need help with essay writing..

I need serious help guys, I know some of you are English majors and know a thing or two about literature, I would really appreciate some advice.

I'm a history major and I write papers all the time for my history classes, but this time it's for literature class. It's a Spanish short story class. I am doing a Spanish minor so I have to take some literature classes as well as language classes to complete my minor..
Anyway, the assignment is to write an essay comparing two short stories of my choice that we've read in class. I have no idea what about them to compare. I can think of about a million differences.. I know nothing about literary terms, because I never paid attention to any of that stuff when I had English and the last time I took an English class was in high school. The only things I can think of comparing are the plots..Is the general idea/message the author is trying to send called the theme??? I am so lost, I seem to have forgotten everything from high school which was 4 years ago. I also feel like the assignment is extremely vague, the only thing the instruction say is "write an essay comparing two short stories of you choice"....

Anyway, I'd just like to know what sorts of things I'm expected to compare in a case like this.

I've always been bad at literature, I always feel like because I get the idea and I get what the author is trying to say, everyone else sees the same thing I see, so I never explain things fully because I expect people to be on the same page as me and thinking along the same lines. But I guess with literature you always have to explain everything really, really well which I fail to do..

I would appreciate any help!! Thanks in advance

You could compare the characters of the stories.

Here is an example

http://www.123helpme.com/preview.asp?id=101095


http://en.allexperts.com/q/Literature-697/comparison-contrast.htm

Here is another link. Scroll down to the "Recent forum posts" and read entry #2.

http://www.online-literature.com/poe/

Compare and contrast.......consider theme, the point of view and symbolism in the easy.

Define each of these terms and explain how they are used in piece.

Consider each poetâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s use of similes, metaphors and personification. Please define each of these terms and describe how these figures of speech are used in the poem.

Example: Describe how Langston Hughes “dream deferred†and August Wilsonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s “fences†examine the struggles of African Americans in 20th century society.

Please research the time period in which each piece was written and research the lives of each of the author (please include a bibliography (does not count towards the page requirement);

use at least 4 academic sources include journals, encyclopedias, and /or book.

etc. etc. etc.

Found some links that have excellent tips on prewriting, and organizing/writing compare/contrast essays.

http://712educators.about.com/od/ess...pare_chart.htm

http://712educators.about.com/od/ess...recontrast.htm

Thanks!!! That's really awesome and helpful info
I think I may do a paragraph comparing characters, another paragraph comparing the theme and a third one comparing attitude and tone of the author, in addition to the intro and conclusion.
Whew, what a relief, I have a plan

You might also want to compare the use of the language by the two authors. Do they both use the same array of verbs and verb tenses, for example? Is one clearly writing closer to the vernacular than the other? Does one put in more dialogue than the other? Does one move the story by explication or by dialogue? Does one go in for more desription than the other? Are the characters more "real" in one than the other. Can you imagine meeting the characters on the street and liking them, or are they of a class or character that you would never come across?

How long is your assignment? How many pages?

I actually like compare/contrast writing assignments.

You need to formulate a theme... as you said. It is the premise of your piece... and then use excepts from the stories and scholarly research to back up your premise.

It needs to be your opening statement or arguement.

Author X and Author Y both write about life and times... but their approaches are different/similar in these ways.... Spain at this time was......(historical reference).... X says this.... Y says that.... the symbolism draws up images of such and such but

Or you can c and c style... one has a blunt direct style typical of .... and the other is more symbol -laden.. a tree is atree... but in the other a tree is life, growth...

I am just tossing out stuff here... you get the idea. But I would pick one central idea and then defend it using supportive material.

Maybe one writer seems to always use an anti-hero (atypical) as his protagonist... and the other uses a more standard approach. Is this typical of the writer? Is this typical of the times... what do experts say... which is more effective as a tool of storytelling... again, what do the experts say.

Compare and contrast the use of allegory in the two stories.

On and on... good luck!!!

It is only 3-4 pages, and it is supposed to be just my own thoughts, making an argument and backing it up with quotes/paraphrases from the stories themselves.

I can compare the language, it seems like in one story the author is using a more sarcastic tone while the other is more sad..

The stories I picked are by the same author Ruben Dario, in case anyone is familiar they are "El pajaro azul" (the blue bird) and "el rey burgues" (the bourgeois king) There is a common theme between the two which is why I picked them.

When I say there is a common theme, what I mean is that in both stories the author is critical of society's view on art, how art is materialized in society and poets are "enslaved" (not literally)..
But I am not sure if that is even a theme

So far my thesis is (translated) There are differences and similarities between the characters, theme and language used by the author in El pajaro azul and in el rey burgues.
This is such a lame thesis, I will probably rephrase it and make it sound prettier while still keeping the idea of it lol..

Thanks for the help!!