How should I structure a comparative essay?

One of the most important things to remember when writing a comparative essay seems very obvious but it is that you must Compare the texts very closely. The examiner is most interested in seeing your ability to find links, similarities and differences between the two texts specified. This requires talking about both texts in each paragraph instead of separating them out. The first step to writing any essay is the introduction and the comparison must begin this early on. Make your conceptual points about both texts for example, 'Both poets present obsession as more than simply a feeling it is, in a sense, similar to a disease that infiltrates its way through people.' Using the word 'both' to start this sentence, immediately shows the examiner that you have thought about the texts in comparison to one another as opposed to reading and thinking about them in isolation. It is, of course, more than alright to talk about the texts in opposition to each other as well, possibly using a word like 'whereas'. This all applies in exactly the same sense to the first sentences of each of you paragraphs. Make sure you immediately layout a clear Comparative point about both texts. This will help you to reach the higher bracket answers. Then as the paragraph continues and you wish to bring in your evidence you can talk in more depth about the texts individually. Start by choosing one text to quote and then as you analyse it you can incorporate comparative ideas about the other text. So for example, you might talk about the context surrounding Text One and how this effects the readers response to it. Then you may notice it is a similar or differing response to Text Two. You could either use this to move you onto talking about Text Two or you could just insert a comment in this first half of the paragraph and continue to analyse Text One. Both of these options show consistently close comparison. After analyzing Text One make a comparative link to Text Two and introduce the quote and begin the analysis for the second text. Finally, end the paragraph with a short closing comment on both texts together again. This means that when an examiner looks at your piece of work the first and last thing they see in each paragraph is comparison. In your conclusion you should work to give an evaluation of the comparative points made throughout the essay but again following the rule of closely and consistently linking both texts in a sentence. The rest of the structure for a comparative essay is the same as any other: Introduction (outlining the course of the essay and outlining initial comparative points) 3 or 4 paragraphs that include: Point (a sentence linking both texts with a conceptual idea) Evidence (Text one evidence followed by analysis with comparative comments and then text two evidence followed by the same)Analysis of craft and/or techniques Context (if asked for), Impact on the reader Message Conclusion (evaluating the comparative points made in the essay)