1. Although we have provided a list of themes, you will need to narrow the theme to develop an angle of comparison/contrast. For example, one could discuss space in terms of the movement between or toward particular types of spaces, the sense of entrapment within space, or the vulnerability of safe spaces.
2. Effective comparison/contrast essays highlight how similarities and differences reveal something important about each film, the theme, or the genre. As you develop your essay, consider how each film unlocks the other. Ask yourself why it is important to examine these films together in relation to the theme.
3. Rather than offering a catalogue of your observations regarding the films similarities and differences, your essay should pose an argument about the significance of the connection. Your thesis should not simply state that films X and Y treat theme Z similarly and differently.
4. While you can organize your comparison/contrast essay in several ways, you should avoid discussing one film in full, then turning to the other. This format relegates the comparison/contrast to the second half of the paper. Instead, you can structure the first part of the body around similarities, moving from one film to the other, and the second part around differences, discussing each film in turn. You can also focus each paragraph on one similarity or difference, discussing examples from both films.
5. Although the comparison/contrast essay examines a large-scale theme, close textual analysis will serve as your main source of evidence. In supporting your argument, you will need to pay attention to how the films address the theme through narrative and cinematic techniques. Focus on specific shots or scenes and the cinematic codes at work in those shots or scenes.
6. You should not use outside sources to compose your essay. Focus on your interpretation of the scenes, although you may draw selectively from the CMS 272 course readings to support your argument if you deem that useful. If you quote, summarize, or paraphrase a course text, use MLA parenthetical format to cite your source and include a Works Cited list.
7. When describing a film’s plot or stylistic techniques, use present tense (for example,”the word appears on the door in dark-red blood,” or “the frame entraps the characters).
8. PROOFREAD. Unlike in-class exams, we will expect a carefully organized structure for your argument, as well as a polished writing style. Typos, grammatical errors, and other messy syntactical elements in the writing will be penalized.