Assignment: Notice how Brian Doyle’s “Joyas Voladoras” compares the hummingbird to a blue whale
and uses the observations about each to make a statement about something else entirely. He shows
how the physical heart of all animals — big or small — is a metaphor for vulnerability and the fact that we
all suffer and ache. Using this as a model, draft a three-page paper that compares two dissimilar subjects
and draws conclusions about what the comparison yields.
Structure and Rhetorical Considerations: You should use Contrast Crunching (basic crunchers) to
organize your analysis. Begin by analyzing one subject, transition to the second, and then close by
demonstrating what can be learned from such a comparison. Your thesis statement, then, should be
delivered in the concluding section of the paper. The thesis can be merely about the subjects being
compared, but a more sophisticated paper — an A-paper — will tease out something more unexpected,
something more abstract.
While you are required to demonstrate Contrast Crunching, you are by no means limited to just this
technique. Feel free to mix and blend other Adios strategies to achieve a rhetorically rich and complex
analysis. A close reading of any of the essays in our text will prove that great writing often blends writing
techniques. Using myriad strategies will help you to fine-shade the subject matter. We will discuss the
variety of approaches you can take to weave these techniques together in class.
Research: A minimum of three sources is required for this paper, and these sources must be used to
advance the thesis. In other words, you must quote from these sources; it isn’t sufficient to merely
consult them. Later in the semester, you will be required to use sources more appropriate for academia,
but for this paper, you have the green light to use the internet for your research; however, they must be
appropriate in terms of credibility. That said, only .edusor .govs are acceptable (others may be
acceptable but must be cleared with me)
Fusion and Tone: Consider the abundant use of metaphor used by Doyle. Since the job of the essayist is
to compose expository pieces of writing — that is, the essayist is to expose a particular subject matter —
then it follows that metaphor is a valuable tool as it aids in shining light on a subject from a new angle or
perspective. That said, you should choose your metaphors carefully. Use them so that they both expose
your topic and contribute to a unified tone. In fact, relying on extended metaphors (Break-ups) in each
paragraph (or throughout the essay as a whole) would not be a bad idea. Mind the minimum Fusion
requirements below.
Style Requirements: The following style requirements must be footnoted throughout your paper: 5
flowing sentences; 2 very short sentences; 2 melted- together words; 2 semi-colons; 1 colon and 1 single
dash; 2 dash skewers; 1 parenthetical statement; and, finally, 2 examples each of simile, metaphor, and
extended metaphor.
Practical Considerations and Requirements
* Length: 3 pages
* Rough Draft #1 Due: 10/17
* Rough Draft #2 Due: 10/24
* Final Draft Due: 10/27
* Submission and Attachments: On rough draft due dates, bring two typed copies of your completed
draft to class. On the final draft due date, upload the final draft to Canvas with the thesis highlighted and
the topic sentences underlined. Note: all topic sentences must be presented in writing, i.e. no implied
topic sentences.
* MLA: Papers should be written in accord with MLA style.
* Grading Criteria: Papers will be graded holistically as designated by the syllabus, but special attention
will be paid to Rhetorical Structure, Fusion, and integration of research.