Comparative Analysis (Essay 2)

Write a comparative analysis of the poem The Emperor of Ice cream by Wallace Stevens and the narrative Bullet In The Brain by Tobias Wolff. The essay should be written under the belief that the reader has read both works being compared, meaning the essay should be detail oriented and should not include summary, the essays primary focus is on making connections to prove an idea.

My general idea for a thesis is the finality of death and how the authors portray this. In, The Emperor of Ice Cream death is a finite end and not glamorous, death is death so the importance of living now is stressed. In Bullet In The Brain I am less clear on an idea, but essentially Anders in contrast to his cynical self remembers a “pure memory” (I said this memory was of the baseball game and the kid saying “They is”), something he enjoys. So the importance of the story is to invest into what brings you joy rather than what doesn’t because death is inevitable.