Comparative Essay Outline
Paragraph 1 (Introduction)
General sentence to introduce the essay: When people are faced with isolation, they must have the will to survive spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Piscine Malitor Patel and Chuck Nolan, the protagonists, demonstrate these attributes very well.
Points to be covered in the essay (what are the 3 similarities?)
1. Pi survives physically with the help of Richard Parker while Chuck Nolan survives with a volleyball named Wilson
2. Pi is able to survive emotionally by telling an imaginative story while Chuck Nolan survives by keeping the picture of his wife in a locket
3. Pi survives spiritually by praying every morning while Chuck Nolan decides to keep the one FedEx box with the wings on it
Thesis Statement: Topic to be proven + author + book (what are you trying to prove in your essay)
In Yann Martels novel, Life of Pi and, Robert Zemeckis’ movie Cast Away, both protagonists make evident many skills of survival during tragic circumstances. The most important thing, to ensure survival, is to be strong physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Paragraph 2 (Point of Contrast 1)
Topic sentence (Introduce your paragraph with your first contrast point from your thesis – what is the first similarity in both works?)
In the novel Life of Pi, and movie Cast Away, survival depends on your will to stay strong physically when faced with life’s most difficult situations.
Point 1: (explain how the first common topic is seen in X then give a specific example to show this)
While on the lifeboat, Pi goes through many situations that tested his physical ability to survive. The main reason Pi was able to endure these situations was with the help of, and companionship of Richard Parker. Pi states, “If I still had the will to live, it was thanks to Richard Parker. He kept me from thinking too much about my family and my tragic circumstances” (182). It is because of Richard Parker that Pi is