Compare & Contrast Essay Prompt:  Marjane, Malala, & Ta-Nehisi

Assignment:  Marjane Satrapi grew up in Iran in the 70s and 80s, during the Islamic Revolution.  Malala Yousafzai grew up in Pakistan in the early 2000s.  Ta-Nehisi Coates grew up in Baltimore, coming of age in the late 80s / early 90s, during the crack epidemic.  All three of them had educated parents (or at least one educated ), all three encountered violence and extremist world views at a young age, yet they are all parentvery different people.  This assignment is asking you to choose ONLY ONE of the following themes:

• Prejudice
• Poverty
• Education
• War

And once you’ve chosen one of those themes, you must then analyze the similarities and differences of Marjane Satrapi, Malala Yousafzai, and Ta-Nehisi Coates in the context of your chosen theme.  So, if you’re choosing to look at the three of them through the context of education, you might want to focus on how all three of them seem to feel about school.  Malala would be an obvious proponent of education and schooling, but would Ta-Nehisi or Marjane feel that way?  What evidence can you find in the various texts for your answer to that question?

Requirements:

1. 1,000-1,500 words, plus a Works Cited page.
2. The only sources you’re allowed to use for this essay are from the three texts (a film can be considered a text), The Complete Persepolis, He Named Me Malala, and Between the World and Me.  Also, please note that you MUST use all three of these sources for the essay.
3. Each body paragraph MUST have at least one quote from at least two of the required texts.  So, for clarification, each body paragraph will quote from at least two of the texts.
4. Your essay MUST examine ONLY one of the four themes listed above.
5. The essay must be written in a formal, academic (third-person) tone.
6. This essay must have college-level grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and should avoid any awkward phrasing.
7. This essay should have nearly flawless MLA formatting, including font, margins, page numbers, in-text citations, and the Works Cited page.  Please use the Purdue OWL website for correct formatting.
8. When submitting this essay online, it MUST be submitted in either DOCX or PDF format.  There will be a small point deduction for submitting essays in any other format.

The successful paper will do the following:

• Focus on the topic provided with adequate examples/examination of this topic
• Provide evidence (quotes) that demonstrate the theme/topic you’re analyzing
• Demonstrate critical thinking, reading, and writing skills by making sound claims and supporting them with evidence in an organized and logical manner
• Include a well-defined thesis statement in the introduction
• Have well-organized body paragraphs that stick to the structure discussed in class (Topic Statement, Context, Evidence, Analysis, and Transition)
• Come to a conclusion that moves beyond summary

Please Do NOT:

• Use this essay to discuss the qualities of any specific religion or faith.
• Use quotes that are longer than 4 lines – No Block Quotes Please.