Comparing “Civil Disobedience” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
  Thoreau and King: planning a literary essay

Prewriting Guide to Comparative Analysis:

Civil DisobedienceӔ and Letter from Birmingham JailӔ

In Civil DisobedienceӔ and Letter from Birmingham Jail,Ӕ Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr. write about the situations which led to their imprisonments for disobeying certain civil laws based on conscience.  Many people consider these two essays to be American prose classics because of the content of each essay and because of the persuasive arguments of each writer. If you study these essays closely, you will find that many of the strategies and techniques we have studied are used by each writer to persuade his audience to accept his argument.  The following questions will help you isolate some of the persuasive tools as you prepare your comparative analysis of these two essays. 

1. Write a thesis sentence for each essay.
2. Write a sentence comparing each of the following aspects of the two essays: tone, occasion and purpose for writing, audience, and the focus of the main idea being discussed.
3. What is the attitude of each of these writers toward the law?  Toward justice? Toward a citizens duties? Toward the majority in society?
4. Find comparisons and analogies used by each author.
5. Answer these questions:
Does each writer clarify why a change is needed? Where?
What are the causes of the problems each writer discusses?
Does each writer consider the costs of his policies? Where?
How practical are the policies each writer suggests?
6. Find at least three important Biblical Allusion or references in each essay.  What effect would these allusions or references have on the readers of these essays?
7. Under what circumstances do Thoreau and King advocate breaking the law?  What do you think of these opinions?
8. Both writers have a roll call of past heroes. Who are these heroes?  What effect does the listing of these heroes have on each authorҒs persuasive effectiveness?
9. Compare the hopefulness in each authors conclusion.
10. Is tradition the ғculprit for these two authors?  What positive and negative uses of tradition does each author make?

Prewriting and Planning Guide:

Comparative Analysis and Evaluation Essay

ThoreauԒs Civil DisobedienceӔ and Kings ғLetter from Birmingham Jail.

Begin this assignment by analyzing and evaluating each essay separately.  Answering the study guide questions will be a good start for this process.  Consider these questions also.

1. Are both essays effective writer?  Is neither?  Is one more effective than the other?  Is one more focused than the other?  For what reasons?  Are these essays equally effective but effective in different ways?  What argumentative strategies are used in each essay
2. Select one of the two methods of comparison to organize your paper.
The point by point (alternating) method presents information about each essay according to the points of similarity and difference.  For example, if you were comparing KingԒs emotional appeal with Thoreaus, you would do so in a paragraph (or two) before you moved on to compare their appeals to their own ethics.

The whole by whole (aka the divided) pattern presents all the information about one essay before discussing the other.  You would still be comparing similarities and differences; however, in the whole by whole pattern you would discuss all of ThoreauҒs appeals before you compared them to Kings

This brief outline shows the two basic patterns.

Point by Point

Introduction

Emotional appeal

Thoreau

King

Ethical appeal

Thoreau

King

Conclusion

Whole by Whole

Introduction

ғCivil Disobedience

emotional appeal

ethical appeal

ԓLetter from Birmingham Jail

emotional appeal

ethical appeal

Conclusion

This outline is intended only as an example of a structure and ought not in any way constrict your thinking about possible structures for you paper.

Consider the way you introduce the essay.  For the sake of clarity, economy, and time, your sentence may follow a formula:

In his essay, ԓCivil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau asserts thatԅ

Written over a hundred years after Thoreaus classic essay, Martin Luther King, Jr.Ғs Letter from Birmingham JailӔ contends that

The subordinate œthat clauses of each of these two sentences are statements of thesis for the two essays.  You should summarize the main idea of each essay into one sentence, recognizing that it will be a general sentence and that elsewhere in your paper you will be discussing more specific details about each essay.

You are evaluating whole essays.  Therefore, you must compare the effectiveness of the essays as complete arguments and not merely compare parts.

Writing:  You may wish to begin your essay with a succinct summary of the main points of each particular points within the arguments.  Your writing should subordinate the ideas of less importance to those of greater importance.  Obviously, your analysis will consider some of the major points, but your evaluation should focus comparatively on the compete arguments.

Rewriting:  Concentrate on structure in this paper.  Your ideas are important, but they must fit logically and coherently into the essay.  You may find it necessary to move large chunks around in your revising process.  Of course, edit and proofread carefully.

Evaluation Questions

Ask the following questions of any selection with argumentative elements.

1.  What is the assertion (proposition or claim) made by the author?  State this in your own words.

2.  What is your initial position on the issue?  Do you have any prejudicial attitudes, sentiments, or stereotypes?

3.  What arguments (logical reasonings) are made?  Do they meet the USA AR test (unified, specific, adequate, accurate, and representative?)

Է Does the author represent the important opposing arguments fairly?  This is usually mentioned early, then refuted throughout the remainder of the essay by confirmation and amplification.

Does the author use specific examples, detailed description, quotations from authorities, facts, statistics, etc. that meet the USA AR test?

׷ Does the authors use of amplification (widening of perspectives through analogies, comparisons or other aspects of experience) meet the USA AR test?

ҷ Are there any omissions?

4.  What emotional appeals are made?

Does the author arouse desires useful to the persuaderגs purpose and demonstrate how these desires can be satisfied by acceptance of the persuaders assertion (proposition or claim)?

ҷ Does the authors summary include an arousal of indignation for the opponentҒs view, and an arousal of sympathy for the speaker/writers view?

ҷ Be aware of illogical fallacies which are based on appeals to traditions, desires, prejudices, etc.

5.  What attempts are made to establish the writers credentials?

ҷ Does the writer use a reasonable tone, treating the opponent with respect by avoiding such things as illogical statements or inflammatory language?

Does the writer seem to have any prejudicial attitudes, sentiments, or stereotypes?

׷ Does the writer make an attempt to embody some evidence of personal knowledge of the subject, good evidence of personal knowledge of the subject, good will toward the reader/audience, good sense, perspective, taste in judgment, or disinterest in personal benefit?

Note the features of the writerגs style: sentences or vocabulary which was effective, too simple, or too difficult.  Where was the writing clear?  Where was it difficult to tract?  Where was the language appropriate or inappropriate for the intended audience?

6. Did the article change or modify your initial position on the subject?