Final Paper

Write an eight- to ten-page paper, in which you compare and contrast two literary works from this course that share the same theme (using the “Themes & Corresponding Works” list, below, as a guide).  

The paper should be organized around your thesis (argument), which is the main point of the entire essay. When developing a thesis for a comparative paper, consider how a comparison of the works provides deeper insight into the topic of your paper (i.e., think about why you have chosen to look at these particular works in relation to one another). In your analysis, consider the relationships among the following elements:

• Content
• Form (e.g., short story vs. poem)
• Style

Assignment Requirements

• Topic: Must address one of the topics in the guidelines
• Length: Your draft should be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length (excluding title and reference page)
• Sources: Utilize at least six scholarly sources to support your thesis (including the course text and at least two sources from the Ashford Online Library).
• APA: Your draft must be formatted to APA (6th edition) style.
  • Separate Title Page: Must include an original title
  • Separate Reference Page
  • Proper Citations: All sources must be properly cited, both within the text and in a separate reference page.
• Elements of Academic Writing:  All academic papers should include these elements.
  • Introduction with a thesis statement
  • Supporting paragraphs
  • Conclusion

Themes & Corresponding Works
Choose only two of the works within your selected theme.

• Race / Ethnicity
  • Country Lovers (Gordimer)
  • The Welcome Table (Walker)
  • What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl (Smith)
  • Child of the Americas (Morales)
• Gender Roles / Marriage
  • The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Thurber)
  • The Story of an Hour (Chopin)
  • The Necklace (de Mauppassant)
  • The Proposal (Chekhov)
  • Country Lovers (Gordimer)
• Creativity / The Creative Process
  • Poetry (Neruda)
  • Constantly Risking Absurdity (Ferlinghetti)
  • You, Reader (Collins)
• Death and Impermanence
  • Dog’s Death (Updike)
  • I Used to Live Here Once (Rhys)
  • A Father’s Story (Dubus)
  • Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night (Thomas)
  • Nothing Gold Can Stay (Frost)
  • In Memoriam (Tennyson)
  • Because I Could Not Stop for Death (Dickinson)
• Nature
  • Wild Geese (Oliver)
  • Dover Beach (Arnold)
  • The Oak (Tennyson)
  • The Road Not Taken (Frost)
• Symbolism of the Journey
  • The Road Not Taken (Frost)
  • A Worn Path (Welty)
  • I Used to Live Here Once (Rhys)

APA samples and tutorials are available to you in the Ashford Writing Center, located in the left navigation bar.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.