Compare & Contrast

HOW TO WRITE A COMPARE AND CONTRAST ANSWER?

- Carefully consider both texts (make notes)

- List key similarities and differences
- Isolate most important points and turn them into central argument

● major themes, messages

● Tone
● Language
● Mood
● Effect on Audience
● Linguistic techniques and their effect on the audience

- Write an outline to form the skeleton of your essay

- Fill in textual details to write essay (evidence)
- Use PIE (Point, Illustrate, Explain)

Your compare and contrast should:

1. Include a good introduction and a thesis statement (main point)
2. Similarities and differences between the two texts for all the
highlighted points.
3. Include a conclusion with main points of statement

The-Literary-Comparison-Contrast-Essay.pdf (jacksonsd.org)
Tips and Techniques to make you strong in Language Analysis
(allassignmenthelp.com)

Common themes
- Crime doesn't pay - Technology
- Own worst enemy - Love conquers all
- Coming of age - Religion
- Death - Humanity Vs. Nature
- Overcoming the odds - Individual Vs. Society
- Capitalism - Family
- Good Vs. Evil - War
- Friendship

Common Tone
Cheerful Dry Assertive
Lighthearted Regretful Humorous
Pessimistic Nostalgic
Melancholic
Facetious
Joyful
Sarcastic
Arrogant
Persuasive
Uneasy
Regretful
Reverent
Inspirational

Language Analysis

What to analyse

A Language Analysis is a complete understanding of what a writer expresses

in his/her piece of writing like a poem, an essay, an article, or a story.

Writers generally use language features, figures of speech structural

techniques, and literary elements to convey their ideas.

Language Analysis Elements

To find out the above-mentioned first three elements, there is no need to
read the content. But for the coming elements, we need to read the entire
content to make the language analysis process effective.

Audience: Read and understand to whom the writer or author is addressing.

Also, perform an analysis of how the audience will react after reading the
text and the effectiveness of the text.

Contention: It is the main point of view the author is trying to express in the
content. In the content identify whether the arguments included by the
author are positive or negative.

Title: Have a look at the title and check whether or not the title is related to
the text. Also, note whether it is engaging or persuasive. The readers always
have a fascination with award-winning titles.

Persuasive Elements: Check whether or not the author has incorporated

any persuasive techniques or elements in the content. Some writers will use
that throughout the write-up while some will include it only in a few sections.

Visual Elements: To emphasize an idea, a good writer will always use

strong visual elements suitable to the write-up. Check whether the text
contains any supporting visual elements like images, charts, or graphs.

Tone: Note on what tone the writer expresses his content. The tone can be
formal, informal, or conversational. When presenting the viewpoints, the
tone may change, or it will remain the same throughout.

How to analyse
A language analysis should be done in a deep manner. When analyzing a
text, you should know how it is written. To do language analysis, you must
have strong knowledge of the language features and the language
techniques.

The language features are of different types. In general, the language

features can be classified as structural techniques, language techniques, and
literary devices.

The structural techniques focus on the arrangement of ideas in a text. You

can’t develop content without the language techniques as it is the soul of the
language that covers all the words and phrases.
When it comes to writing language analysis assignments, you need to keep
an eye on the following language features.

Vocabulary

Analyze and identify what kind of words the writer has used in the text you
are given with. Also, find why the writer has employed those words in the
write-up. By analyzing the vocabulary, you should gain an idea of how the
writer or author is playing with words.

To present the content in an interesting way, the writers generally use

symbolism, catchy phrases, adjectives, verbs, etc. But the poets are very
different from the writers because they use figures of speech, rhyming
schemes, etc. to add an effect to their write-up.

Perspective
Find out what point of view the writer keeps in his writing. Also, analyze and
get to know what the writer is trying to portray and why he/she is using that
point of view. The content can be presented in a first, second, or third point
of view depending on the flow of text.

Imagery

Analyze the write-up you are given and identify what kind of picture or an
image the writer employs in his/her writing. Some writers use colors to
symbolize certain things and while some will use attractive landscapes or
geographical locations. So, focus on the various imagery techniques the
writers have implemented in the write-up to create a visual impact on the
reader’s mind.

Syntax

It is one of the tricks the writers usually pick to play with language and
create effects in a poem or a novel. The syntax includes sentence structure
and punctuation. It can be used either in a usual or unusual way.

To enhance the core of the text, some writers use unusual syntaxes like
writing long sentences without punctuation, using heavy or short punctuated
sentences, and folktale narrative language.

Grammar

Each writer follows his/her own style of writing. Some will deliberately write
content with grammatical errors. When you analyze a write-up, make sure if
there are any grammar errors and also check whether or not the writer has
intentionally made errors. Also, have a look at the rhetorical effects and the
tenses used in the write-up.

Analysis of Literary Devices

The literary devices are nothing but the literary elements and the literary
techniques or figures of speech used by many writers to convey their ideas
in a poetic or a smarter way connecting a lot of emotions.

Mentioned here are a few common literary techniques, you can notice in the
write-up when you conduct language analysis.

Alliteration
Using the same letter and the same sound at the beginning of pronunciation
is called Alliteration. It is a literary device used to create a set of words that
start with the sound of the same consonants. The alliteration should not be
heavy because it may spoil the flavor of the write-up.

Eg: Betty Bought Better Butter.

Metaphor

It is a word or a phrase that describes something in a literally untrue way.

Metaphors are one of the common poetic devices used in poems and
literature.

Eg: Love is a battlefield.

Here love is compared to a battlefield, a place where a fight happens.

Onomatopoeia

Words that give a vibe of a sound are called Onomatopoeia. Some examples
of Onomatopoeia sound include giggle, grunt, sprinkle, drizzle, etc. Just to
make the readers feel the action, the writer uses this figure of speech in their
sentences.

Eg: He banged the door and left.

Personification

Another important feature you need to look for in a write-up as a part of

language analysis is personification. It is a representation of an object or
non-living thing as humans. It is a common literary technique the poets and
storytellers use.

Eg: My alarm yelled at me in the morning.

Simile

It is a comparison of two different things using ‘like’ or’as’. To make a

description more vivid, this figure of speech is used predominantly by the
poets.

Eg: He ran as fast as a Cheetah.

Here the running speed of a man is compared with a fast-running cheetah.

Some important tips about writing academic essays:

Course essays should be formal. Formal essays should:
● Avoid a conversational tone
● Avoid the use of personal pronouns referring to the writer or reader
of the essay (I, me, you, your, us, we, our)
● Avoid contractions (shouldn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t, can’t, won’t, etc.) –
Simply spell them out.
● Avoid web-based resources for support (Wikipedia, Sparknotes, or
similar websites)
● Avoid proofreading errors (be sure to spell check and read through
your essay)

EXEMPLAR
Compare and Contrast
Text I
Bush Fire - Jackie Kay

That fire, they said, was red as red as red

as red as a fox, your lips, a cherry;
that fire, they said spread and spread and spread,
faster than a cheetah or a nasty rumor;
that fire, they said, was hot, so hot, so hot,
hotter than lava or an African summer.
That fire, they said, was angry, very angry.
For three roaring days, it danced wildly, wildly, wildly.
Wild as flamenco, strip the willow, a Highland fling.
That fire, they said, had a big bad mouth,
swearing, spluttering, ‘Bring it on! Bring it on!’
That fire, they said, wolfed down the lot –
the lovely little homes, the trees, the land.
That fire, they said, left nothing behind at all:
one blackened trail, one sad scorched story.
Text II
Wildfire

A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire that burns in the wildland vegetation,

often in rural areas. Wildfires can burn in forests, grasslands,
savannas, and other ecosystems, and have been doing so for hundreds
of millions of years. They are not limited to a particular continent or
environment.

Wildfires can burn in vegetation located both in and above the soil.
Ground fires typically ignite in soil thick with organic matter that can
feed the flames, like plant roots. Ground fires can smolder for a long
time—even an entire season—until conditions are right for them to
grow to a surface or crown fire. Surface fires, on the other hand, burn
in dead or dry vegetation that is lying or growing just above the
ground. Parched grass or fallen leaves often fuel surface fires. Crown
fires burn in the leaves and canopies of trees and shrubs.

Some regions, like the mixed conifer forests of California’s Sierra

Nevada mountain range, can be affected by different types of wildfires.
Sierra Nevada forest fires often include both crown and surface spots.

Wildfires can start with a natural occurrence—such as a lightning strike

—or a human-made spark. However, it is often the weather conditions
that determine how much a wildfire grows. Wind, high temperatures,
and little rainfall can all leave trees, shrubs, fallen leaves, and limbs
dried out and primed to fuel a fire. Topography plays a big part too:
flames burn uphill faster than they burn downhill.

Wildfires that burn near communities can become dangerous and even
deadly if they grow out of control. For example, the 2018 Camp Fire in
Butte County, California destroyed almost the entire town of Paradise;
in total, 86 people died.

Still, wildfires are essential to the continued survival of some plant

species. For example, some tree cones need to be heated before they
open and release their seeds; chaparral plants, which include
manzanita, chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), and scrub oak
(Quercus berberidifolia), require fire before seeds will germinate. The
leaves of these plants include a flammable resin that feeds fire,
helping the plants to propagate. Plants such as these depend on
wildfires in order to pass through a regular life cycle. Some plants
require fire every few years, while others require fire just a few times a
century for the species to continue.

Wildfires also help keep ecosystems healthy. They can kill insects and
diseases that harm trees. By clearing scrub and underbrush, fires can
make way for new grasses, herbs, and shrubs that provide food and
habitat for animals and birds. At a low intensity, flames can clean up
debris and underbrush on the forest floor, add nutrients to the soil, and
open up space to let sunlight through to the ground. That sunlight can
nourish smaller plants and give larger trees room to grow and flourish.

While many plants and animals need and benefit from wildfires,
climate change has left some ecosystems more susceptible to flames,
especially in the southwest United States. Warmer temperatures have
intensified drought and dried out forests. The historic practice of
putting out all fires also has caused an unnatural buildup of shrubs and
debris, which can fuel larger and more intense blazes.

C & C Structure

Introduction – Hook, Introduce the two texts, Thesis Statement. (see

example)

SAMPLE 1

Wildfires are devastating, they kill thousands every year, they bring
death and suffering everywhere. The author of text 1, Jackie Kay
depicts how harmful wildfires can be through a poem while text 2
shares the factual details about wildfires. Even though the main focus
of both the authors is to inform the reader about wildfires, text 1
depicts this as a deadly monster whereas text 2 shares the positive
and destructive qualities of wildfires through the use of language,
tone and mood.

SAMPLE 2

Fire destroys everything in its way. Text 1 is a poem by Jackie Kay

titled Bush Fire. Text-2 is an article titled Wildfire. Even though the
authors of both the texts bring out the consequences of forest fires,
there are still some distinctions. While text-1 shares horrors of a
bushfire, on the other hand, Text-2 expresses the pros and cons of a
wildfire through the use of language, tone and mood.