You may choose to compare two stories, authors, characters, etc. For example, you may want to compare the role of religion, regional influences, or gender roles in the works of two different authors, or examine differences or similarities in the language, theme, plot, etc.
Paragraph 1 should include a brief biography of both authors and a 1-2 line synopsis of both subjects. Next, you should establish common ground between your two subjects (ex: Faulkner and Welty are both southern gothic writers, etc) This paragraph should end with a thesis statement that points out at least three similiarities or differences in the two works.

Paragraphs 2-4 should be a detailed discussion of the similarities or differences and include textual evidence (with page numbers) of your assertions whenever possible. For example, if you are examining the differences in how Faulkner and O’Connor deal with race or religion in their work you should quote from passages in the text that illustrate these differences.

The concluding paragraph should include a summary of the major ideas presented in the body of the paper and it should revisit the thesis statement.