I have assigned a comparative essay for the final exam. As such, today, I discussed and placed on the board an outline to guide Joshua in writing a comparison of two anti-war novels, "A Farewell to Arms" and "The Things they Carried." After I provided suggestions for the introduction, Joshua worked on formulating a thesis based on the essay prompt. We then outlined the body of the essay focusing first on O"Brien's definition of a "true war story" to be followed by an analysis of whether "A Farewell to Arms' fits O'Brien's definition. Last, I proposed a conclusion that addressed whose approach best captures the experience of war, O'Brien's or Hemmingway's.