Comparing Two Texts
Identify similarities and differences in literary texts on similar topics, themes or plots.
Read this first
Compare point by point, not text by text. That single choice makes the answer readable.
Words you need
- Compare
- Look for what is the same.
- Contrast
- Look for what is different.
- Theme
- The big idea a text explores, like courage or loss.
- Point by point
- Take one feature and cover both texts before moving on.
Worked example
e.g. Two poems are both about the sea. Compare them.
- Pick your points of comparison first. Three is plenty.
- Choose theme, mood and imagery.
- Now take point one: theme. Cover both texts in one paragraph.
- Both poems treat the sea as powerful, but the first admires it and the second fears it.
- Take point two: mood. Again, both texts together.
- Take point three: imagery. Same again.
- Notice what you avoided. You never wrote all about poem one, then all about poem two.
- That layout forces the reader to hold everything in their head.
One point, both texts, then move on.
Practice
Pick three points. Cover both texts on each.
1How many points of comparison are enough?with a picture
AnswerAround three.
2Should you finish one text before starting the other?with a picture
AnswerNo. Take one point across both.
3Both texts are about war. One is a diary, one a poem. What differs?with a hint
Need a hint?
Think about form and purpose.
AnswerThe form, and so the purpose. A diary records; a poem shapes feeling.
4What linking words help in a comparison?with a hint
Need a hint?
You need same and different words.
AnswerBoth, similarly, whereas, in contrast.
5Name three things worth comparing in two stories.on your own
AnswerTheme, character, setting, mood or ending.
6Why is point-by-point clearer?on your own
AnswerThe differences sit side by side. The reader sees them at once.
Think about it
1
Why do the best comparisons find differences inside a similarity?
One good answerSaying both are about the sea is obvious. Saying how they differ shows real reading.
2
Can two texts share a theme but not a message?
One good answerYes, often. Both may be about war while disagreeing about it entirely.
Common mistakes
Comparing means listing what each text says.
That is summarising twice. Comparing means setting them against each other.
You must find the same number of similarities and differences.
No. Follow what the texts actually offer.