Name_____________________________
Pd. ___________
War
TASK: Write a five paragraph essay comparing and/or contrasting the themes of the short
stories “The War Prayer” by Mark Twain and “War” by Luigi Pirandello. You may use ideas
from Bob Dylan’s song “The Times They Are A-Changin’”, Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem
“The Charge of the Light Brigade,” or David Sable’s blog “Who Wins Wars?” Be sure to cite
evidence from the text and use correct MLA format.
Steps for completing your essay
1. R.A.F.T.S. the prompt.
2. Determine the theme of the two stories. Are they two separate themes or do they
share similar themes? Will you be comparing the themes to show how they are
similar or contrasting them to highlight their differences? Perhaps you will do both?
3. Write your thesis statement based on the idea of the similarity and/or difference in
theme.
4. Fill out the War Theme Chart to identify elements you might use to compare and/or
contrast the themes of the two stories. Add your own original elements to the list to
really impress me!
5. Choose the three elements you feel contribute most to developing the stories’ themes.
Use these elements to create your blueprint.
6. Create a formal outline for your argumentative essay.
7. Use your formal outline to write a rough draft of your essay. Be sure to include the
following:
a. an introductory paragraph complete with attention grabber, background
information, blueprint, and thesis/claim statement
b. three body paragraphs that support your thesis/claim and contain MLA cited
evidence from the two short stories and associated readings
c. counterclaims/concessions and rebuttals
d. a concluding paragraph
e. well-chosen transitions between and within paragraphs
f. correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar
8. Use the compare/contrast essay student checklist to aid in the revision and editing of
your essay.
9. Follow the correct MLA final draft format to write the final draft of your essay.
Steps for revising my draft
___ Step 1
BOX the first word of every sentence. If there are more than two of the same
words, CHANGE the way the sentence begins.
___ Step 2
UNDERLINE all TO BE verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been). Count
how many you have and change half to a better verb choice. This may mean
you will have to reword an entire sentence.
___ Step 3
Make sure all verbs are written in present tense.
___ Step 4
BRACKET all of the TRANSITION words and phrases. Make sure they are not
formulaic. Transitions should sound natural. Be sure there is a transition for
ever topic sentence, quote, paraphrase, and example. Refer to your transition
list in your notebook.
___ Step 5
Circle all uses of YOU, ME, I WE, and MY. If it is not being used in the
attention grabber, a personal experience example, or the call to action, IT
MUST BE DELETED AND REWORDED.
___ Step 6
HIGHLIGHT all citations introducing quoted or paraphrased evidence including
the parenthetical citation at the end of a sentence. Make sure the title is
directly stated in the text before it is used in a parenthetical citation.
___ Step 7
CROSS OUT all dead words (THING, STUFF, GOOD, BAD, FUN, etc.) and
use a thesaurus to find more appropriate and specific wording.
___ Step 8
Add ELABAORATION for each example.
___ Step 9
Add a correct MLA HEADING to the top of your paper.
___ Step 10 WORKS CITED is required.
___ Step 11 Proofread and edit for all CONVENTIONS errors! (Capitalization,
spelling, punctuation, usage, etc.) If you type your final draft, USE
SPELL CHECK!
*REMEMBER! Revisions don’t do any good if you don’t include them in your FINAL
DRAFT!