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Comparison & Contrast

Comparison & Contrast. The Riverside Reader. When you come in…. Grab a book! Read: “Two Views of the River” by Mark Twain pp.159-162 Consider: What does Twain accomplish by dividing the two views of the river than alternating them beneath several headings?

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Comparison & Contrast

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  1. Comparison & Contrast The Riverside Reader

  2. When you come in… • Grab a book! • Read: “Two Views of the River” by Mark Twain pp.159-162 • Consider: • What does Twain accomplish by dividing the two views of the river than alternating them beneath several headings? • Which attitude – poetic or pragmatic – does Twain anticipate his readers have toward the river? Explain your answer. • Where does Twain use transition phrases and sentences to match up the parts of his comparison?

  3. Mark Twain’s “Two Views of the River.” • Create a chart that demonstrates at least five differences in the apprentice’s and the pilot’s views of the river.

  4. Comparison & Contrast Background • Compare = look for similarities • Contrast = look for differences

  5. Purpose • Analyze similarities & differences in a systematic, useful way that brings out significant differences • Strict comparison • Compare only things that are truly alike (actors with actors, musicians with musicians, but not actors with musicians) • Make a judgment, and finally a choice • Fanciful comparison • Set up an imaginative, illuminating comparison between two things that don’t seem at all alike • Helps clarify a complex idea

  6. Fanciful Comparison – Pitfalls • Constructing an entire essay using a fanciful comparison can quickly breakdown. • Use this method most effectively as a device for enlivening your writing and highlighting dramatic similarities. • Probably won’t be using to make judgments or recommend choices • Capture readers’ attention and show new connections

  7. Audience • Think about what your readers already know and what they’re going to expect • A lot about both (two popular TV shows) • Spend a little time pointing out similarities and concentrate on making the comparison • Very little about either (Buddhism & Shintoism) • Define each, using concepts audience is familiar with, then point out important contrasts • A lot about one and a little about the other (football & rugby) • Use the known to explain the unknown • Keep the essay balanced (not 90% on Buddhism and 10% on Shintoism)

  8. Strategies • Divided, or subject-by-subject, pattern • Present all info on one topic before you bring in info on the other topic • Benefits: lets you present each part of essay as a satisfying whole; especially good in short essays • Drawbacks: sometimes writers slip into writing what seems like two separate essays; in long essays, writers may have trouble organizing material clearly enough to keep readers on track • Alternating, or point-by-point, pattern • Work your way through the comparison point by point, giving information first on one aspect of the topic, then on the other • Benefits: shows subjects side by side, emphasizing the points you’re comparing; good for longer essays to show many complex points to help readers see how those points match up • Drawback: if used on a simple topic in a short essay, it will sound choppy and disconnected, like a list

  9. Strategies (cont’d) • COMBINE strategies to make the best of both worlds. • Guidelines: • Balance parts • Include reminders • Supply reasons

  10. Points to Remember • Decide whether you want the pattern of your comparison to focus on complete units (divided) or specific features (alternating). • Consider the possibility of combining the two patterns. • Determine which subject should be placed in the first position and why. • Arrange the points of your comparison in a logical, balanced, and dramatic sequence. • Make sure you introduce and clarify the reasons for making your comparison.

  11. Homework… Read Deborah Tannen’s Rapport-Talk and Report-Talk pp.174-187 Answer the questions that follow (also available on next slide).

  12. Read Deborah Tannen’s “Rapport-Talk and Report-Talk” Purpose • What does Tannen want to demonstrate about the relationship between communication failure and conversational style? • How do size (the number of people) and status (those people claiming authority) contribute to Tannen’s comparison of rapport-talk and report-talk? Audience • What assumptions does Tannen make about the probable gender of most of her readers? • How does Tannen assume her audience can benefit from her analysis? Strategies • How does Tannen use advice columns, movies, and cartoons to illustrate the problems of domestic communication? • How does Tannen use her own experience as a lecturer to compare the way men and women talk in public?

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