Thesis Cheats

Literary Comparative Analysis

Thesis Basics

• Theses can take many forms.• First determine the requirements of the

assignment.

P1 Requirements

Analyse, compare and contrast the following two texts. Include comments on the similarities and differences between the texts and the significance of context, audience, purpose and formal and stylistic features.

Pull It Apart

Analyse, compare and contrast the following two texts. Include comments on the similarities and differences between the texts and the significance of context, audience, purpose and formal and stylistic features.

Unloaded

StructuralTwo Texts

SimilaritiesDifferences Significance

SkillsAnalyse

CompareContrast

ContentContext

AudiencePurpose

Formal FeaturesStylistic Features

Know the Genres / Forms

• Fiction: myths, short stories, novels (romance, historical, gothic, science fiction, modernist)

• Poetry: sonnets, epics, free verse, odes, lyrics• Drama: tragedies, comedies• Nonfiction / creative nonfiction: breaking

news, editorials, reviews; memoirs, literary journalism, biographies

Know Your Topic

• Time to ask yourself, “WTFIB?”• Isolate the inferred IB topic that unifies the

two texts. For example:– Language and Power– Language and Gender– Language and Knowledge– Language and the Individual– Language and Communities

Remember that your IB topic can be honed…

• Language and Power can become a study of linguistic imperialism or propaganda.

• Language and Gender can become a study of inequality or constructions of masculine and feminine.

Remember that your IB topic can be honed…

• Language and Knowledge can become a study of technology and media.

• Language and the Individual can become a study of multilingualism or language and identity.

• Language and Communities can become a study in subculture or national identity.

A good thesis is specific, limited in scope and offers a perspective or

interpretation on a subject.

A literary thesis should be clear and focused, setting up an argument that the essay will support with discussion

and details from the work.

The Comparative Thesis

•Compare and contrast two texts.•There are two “paint-by-numbers” formats:

–Assert that text A and text B are very similar yet not so similar at all.

–Assert that text A and text B are very different yet not so different at all.

THE MAGIC WORDS ARE

“BOTH”

“HOWEVER”

“WHEREAS”

Assert that text A and text B are very different yet not so different at all.

Both Kafka and Orwell explore language and identity; however, Kafka’s exploration is steeped in Jewish folklore while Orwell draws on personal anecdotes.

Assert that Text A and Text B are very different yet not so different at all.

Whereas Sedaris creates a close and confidential relationship with readers in “Repeat After Me,” Pilkington’s omniscient perspective in Rabbit-Proof Fence lends readers space to consider the multifaceted nature of the issue; however, both creative nonfiction excerpts explore emotionally evocative stories that acknowledge the darker complications of ethical quandaries.

If you’re feeling brave…

…consider comparing and contrasting different audiences…

(Hint: This one could work better in a P2.)

Assert that audience A and audience B are very different

yet not so different at all.

Whereas a modern Existentialist might perceive elements of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as an exploration of self in flux, a Machiavel would focus on the play’s depiction of the Elizabethan caste system; however, both audiences would explore the ethical implications of perception and illusion.

Prepare the reader for your thesis

Here’s a couple tricks to unload and streaming…

… and it all has to do with framing a good introductory paragraph…

Frame of Reference

Start your introductory paragraph by introducing your IB topic.

No need to get into too much detail. Just assert what you know to be true.

Introduction to Texts

State the author’s full name, text title, form, vehicle, intended audience, purpose and message.

Rinse and repeat ;)

Grounds for Comparison

What will you be comparing and what will you be contrasting?

Look at the big five… hint hint hint.

THE THESIS ESTABLISHES THE FRAME FOR YOUR ESSAY…

Authors and Texts

Whereas Sedaris creates a close and confidential relationship with readers in “Repeat After Me,” Pilkington’s omniscient perspective in Rabbit-Proof Fence lends readers space to consider the multifaceted nature of the issue; however, both creative nonfiction excerpts explore emotionally evocative stories that acknowledge the darker complications of ethical quandaries.

Contrasting Tone and Mood: Explored with attention to intended audience, evidence and devices

Whereas Sedaris creates a close and confidential relationship with readers in “Repeat After Me,” Pilkington’s omniscient perspective in Rabbit-Proof Fence lends readers space to consider the multifaceted nature of the issue; however, both creative nonfiction excerpts explore emotionally evocative stories that acknowledge the darker complications of ethical quandaries.

Comparing Genre, Mood, Message: Explored with attention to intended

audience, structure, evidence and devices

Whereas Sedaris creates a close and confidential relationship with readers in “Repeat After Me,” Pilkington’s omniscient perspective in Rabbit-Proof Fence lends readers space to consider the multifaceted nature of the issue; however, both creative nonfiction excerpts explore emotionally evocative stories that acknowledge the darker complications of ethical quandaries.

Outline

I. IntroductionII. Sedaris: Tone and Mood (before shift)III. Pilkington: Tone and MoodIV. Sedaris and Pilkington: GenreV. Sedaris and Pilkington: Mood and MessageVI. Conclusion