As I said in class, essay two will ask you to compare/contrast two of the essays in the class, specifically the ones about culture: Mukherjee, Cofer, Rodriguez, and Takaki. There will be three or four prompts. Each will ask you to compare two of the essays.
In order to prepare, first start with making sure you understand what each author says. You may wish to make four lists (one for each essay). For each essay, list the main topic, the problems the author addresses, and the solutions the author proposes. Don't write down quotations. Instead, put things in your own words. The goal here is to look for generalizations that can lead you to a thesis statement. Quotations come in later, when you look for evidence to prove your thesis.
Once you've made a list for each essay, compare the four lists. Look for similarities. Look for key differences. Then see if you can state the similarities or differences in a clear sentence or two. Again, what you're doing is generating possible thesis statements. Take one of your thesis statements and consider what evidence from the essays you'd use to prove it.
If you've already read the essays actively, what I've suggested here might only take 15 minutes. It'll take much longer if you didn't read critically. Like I said on the second day of class, your ability to be a successful college student is tied directly to how you read. If you read passively, essay writing will be much more difficult (if not impossible). If you read critically, you will already have ideas for things to write about.
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