This essay requires you to use and cite correctly at least two sources. You should use the sources paired with your topic on this prompt. Note that each topic is matched with corresponding readings from the Bedford textbook. You should complete careful, analytical readings of your texts for your selected topic.
A Comparison-Contrast Essay is used to compare the similarities in and contrast the differences that exist between two or more things. The key to writing a strong comparison-contrast essay is to carefully organize the essay itself using the opposing pattern or the alternating pattern method. Note that each topic is matched with corresponding readings from the Bedford textbook. You should complete careful, analytical readings of your texts for your selected topic.
– Does the writer follow through on the requirements of the writing assignment and achieve the purpose of the essay as defined by this prompt?
– Does the writer compare and/or contrast elements clearly in the paper? Does s/he give equal treatment to each item being compared/contrasted? Is there a clear purpose to the comparison?
– Does the writer produce a well-focused essay and organize the material appropriately, using a consistent thesis statement and outline?
TOPIC FOR ESSAY: Superhero movies and television are among the most profitable and popular forms of American media today. They also are doing important cultural work, bringing attention to overlooked historical events, like the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre (in the TV series, The Watchmen), and political realities, like rising fascism and violence (in the TV series, The Boys), as well as looking at emotional issues, like an exploration of grief and trauma (in the TV series WandaVision, which came out during the coronavirus pandemic when many of us were dealing with grief). However, legendary film director Martin Scorsese recently lamented that fact, saying in the fall of 2019 that Marvel movies are “not cinema”. Furthermore, superhero fiction is often also decried for being childish or immature. Whether you think that superhero fiction is positive, negative, or a mix, I would like you to pick two works from the superhero genre – these can be any of the TV shows I mention above, or films, comic books, graphic novels, any representative of the genre – and compare and contrast them. As you compare / contrast, wrestle with the question of whether these types of media are beneficial for society and if they really are “art” or not.
In addition to your chosen superhero texts, use these articles as source material for your essay: (Sources: Johnson, Jason. “How Stan Lee, Creator of Black Panther, Taught a Generation of Black Nerds about Race, Art, and Activism.” The Bedford Guide for College Writers with Reader, edited by X.J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Marcia F. Muth, 12th ed, Bedford, 2017, pp. 392-395.) ( Brown, Jeffrey A. “’I’m the Goshdarn Batman!’ The Rise of Cute Superheroes.” The Bedford Guide for College Writers with Reader, edited by X.J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Marcia F. Muth, 12th ed, Bedford, 2017, pp. 395-402.)
