comparitive literature

[snow-flake]

Hi guys it is the first time I post in this..mmm..shall I say helpfull site..where I can find any information :thumbs_up
I want a favour from you all ;) I need help in my research topic! :sick:
It is a comparision between two elegies: An Arabic one,where the poet lament himself(مالك ابن الريب )and "An elegy written in the country church yard" by: Thomas Gray.
And if any one has a plan of how to make a litrary proposal I'll be thankfull..
My last favour is :blush: to give me immediate guides in improving my writing style..
Pray for me,I am so busy in my researches and exams..THANX VERY MUCH :wave:

[Virgil]

Nice to have you on the forum. Here's how I would approach your essay. Fisrt, before you write you have to list all the similairties and all the differences you can observe. Next try to formulate those similarities and differences into catagories. Try in your mind to establish an over arching theme that you want to get across. Now you can begin writing. Your introduction should present your catagories and how they arrive at your theme. Then divide the essay into your catagories. In each catagorigal section you compare the points of each poem. And then you conclude with a re-emphasis of your over arching theme. Remember, it's best to compare each poem sided by side in a paragragh or section. An essay that starts with one poem and says everything about it and then goes to the other poem and says everything about it tends to be a weaker essay than what I've recommended.


As to a recommended writing guide, well, there is nothing better than writing, getting red marks on your paper, and then learning from it. But the books I recommend (because I got a lot out of them, and I continue to) if you can find them or if they still publish them are:

The Elements of Style, William Strunk
The Art of Styling Sentences, Marie Waddel and others
On Writing Well, William Zinsser

And I'm sure there are guides available specifically on writing college papers. The one I liked from college is now over 25 years old, and I would list it for you but I can't easily find it in my maze of books.

[snow-flake]

Thanx Virgil and sorry for bothering you!