English II
Unit Two: Short Stories, Compare and Contrast Essay
Objective: Students will a compare and contrast essay, in which they organize complex ideas, make
important connections, develop the topic with quotations, use appropriate transitions, use domainspecific vocabulary, and maintain a formal, objective tone.
Writing Prompt
In There Will Come Soft Rains and By the Waters of Babylon, both Bradbury and Benet seem to be
making a commentary about mans’ use of technology and his eventual demise. Choose three specific
ideas presented within both pieces to compare and contrast and create a comparison/contrast chart
like the one below:
(Note: I have started the process for you.)
Ideas to be
compared
There Will Come Soft Rains
By the Waters of Babylon
Idea 1 :
State opinion:
State Opinion:
Mans’ role in the
future of the earth.
Man no longer has a role. He has in
effect annihilated himself.
Man exists but has been relegated to
his most primitive state.
Text support:
Idea 2:
Text Support:
On page 88 Bradbury draws a metaphor
that illustrates the problem: “The
house was an alter with ten thousand
attendants, big, small, servicing,
attending in choirs. But the gods had
gone away, and the ritual of the religion
continued senselessly, uselessly.”
On page 44 Benet uses irony to show
just how primitive the society in
which the main characters lives is:
“We are not ignorant like the Forest
People- our women spin wool on the
wheel…We do not eat grubs from the
tree…”
State 0pinion:
State Opinion:
The Use of
Bradbury tries to show us that “
Technology in both technological advancement does not
stories
guarantee social progress.”
Text Support:
Idea 3:
Text Support:
State Opinion:
State Opinion:
Text Support
Text Support
Tasks:
1. Create a chart like the one on the first page. Idea one is completely finished for you. For idea
two, part of the idea is completed for you. You will come up with the third idea. (30 points)
2. 5 paragraph analysis essay. (100 points)
A. Intro paragraph
a. Thesis statement (completed for you)
B. 3 body paragraphs
a. At least 3 quotations, one in each paragraph. (Include author name and page
numbers for quotations)
b. Transitions
C. Conclusion
3. Two Peer edit sheets (10 points each)
Anatomy of an Essay:
How to begin an analysis essay:


Analysis essay Introductions should always give the title of the story along with a short
summary of events.
Example Introduction:
“There Will Come Soft Rains”, written by Ray Bradbury, details a day in the life of an
automated, futuristic home while Stephen Vincent Benet’s “By the Waters of Babylon” takes us
on the rite of passage journey of John, a little boy who gains knowledge and becomes a man.
Although both short stories seem dissimilar, both send a clear message that…
Thesis Statement: When writing an analysis essay, instead of writing a three pronged thesis
statement, the thesis statement should always be one broad statement directly related to the
underlying message of the story. Here is a thesis statement that we will be using for your
first analysis essay: Unless mankind makes wise decisions, we could destroy society as
we know it.
I.
II.
III.
Introductory Paragraph…..with thesis statement at the end of the paragraph.
Body Paragraph(s): First sentence should be topic sentence and or opinion. The rest of
the paragraph(s) should be textual reference and summary. (The body can be 1, 2, 3, or
more paragraphs. The length will depend on the writing chart.
The concluding paragraph should be a restatement of thesis (parallel structure) It does
not have to be restated word for word. The last sentence should be a general statement and
wrap up of paper.
“There Will Come Soft Rains” and “By the Waters of Babylon”
CATEGORY
Name: __________________
20
15
10
The paper compares
and contrasts stories
clearly, but the
supporting
information is
incomplete, or only
two ideas are
discussed. The paper
may include
information that is not
relevant to the
comparison.
The paper breaks the
information into
whole-to-whole,
similarities -todifferences, or pointby-point
structure, but some
information is in the
wrong section. Some
details are not in a
logical or expected
order, and this
distracts the reader.
5
Purpose &
Supporting Details
The paper compares
and contrasts stories
clearly. There are at
least 3 different ideas
discussed, and the
paper points to
specific examples to
illustrate. The paper
includes only
information relevant
to the comparison.
The paper compares
and contrasts stories
clearly, but the
supporting
information is
general. The paper
includes only the
information relevant
to the comparison.
Organization &
Structure
The paper breaks the
information into
whole-to-whole,
similarities-todifferences, or pointby-point structure. It
follows a consistent
order when
discussing the
comparison.
The paper breaks the
information into
whole-to-whole,
similarities to-differences, or
point-by-point
structure but
does not follow a
consistent order
when discussing the
comparison.
Transitions
The paper moves
smoothly from one
idea to the next. The
paper uses
comparison and
contrast transition
words to show
relationships between
ideas. The paper
uses a variety of
sentence structures
and transitions.
The paper moves
from one idea to the
next, but there is little
variety. The paper
uses comparison and
contrast transition
words to show
relationships between
ideas.
Some transitions
work well; but
connections
between other ideas
are fuzzy.
The transitions
between ideas are
unclear or
nonexistent.
Grammar &
Spelling
(Conventions)
Writer makes no
errors in grammar or
spelling that distract
the reader
from the content.
Writer makes 1-2
errors in grammar or
spelling that distract
the reader from the
content.
Writer makes 3-4
errors in grammar or
spelling that distract
the reader from the
content.
Writer makes more
than 4 errors in
grammar or spelling
that distract the
reader
from the content.
Introduction &
Conclusion
The paper’s
introduction grabs the
reader’s attention,
introduces the
stories/authors, and
has a thesis
statement. The
conclusion sums up
the paper without
exactly repeating the
thesis statement.
The paper’s
introduction
introduces the
stories/authors, and
has a thesis
statement. The
conclusion sums up
the paper without
repeating the thesis
statement word for
word.
The paper’s
introduction
introduces the
stories/authors, and
has a thesis
statement. The
conclusion sums up
the paper but
restates the thesis
statement.
The paper’s
introduction does not
introduce
authors/stories, or
does not have a
thesis statement. The
conclusion does not
accurately sum up
the paper.
The paper compares
and contrasts, but
does not include
both. There is no
supporting
information or
support is
incomplete.
Many details are not
in a logical or
expected order.
There is little sense
that the writing is
organized.