In literature, comparing is to examining two or more elements to identify their similarities while contrasting is to scrutinize two or more components to highlight their differences. The technique of comparing and contrast helps readers to think and analyze how characters, setting, plot, ending, and themes are similar or distinct from one another. Such analysis through this technique would help readers get a deeper understanding of the stories and gain insights from the authors’ intentions. Let’s read some examples. Recently, I read two articles: Southpaw and Concha. In Southpaw written by Judith Viorst, two friends, Richard and Janet, write letters back and forth to each other fighting about Janet not being on Richard’s baseball team. In Concha written by Mary Helen Ponce, it talks about a girl’s friend named Concha playing the red ant game, seeing who can stand the longest next to a red ant hill to win, but she got bitten by a red ant when it was her turn. After reading these two stories, I found some similarities and differences. I also found some common themes among the two stories.
Comparing two stories engages readers in putting the literature side by side to identify as well as analyze the similar things that appear in the stories. Readers are given the chance to closely examine both stories if there are any similarities about the personality traits of the characters, the conflicts shown in the plot, the endings, and the changes in characters. In Southpaw, Janet and Richard are the main youth characters writing letters back and forth. In Concha, there are many youth characters including the narrator, Concha, Virgie, Mundo, Beto, and Joey. Both stories have male characters and female characters, and they are all youth. In addition, the male characters in both stories are kind of mean toward female characters while female characters are trying to define themselves. Richard in Southpaw was discriminating against Janet from his baseball team because he thought girls were weak; so Richard did not allow Janet play on his baseball team. In Concha, Mundo in Concha thought Concha was dumb and couldn’t be strong because Concha was a girl. The male characters in both stories discriminate against females, thinking females are weak and cannot do what male usually do. But at the end, the female characters in both stories prove they actually can do things that male usually do and they could do even better than male characters. In Southpaw, Janet and Richard had arguments about playing baseball, even defriending each other. At the end, the two friends were back to being good friends again and no longer arguing. In Concha, Concha is being laughed at by Mundo because Mundo thinks Concha is a female and stupid. In the end, Conchan earned the respect from the male character. Obviously, both stories have conflicts at the beginning. The conflicts are related to the fact that someone is looked down upon. But the conflicts were solved in the end. Both stories end in a good position which makes the ending a happy ending. After several arguments in letters back and forth with Janet about girls playing on the baseball team, Richard in Southpaw changed her attitudes toward Janet from being mean to being friendly, understanding girls could play baseball just like boys. Virgie in Concha also changed his attitudes toward Concha from being hesitant what Concha could do to firmly standing on the side of Concha, after seeing what Concha did during the red ant game. Both female main characters, Janet in Southpaw and Concha in Concha were looked down on by others just because they were girls. But people, like Richard in Southpaw and Virgie in Concha, changed their attitudes toward Janet and Concha, respectively, developing new beliefs that girls can be strong and girls can do what boys do. Overall, the design of the flow or structure of the story were the main focus for readers to look at when readers are trying to make the literature comparison.
Contrasting two stories leads readers to recognizing and scanning the differences, encouraging readers’ exploration in a more nuanced way. This literature technique could be applied to a variety of aspects for readers to discuss, such as the genre, the perspective, the amount of people involved, and the type of conflict. The genre in Southpaw is in the format of letter, or series of notes, writing back and forth between the two main characters because the two main characters, while the genre in Concha is in the format of realistic fiction since this kind of story could happen in real life. Each story was making its own story but the way the author delivers is different – one is in letter style and the other is in story-telling style. The perspective in Southpaw is a third-person viewpoint while the perspective in Concha is a first-person viewpoint. Each story was trying to tell the readers a realistic story, but Judith Viorst wrote Southpaw from the third-person viewpoint because she did not use “I” as the narrator. In contrast, Mary Helen Ponce wrote Concha from the first-person viewpoint because she is the main narrator to tell the story. Janet and Richard in Southpaw argued with each other if Janet the girl should be in Richard’s all-boy baseball game. A group of the narrator, Concha, Virgie, Mundo, Beto, and Joey in Concha played the red ant game together. Clearly, there were two main characters, one girl and one boy, described in Southpaw while there were six people, three boys and three girls, involved in Concha. Richard in Southpaw was discriminating against Janet from his baseball team because Janet was a girl so Richard didn’t let her in but in Concha, Mundo was bullying and insulting Concha of being bitten by a red ant because Mundo thought stupid enough to not be afraid of red ant bite. The conflict between Janet and Richard in Southpaw was related to gender discrimination because Richard thought girls were not suitable for boy’s games, while the conflict between Concha and Mundo in Concha was categorized as bullying or insulation because Mundo thought Concha was stupid. By examining the plot among two or more stories, readers can begin to identify the common themes, enriching readers’ comprehension of the stories.
When looking at the various themes of different stories, readers analyze and evaluate how the stories address one or more common central ideas that the authors would like readers to explore. Through this process, readers have the opportunity to exercise analytical skills and encourage critical thinking about how themes are developed and presented. In Southpaw Richard did not allow Janet to join his baseball team so they began to fight. Later, Richard's teammates were absent from the team, and Janet decides to help Richard by joining his team. In addition, Janet showed her sympathy for Richard's 12-game losses. In Concha, when Concha was bitten by the red ant, Beto, Virgie, and the narrator took her to the faucet where they mix water with dirt to make mud, and then they put the mud on all her ant stings because they believe that mud is the best cure for bug stings. The first common theme presented in both stories is Friendship. Friendship is a mutual relationship between two or more people who could share things and thoughts as well as show support when people need it. Friends help each other through tough times and celebrate the success together, providing a sense of belonging. In Southpaw Janet shows her sympathy when Richard gets 12-game losses. She is willing to pitch in Richard’s baseball team when Richard’s teammates leave, no matter how much argument they had before. In Concha, Beto, Virgie, and the narrator show their care and concern toward Concha. They worry about Concha and do whatever they can to help Concha ease the pain from the red ant bite. In Southpaw, Richard does not think girls can do baseball. He thinks girls should be knitting instead of sport. Janet disagrees. Janet thinks she can do pitch and she is confident that her pitch skills are better. In Concha, Mundo thinks that Concha would not stand still beside an anthill because she is a girl and most of the girls don't play this game, just like the narrator. Even when Concha was bit by the red ant, Mundo just laughed at Concha saying " you are too stupid" The second common theme presented in both stories centers on Discrimination, Bullying, or Insulation. Too often, men and women are limited to the oversimplified beliefs that men as being strong and better suited for leadership roles and doing sports while women as being nurturing and physically weak and better suited for housing work. This is an unfair claim! Janet as a girl could pitch well in baseball just like the boys. Similarly, Concha was brave, even braver than boys, doing dangerous tasks, as long as they were given the opportunity to prove themselves. In Southpaw, both Janet and Richard were young kids and they were friends. Janet and Richard both like to play baseball. They exercised during childhood while making friends at the same time. In Concha, the group of friends were young children and they played together whenever they had time. The children played as much as they could, showing that childhood can have an unforgettable memory. The third common theme presented in both stories is related to Childhood.
Childhood is a unique stage of life from birth to adolescence. Childhood is a period of time when children experience rapid development physically, mentally, and socially. During childhood, children are given the opportunity to explore the world, understand social norms, learn how to interact with others, and develop a sense of identity. Richard in Southpaw was growing up because he learned that he shouldn’t view girls as weak people or discriminate against girls. Virgie in Concha was growing up because she stood right next to Concha, representing that she was not afraid. The fourth common theme is about growing up. Richard thinks that girls are not suitable for the boys games because he thinks that girls do not have the ability to play. So he thinks that Janet cannot be on his baseball team. After some arguing with Janet, he changed his mind about girls. At first, Virgie is a bit scared to defend Concha from Mundo saying mean things. Virgie was only defending a little bit because she was scared she would be bullied by Mundo. But after a while when another incident happens, Virgie stands at her point of defending Concha by saying things back to Mundo. Discussing and identifying commonalities and differences could reveal common themes as well as new insights and perspectives, contributing to the overall understanding of the stories.
Overall, the process of comparing and contrasting in literature is to identify the similarities and differences among two or more literature works. Specifically, two or more literature works are placed next to each other, and then readers begin to examine those part by part to identify if there are any similarities. Such examination involves the personality traits of the characters, the conflicts shown in the plot, the endings, and the changes in characters. Readers are also provided chances to analyze and scan the differences among two or more literature works. Such an analyzing thinking process could be applied to a variety of aspects for readers to discuss, such as the genre, the perspective, the amount of people involved, and the type of conflict. After comparing and contrasting, readers get to recognize the common themes emerging from the two or more literature works, which would deepend readers’ comprehension of the stories.
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