To compare and contrast is to find the similarity in something and also define the differences. Comparing is finding similarities while contrasting is seeing the differences in something. Compare and contrast can be used in real life, but a lot of times it is used in literature when comparing two or more books with each other. Nadia the Willful, The Gold Cadillac, and the Bracelet demonstrates so. Nadia the Willful is about a girl and how she copes with the loss of her brother. The Gold Cadillac is a historical fiction novel telling the story of an African American family living in the South during the 1950s. The Bracelet is the story of a Japanese-American girl named Ruri who is being sent to an internment camp during WW2. In all three of these stories, we are able to compare and contrast in many different ways, through scene, timeline, plot, characters, and much more. Comparing and contrasting in literature allows one to see the similarities in the books and how they are unique and differ from one another.
Stereotyping and discrimination to one is unexceptable and non-tolerable. Stereotyping is assuming something about someone while discrimination is putting someone down. In the Gold Cadillac, Lois’s family is African American andthey experience discrimination and hate in the Southern part of the US. Similarly, in The Bracelet, Ruri and her family experience discrimination when their rights are taken away and when they are put into camps because they were Japanese even though they were harmelss. Through these three stories, we can also see the stereotyping of women in more depth. In The Bracelet, it mentions how the father was the main income of the family and the mother now had to work to support the family. In The Gold Cadillac, the father made most of the decisions while the mother followed. She didn’t rebel even though she wanted to, meeting the “standards” of a housewife/a good wife of the time. In Nadia the Willful, like in The Gold Cadillac, the father was the tribe's leader and his wife obeyed all his commands. Stereotyping and discrimination both happened through the course of history, but shouldn’t take place today.
Two different sides of the party may have views that may differ, similarly, the reality and one’s imagination may differ. People don’t always believe in the same thing and their views can be different. One’s belief and what actually happens can also be different. In the Gold Cadillac, different views between family members are very, very different. While the father is excited about the new car, the mother is unhappy and refuses to ride in it. In Nadia the Willful, Nadia and her father’s thoughts about Hamed’s death are different and how they react and act towards it is also different. In the Bracelet, however, the difference isn’t between two people, it’s between the truth and one’s imagination. Ruri has many different thoughts of what she hopes would happen, however, in reality, what happens is the opposite. Having differences in life is part of learning to live. Our dreams can also be much different than what we hoped happened. Like having differences between two people, there can also be differences between reality and dreams.
Symbolism can represent one tiny thing or the overall picture of something. There can be symbolism in life and a lot of times, there is also symbolism in literature. The Gold Cadillac, Nadia the Willful, and The Bracelet, all have some sort of symbolism in it, big or small. The gold cadillac in the story symbolizes discrimination towards in African Americans and how society views them. Speaking metaphorically, it represents the white people being in the showroom while African Americans are kept out. The little black sheep mentioned in Nadia the Willful symbolizes Hamed and his personality. It represents him and how much he was valued by Nadia. The bracelet represents the lasting friendship between Laurie and Ruri. No matter what happens, they’ll always remember each other and stay friends. Symbolism is part of many literature and can convey important messages and can be an important topic in the story.
Comparing and contrasting something is a good way to reflect on two or more different and similar things. It can be as general as comparing and contrasting a spoon and a fork to as detailed as comparing identical twins. Whatever it is, we are able to observe and find details of the separate things that help differ it. The Gold Cadillac, Nadia the Willful, and The Bracelet have many similarities and differences that can teach us many important parts in life. Similarities include themes and having symbolism. Differences can include the characters, plot, and what the symbolism is. Comparing and contrasting helps us understand and comprehend literature in a much more advanced/better way. Many things can be similar to one another but at the same time everything is different and has its own unique spots.
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