How to Write a Comparative Essay (Module A & Extension 1)

1Before you compare: themes, context, construction

Comparative essays are a staple of Advanced, Extension I English and throughout Year 7-10, and the rationale behind it makes sense – NESA wants to measure and test your understanding of abstract concepts and ideas across different texts and forms. A comparative essay in layman's terms is simply an essay which discusses two or more texts in regards to a common (or differing) element, which could involve themes, contextual influence or construction. You'll encounter these in Module A: Textual Conversations as well as in your elective for Extension I, but similar skills are potentially needed for your Literary Worlds and you'll even encounter a simplified version of it for short answer responses in Paper 1! As you can tell, this is a seriously handy skill to have.

I briefly mentioned three things earlier – themes, contextual influence and construction. Within an essay, you have to explore all three of these in some shape or form.

Themes are the most obvious. To borrow Mod A terminology, themes can either 'resonate' or be 'dissonant' between texts. A comparative essay would analyse how composers have understood these ideas, and the way they have been represented in their work. For example, for 'The Tempest' and 'Hag-Seed', you could discuss the concept of isolation. You would write that Shakespeare literally placed Prospero on a island far flung from Milan (physical isolation) whereas Atwood's protagonist is mentally isolated, being distant and mentally unstable from the rest of society after the death of his loved ones and a bitter betrayal. To see detailed notes of Tempest and Hagseed, click here.

Contextual influence — in both your Extension elective and Mod A, and any comparative you do in Year 7-10, this is SUPER important – the world and life of a composer will be reflected in a text through their artistic movement, social values and norms, cultural references and much more. No context is the same between creators, and by analysing them you can get a better understanding of their intent and logic behind the text. This is especially critical when evaluating themes, since different contexts will elucidate different responses. Take Keats' poetry and 'Bright Star' – not only were they made in different millenniums, but their movements, Romanticism and postmodernism respectively, have different objectives and agendas.

Construction could be form, but also style and craft. Different mediums will elicit different responses and their conventions will communicate different ideas more strongly. An obvious example would be that of 'Frankenstein' (to see full notes on Frankenstein, click here) and 'Metropolis'. In the former Shelley uses prose fiction to reminisce and remember, establishing this unsettling and moody atmosphere. Fritz, with his film on the other hand, makes strong use of visuals to express the tension and anxieties of his time.

When you're preparing to write an essay, keep those three in mind. Now that you've got that, how do we go about structuring it? The truth is that there is not one single way to write an essay. Comparatives only require you to discuss ideas between texts, and as such there is not a prescribed format you must use. However, remember that all texts should be given fair weighting! You don't want to end up with a response which is biased towards one text. Achieving a balanced comparative essay in Advanced and Extension I are two completely different beasts, and as such we should take a look at each subject separately. That being said, a commonality between the two is the way you write an introduction.

2Introducing the comparisons

In the intro, you'll not only need to introduce the texts and contextualise them, but also reveal your thesis, what it means, and how it's explored in each text. Use your best friend PEEL here – it will seriously help you reveal insights more coherently and strongly. Let's start with our opener. Here's an example of an opening from Mod A:

Between Mrs Dalloway (1925) and The Hours (2002), the texts discuss modernity's preoccupation of claiming individual choice.

Let's break this down: the texts – 'Mrs Dalloway' and 'The Hours' have been named. A year has been attached to each, and this gives markers a clue as to the disparate contexts between the texts. The thesis (an overarching argument) has been introduced also, that of "modernity's preoccupation to claim individual choice". Get used to making a theory about your texts – write about what you really think about these works. What themes or ideas do they present? What do they make you reconsider or discover? Do they teach you anything? Your personal response to literature is king here; be confident and make a statement! Just make sure it's backed up with evidence.

Now that the point has been made, we need to explain what it all means.

Though there are common themes, ideas and even characters, the disparities present between Virginia Woolf's novel and Stephen Daldry's film are far more revealing of fluctuating social values and changing attitudes. Aside from the difference in form, the contrasting perspectives of Woolf's Interwar, modernist England and Daldry's 2000s, postmodern America have caused this pair of texts to be shaped uniquely by their contexts and thus reveal conflicting, even competing, aspirations and anxieties, particularly those regarding modernity and mortality.

We address the question statement "the disparities … are far more revealing of fluctuating social values". Straight after you make your point you need to answer what the question's asking and relate that to your texts. That's revealed when we showed the comparison. This explainer mentioned "common themes, ideas and even characters", which depending on your question might be more important. However, since the question asked for dissonances, we established instead a divide between the two texts – "difference in form" and "contrasting perspectives".

If you hadn't already, name the authors and the forms. You could do it in your opening line, but here we've chosen to do so here with "Woolf's novel" and "Daldry's film". We also just showed the contexts – "Interwar, modernist England" and "2000s, postmodern America". In three words each, we have established a time period, a movement and a location. Be economical and straight to the point like this – you don't have much time in an exam to waffle on forever. We also honed into what the thesis means – how the texts reflect "competing, even conflicting aspirations and anxieties" towards "modernity and mortality". That second phrase of "modernity and mortality" reveals the key points, and what the body paragraphs will explore further. Depending on how you structure your essay, this might not be needed as your body paragraphs will be dedicated to different texts. But once again, we'll come back to this.

Now that the explanations have been exhausted, it's time to probe our texts, which are examples to sustain our thesis.

Dalloway, a seminal modernist text, saw choice as the greatest ideal which the modern world espoused, in that one's fate must be willed and not determined by proportion. A powerful dissonance arises when the novel is appropriated by The Hours, which took a more skeptical approach towards choice, viewing it simultaneously as liberating and as a parasitic obsession over individuality.

The central idea behind each text is shown. Dalloway "saw choice as the greatest ideal", while Hours "took a more sceptical approach… viewing it simultaneously as liberating and… parasitic". In doing so, in your introduction you can show how your texts affirm or diverge in beliefs. Finally, once you've given evidence it is time to link it all back to what you're writing for in the first place.

Though the resonance of modern people finding fulfilment and freedom from establishments remain, it is in the difference in values that audiences can contemplate upon their own context's impact on themselves, powerfully evident through the textual conversation between Dalloway and The Hours.

Breaking it down once again: note the use of rubric terms. Markers LOVE seeing this. Make sure you read up on the module rubric and identify what exactly you're supposed to be looking out for while analysing your texts. In this case, "resonance" and "textual conversation" here. We also talk about audience impact, a big part of HSC English. No essay is complete without evaluating the reception of a text by its readers or viewers. In this case, we discuss how "audiences can contemplate on their own context's impact on themselves". We get more references to the question and thesis in "difference in values" and "finding fulfilment and freedom" respectively. This is a must in your link.

Sounds straightforward, right? Notice how throughout this essay there's a constant back and forth between texts. This is a very simple way of making direct comparisons, and doing this will help you structure your ideas while also communicating clearly. And even though we're at the beginning, let's jump straight to the end! Conclusions are essentially the same in format as introductions, except they're conclusive. Go figure. Just look above for what elements to look out for, summarise and pull out all your evaluations.

Unfortunately, from here on out things are going to get messy. Depending on your texts and the number of texts, you might find yourself structuring your body paragraphs differently. So, time to split off and look at Advanced and Extension I!

3Module A: conversations about comparisons

No matter what question you'll be thrown, you will always have to look at TWO texts – the original and then its appropriation. Markers expect students to answer a question with equal weighting to each text, and as such you need to remember that the inspired text is just as powerful as its inspiration. Knowing that, there is one way you can approach your body paragraphs that will be a sure-fire hit with markers: Integration.

In this style of writing, you will discuss both texts in relation to a theme or idea. This generally tends to be the preferred style of writing, since it allows for comparisons to be drawn continually and consistently. It is also the way to go for Mod A since the whole point of the module is textual conversation. So, let's have a look at key lines from a paragraph in that Dalloway and Hours essay:

In order to present disparate conceptions of modernity, Woolf and Daldry manipulated their form with modernist and postmodernist praxis respectively, examining context to invoke contemplation within responders regarding the role of society in affecting personal experience.

And once again our body paragraphs follow a PEEL structure. The opening line establishes the explored theme, reference to context, and the intent. Get used to writing succinctly and bluntly – it will save you time in an exam!

Woolf pioneered stream of consciousness writing, eliminating the Victorian era's omnipresent narrator as to witness the intrusion of past memories and external stimuli within a world of boisterous flux.

Our little explanation pinpoints the form element and its significance. Following this in the paragraph, we get evidence from a quote early on in the novel, then the analysis. To wrap off this part we get:

As a result, Woolf alludes to a frantic, broken world which in the aftermath of the Great War feels a sense of loss and disillusionment.

A link is made between the evidence given and the theme, which help explore the thesis established in the introduction. From this insight we get a better understanding of what the composer was trying to communicate – to say to the audience.

Meanwhile, within The Hours Daldry and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey used postmodern disrupted chronology.

Our second text receives the same treatment as the first – the composer is named and we also learn about what form element we are focusing on.

Daldry was more concerned with examining modernity as an era, an epoch in history.

This explanation likewise shows the significance of this form element in relation to the theme.

By doing so, the very reason for these parallelled scenes becomes clear, revealing dissonances between peoples in the same era, and that there is no singular experience.

This insight is drawn after discussing scenes from the film. Another link is made between the theme and evidence.

The two texts clearly demonstrate disparities in tone; Woolf's modernity 'mis-en-scène' articulates a society bewildered by the brave new world they are living within, whereas Daldry is more retrospective, contemplating on the diversity of voices and, questioning the supposed experiential hegemony of the era. Evidently, the two texts have expressed dissonances in the way their composers perceive modernity.

And here is our grand link – we reach a conclusion, make a comparison and reframe what was discussed with regards to the question. The little insights and evaluations throughout the paragraph culminate here and reveal what was learnt from an analysis of the two texts.

You may have noticed a pattern in the paragraph, in that there were mirrors in analysis between the two texts. That's the powerful simplicity of the PEEL style, it's naturally conducive to comparative essays. Even though it was more like PEEEELEEEELL there still was a coherent and logical sequence of arguments and ideas, which is something you need to watch out for while writing. Your ideas need to lead to a conclusion. This 'mirrored' type of writing is handy when trying to discuss two texts.

Now for some general tips and advice for Mod A comparatives: Write either two OR four paragraphs. By that, I mean follow an AB AB or A B A B format, with either two chunky bodies or four smaller bite-sized analysis (preferably the latter). No matter which you choose you'll still end up discussing only two themes, with the only difference being whether the two texts are discussed in the same paragraph or not. Three ideas might be overkill in the space of 40 minutes and should be avoided unless your teacher prefers a 3 body paragraph integrated structure.

You can write two dedicated paragraphs which are dedicated to one text each, but it's risky. By segregating the two texts you run the danger of discussing them in isolation, which defeats the purpose of comparative essays and Mod A in general! If you decide to take this narrow and rocky path, make sure in your second paragraph that you keep making reference to the 'original' text and make your conclusion SUPER focused on drawing links between the pair. But once again, this is definitely not a recommended structure of writing.

4Comparing your elective world (Extension 1)

In Section II of your Extension I exam, you'll need two prescribed texts and between one to two related texts. The weighting of these texts vary on how many you choose. That being said all texts are relevant and should be treated as such. Unlike Mod A, in Extension English there is a little bit more freedom to play around with essay structure since the style of questions and the sort of analysis they expect from you is far more in-depth and abstract. So, let's quickly run over what kind of styles you can take:

Option A: Integration. Just like in Mod A, you would be discussing your prescribed and related text(s) in one paragraph. Extension I is the home of chunky paragraphs, so don't worry about having to split them up for different texts. Once again, just follow PEEL and you'll be alright. Your opening lines would have to establish the theme, two texts (because let's be real, you can't talk about three or four texts at the same time!), intent and significance. If you choose two do two related texts here, make sure you bring each one up only once throughout the essay. If you go over, you might end up giving it undue weight.

Option B: Isolation. In this subject, discussing the texts individually can and has worked. However if you choose to do this, make sure you've got a strong thesis and a core theme per text. Take for example this essay from Worlds of Upheaval. Keep an eye out for the thesis, which was that "individuals in confused societies are swept away by revolution". The paragraphs opened with the following:

Those caught in confusion are denied self-expression as part of a monolithic politic, breeding uncertainty and injustice. An organisation of this nature inevitably becomes dogmatic and demands more of individuals. This, the great insanity of ideology, is responsible for creating a toxic public sphere. One representation of the political paradigm would be Marxism in Metropolis, which unwaveringly condemns it.

Though the uncertainty and injustice of confusion is universal, literary conceptions of Revolution are mixed, contingent from varied political affiliations between composers. Frankenstein is critical of Enlightenment and Romantic inclinations to deify mankind, implicating that confusion and revolution are one and the same — even if the two conflicting ideologies are antithesis to each other.

Against the poles of establishment and insurrection, the individual finds themselves driven towards action and reaction towards their context's upheaval. Hashino in Persona 5 uses protagonist Ren Amamiya as the player's means of embracing revolution within Confucian, hierarchical and hyper-capitalistic Japan.

Let's annotate these: each paragraph centred on a different thesis element, text and context. Using the first as an example, "confused society" is the focus for Metropolis, and a quick aside about Marxism in Weimar Germany is made. We also get an unfolding argument, that is, we compare texts by looking at how they recieve, or judge, the thesis. The second paragraph shows Shelley finds that "confusion and revolution are one and the same", whereas Hashino in his video game wants players to "embrace revolution". That shows that central themes are understood and reacted to differently in different contexts – the whole reason as to why you're writing a comparative to begin with! And how interesting that we only use one related text. If you choose to write texts in isolation, stick to one. You might have an hour to write an essay, but the level of substance and depth expected in an Extension essay is considerably more than that in Advanced. If you want to hit an E4, keep to three paragraphs. Any more than that would really strain you during the exam.

You might be wondering why you can write in depth about a related text when writing in isolation, but need to be sparse when writing integrated. In integrated paragraphs, you can afford to bring up two related texts. A format of AC BD AB works since if you rearrange these components (AA BB CD) you still get two paragraphs about prescribed texts and one with a related. Four isolated comparative paragraphs of AA BB CC DD are not only a waste of your precious exam time, but throw focus away from the prescribed texts – the balance of analysis is thrown off. So just remember this lesson: one in isolation, one or two get integrated. That being said, don't do two unless you're forced to or you're super keen. One will get the job done!

5Comparative writing shows up everywhere

We've been focusing on Mod A and the Extension elective, but they're not the only places you'll find comparative essay writing. You might be reading this as a Year 10 or 11 student and have absolutely no idea what a related text is. Don't sweat! You could be asked to pick two or three texts and analyse them – so pick between integrated or isolated writing based on the question and what you're comfortable with. Don't forget the important stuff – context, themes, intent. They are the fundamentals. If you integrate, pick a theme per paragraph and discuss two texts. If you isolate, dedicate a paragraph per text and how they respond to the question, or statement, or thesis.

If you're a Year 12 student, you might find yourself writing comparative essays in unexpected places. You will write extremely short versions of these for Texts and Human Experiences during Section I of Paper I. To see a full guide for this, click here. Many questions in past exams focused on how two texts explored a central emotion or experience – this is just another theme! Follow the integrated structure. Meanwhile, a critical response might be asked of you for Literary Worlds and you could be given multiple excerpts to analyse — see our guide to constructing a critical response for more on that. Once again, choose between the two options based on suitability and personal preference. And when you compare, pay attention to literary theory and criticism – use what you've learnt in class to inform your discussion.

And that wraps it up! Comparative essays are a versatile and stylish way to investigate different texts – and they are key to success in the HSC. However, this is not a skill you can perfect overnight. And this is where our tutors step in! Even from Year 7, our english tutors go through comparative studies between texts commonly studied in school (eg Shakespeare) and comprehension exam papers with sample answers for comparative mini-essays, so that students are prepared for any comparative study assessment they face during high school.

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