I need help writing my thesis statement for a compare/contrast essay on "A Jurry of Her Peers" and "Hills Like White Elephants". I have to compare/contrast the subject and the male v. female relationships.
"A Jurry of Her Peers" and "Hills Like White Elephants", compare/contrast essay
It is sometimes hard to come up with a thesis statement for a compare/contrast essay, because the thesis statement has to say something about both things. I usually try to write a thesis argument about something I observe in the relationship between the two.
You are comparing the aspect of the authors' themes that is associated with male/female relationships.
google this: Compare contrast alternating opposing.
Choose a style, either alternating or opposing.
Then, do some reading. It is like a scavenger hunt. Find interesting scenes that show male/female relationships, and write about what the author "shows."
google this:
Hills Like White Elephants themes analysis
A Jurry of Her Peers themes analysis
This will get you started. Get sme ideas, and do some writing. Enjoy it!! Writing is like a good conversation.
:-)
You are comparing the aspect of the authors' themes that is associated with male/female relationships.
google this: Compare contrast alternating opposing.
Choose a style, either alternating or opposing.
Then, do some reading. It is like a scavenger hunt. Find interesting scenes that show male/female relationships, and write about what the author "shows."
google this:
Hills Like White Elephants themes analysis
A Jurry of Her Peers themes analysis
This will get you started. Get sme ideas, and do some writing. Enjoy it!! Writing is like a good conversation.
:-)
Thank you so much! I have been puzzled on how to start this essay!
"Hills like White Elephants" and A Jury of Her Peers" Compare/Contrast Essay
Can someone please look of this and let me know what you think?
The short stories "Hills like White Elephants" and A Jury of Her Peers" share the subjects death and how men and women relate to each other during the respective situations. The characters in both stories are all different types of people but they are connected by how they relate to their: choices; the potential consequences and the uncertainty of both. Both stories also share the use of strong symbolism to convey the setting and create mood.
The stories have strong dialog regarding how unimportant the male characters perceive the women to be. In "Hills like White Elephants" the American merely sees Jig has an object of enjoyment, he can only see how their lifestyle would change if they became parents. It's apparent he does not care about Jig's feelings when he describes the operation as "It's just to let the air in" (40). In "A Jury of Her Peers" the male characters are too busy looking for clues they deem important to even notice what has really taken place in the Wright home. The male characters dismiss Mrs. Hale's and Mrs. Peter's concern for the state of the Wright's kitchen as "trifles" (75). The men do not see how unfinished tasks and broken preserves are abnormal and should be looked into further.
In both stories the women are uncertain of their choices. Jig cleary does not want to have an abortion but does not want to loose the love of her man. This is shown when she describes the hills (the baby) as a white elephant (something special) but later states "I don't care about me" (65). Mrs. Peter's although sympathetic to Mrs. Wright does not fully connect with her until the women discover the strangled Canary. Mrs. Peter's then feels how awful the loss of the Canary must have been for Mrs. Wright when she remembers the "stillness" (255) she suffered after the loss of her own child. The connection is even more evident when Mrs. Peters allows Mrs. Hale to hide the evidence of the strangled Canary. Both stories are also opened ended, making everything even more uncertain. The reader does not discover what choice the couple makes or what is to become of Mrs. Wright.
The use of symbolism in both stories really injects the reader into the settings. In "Hills like White Elephants" the train satiation and landscape symbolize many things. The train station and its two opposing tracks can be viewed has the two choices the couple must face. The landscape on one side is green, lush and fertile symbolizing the baby, pregnancy and family. While the landscape on the other side is dry and desolate symbolizing the abortion and loneliness. Hemmingway makes me feel like I am sitting in that hot train station sweating about which way to go or which choice to make. In "A Jury of her Peers" the Wright's home is described as "down in a hollow surrounded by lonesome poplar trees" (5). I immediately felt that the Wright's had been separated from society. I was saddened when I read that Mrs. Wrights Canary had been strangled. The Canary was Mrs. Wright. The Canary represents young Mrs. Wright full of life and song and in its death an old Mrs. Wright silent and shut away.
Both writers were able to me make feel the emotion of their stories. I felt the loss and loneliness each woman was suffering. How terrible must it have been for all of them to not have the love and support of their men? It must have been dreadful to be making such large decisions while they were being treated as if they did not matter. I can't relate to being treated as if I did not matter but these stories make me understand the loss and uncertainty each of these women are facing.
Can someone please look of this and let me know what you think?
The short stories "Hills like White Elephants" and A Jury of Her Peers" share the subjects death and how men and women relate to each other during the respective situations. The characters in both stories are all different types of people but they are connected by how they relate to their: choices; the potential consequences and the uncertainty of both. Both stories also share the use of strong symbolism to convey the setting and create mood.
The stories have strong dialog regarding how unimportant the male characters perceive the women to be. In "Hills like White Elephants" the American merely sees Jig has an object of enjoyment, he can only see how their lifestyle would change if they became parents. It's apparent he does not care about Jig's feelings when he describes the operation as "It's just to let the air in" (40). In "A Jury of Her Peers" the male characters are too busy looking for clues they deem important to even notice what has really taken place in the Wright home. The male characters dismiss Mrs. Hale's and Mrs. Peter's concern for the state of the Wright's kitchen as "trifles" (75). The men do not see how unfinished tasks and broken preserves are abnormal and should be looked into further.
In both stories the women are uncertain of their choices. Jig cleary does not want to have an abortion but does not want to loose the love of her man. This is shown when she describes the hills (the baby) as a white elephant (something special) but later states "I don't care about me" (65). Mrs. Peter's although sympathetic to Mrs. Wright does not fully connect with her until the women discover the strangled Canary. Mrs. Peter's then feels how awful the loss of the Canary must have been for Mrs. Wright when she remembers the "stillness" (255) she suffered after the loss of her own child. The connection is even more evident when Mrs. Peters allows Mrs. Hale to hide the evidence of the strangled Canary. Both stories are also opened ended, making everything even more uncertain. The reader does not discover what choice the couple makes or what is to become of Mrs. Wright.
The use of symbolism in both stories really injects the reader into the settings. In "Hills like White Elephants" the train satiation and landscape symbolize many things. The train station and its two opposing tracks can be viewed has the two choices the couple must face. The landscape on one side is green, lush and fertile symbolizing the baby, pregnancy and family. While the landscape on the other side is dry and desolate symbolizing the abortion and loneliness. Hemmingway makes me feel like I am sitting in that hot train station sweating about which way to go or which choice to make. In "A Jury of her Peers" the Wright's home is described as "down in a hollow surrounded by lonesome poplar trees" (5). I immediately felt that the Wright's had been separated from society. I was saddened when I read that Mrs. Wrights Canary had been strangled. The Canary was Mrs. Wright. The Canary represents young Mrs. Wright full of life and song and in its death an old Mrs. Wright silent and shut away.
Both writers were able to me make feel the emotion of their stories. I felt the loss and loneliness each woman was suffering. How terrible must it have been for all of them to not have the love and support of their men? It must have been dreadful to be making such large decisions while they were being treated as if they did not matter. I can't relate to being treated as if I did not matter but these stories make me understand the loss and uncertainty each of these women are facing.
The short stories "Hills like White Elephants" and A Jury of Her Peers" share the subjects death and how men and women relate to each other during the respective situations.--- this tries to say too much at once...
Two themes are common to both "Hills like White Elephants" and A Jury of Her Peers." One of these themes is death, and the other is the way men and women relate to each other during various situations.
Here is my idea for you, above. Maybe you can improve it even more! I think it is better as two separate sentences.
These two sentences from the intro paragraph seem like they could be topic sentences (topic sentence = the first sentence of a body paragraph, which tells the paragraph's main idea.):
The characters in both stories are all different types of people but they are connected by how they relate to their: choices; the potential consequences and the uncertainty of both. ---- but if you are going to use these sentences in the intro paragraph, I think you should add one more sentence to the end... make it a sentence that captures this theme you are writing about: what is the main truth expressed in your whole essay? At this point, express that truth in a single sentence and add that sentence to the end of the first paragraph.
:-)
Both stories also share the use of strong symbolism to convey the setting and create mood.
Two themes are common to both "Hills like White Elephants" and A Jury of Her Peers." One of these themes is death, and the other is the way men and women relate to each other during various situations.
Here is my idea for you, above. Maybe you can improve it even more! I think it is better as two separate sentences.
These two sentences from the intro paragraph seem like they could be topic sentences (topic sentence = the first sentence of a body paragraph, which tells the paragraph's main idea.):
The characters in both stories are all different types of people but they are connected by how they relate to their: choices; the potential consequences and the uncertainty of both. ---- but if you are going to use these sentences in the intro paragraph, I think you should add one more sentence to the end... make it a sentence that captures this theme you are writing about: what is the main truth expressed in your whole essay? At this point, express that truth in a single sentence and add that sentence to the end of the first paragraph.
:-)
Both stories also share the use of strong symbolism to convey the setting and create mood.
