help to ask yourself guiding questions about what you noticed when comparing the texts. Here are some examples:

What themes or central ideas do the two texts have in common?

Thesis

In “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez and “Hello, My Name Is _____” by Jason Kim, the authors’ struggles with their names reflect the difficulty of adapting to life in a new country.

Here, the question prompted a thesis about how the authors approach a similar theme—the challenge of moving to a new country.

Examples of themes:

overcoming tragedy
fear of the unknown
the dangers of technology
what it means to be a hero
the struggles of growing up

Do the authors communicate their ideas in similar or different ways?

Thesis

Although Steinberg and Klugman take different tones in their op-eds, they both rely on similar types of evidence to persuade their readers that the voting age in the United States should be lowered.

In this case, the question prompted the writer to consider how both authors use similar types of evidence, even though they express their arguments differently.

Strategies to look for:

descriptive language
evidence
emotionally charged words
rhetorical questions
figurative language

What unique or surprising difference between the texts stands out?

Thesis

Both Henry and Maupassant’s short stories are about married couples who make significant sacrifices, but Henry’s main characters are motivated by love, while Maupassant’s are driven by pride.

This question prompted the writer to notice that the plots of these stories are similar, but the main characters have entirely different motives for their actions.

Areas where similar texts can show interesting differences:

author’s purpose
author’s tone
text structure
narrator’s point of view
how characters are developed

Alvarez, Julia. “Names/Nombres.” Glencoe Literature: Reading with Purpose, Course Two, McGraw-Hill Education, 2006, pp. 786‚Äì791. Originally published in Nuestro, Mar. 1985.
Henry, O. “The Gift of the Magi.” Project Gutenberg, Jan. 2005, gutenberg.org/files/7256/7256-h/7256-h.htm.
Kim, Jason. “Hello, My Name Is ___.” Lenny Letter, 8 Feb. 2017, lennyletter.com/story/hello-my-name-is-.
Klugman, Brandon. “Is Lowering the Voting Age from 18 to 16 a Good Idea? Yes.” Bucks County Courier Times, 26 Apr. 2019, buckscountycouriertimes.com/opinion/20190428/op-ed-is-lowering-voting-age-from-18-to-16-good-idea-yes.
Maupassant, Guy. “The Diamond Necklace.” Original Short Stories, Volume 4. Project Gutenberg, 16 Aug. 2006, gutenberg.org/files/3080/3080-h/3080-h.htm#link2H_4_0012.
Steinberg, Laurence. “Why We Should Lower the Voting Age to 16.” The New York Times, 2 Mar. 2018, nytimes.com/2018/03/02/opinion/sunday/voting-age-school-shootings.html.