Short stories
Compare and Contrast Essay
How similar can two short stories inevitably get? Differences in the short stories are everywhere. Hence, it would cause some people to think if I were to say that all short stories were similar in some way. To anyone who has read a few short stories, that statement is absurd. Given these points, I will be comparing and contrasting in the next three paragraphs on two uniquely different short stories. One short story is, “Invitations” by Carol Shields, and the other is, “Black Walls” by Liu Xin Wu. I will be comparing or contrasting the following factors, including types of characters, a point of view, settings, plot, mood and tone. The next paragraph will include a detailed summary of half of the differences
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Both stories incorporate one principal aspect that both have in common which is everyone has their own reasons. In the story “Black Walls,” Mr.Zhou has reasons to paint his room walls black it was his decision, his choice, his room and was not affecting anyone else. Likewise, “Invitations” the protagonist decided to stay home and read her book instead of going out to any of the invitations. Inevitably, both author’s used similar aspects when composing their stories; the aspect involves the mysterious man/person found in both short stories. The mysterious person was mentioned throughout both stories. First was the mysterious person who was sending the invitations for the same day and same hour. For instance, in the story “Invitations,” the protagonist said she felt directly threatened and said, “Something or someone was conspiring to consume a portion of her life, of herself” (Shields 30). Although the other story has a mysterious man who the author talks about but the neighbours of him do not know much about him, and he does not talk unless forced. Given that, in the following body, the differences to the point of views and moods that the authors wrote will be mentioned about in the
The two stories were alike in the fact that both authors lost their parents at a very young age. Since they lost their parents at a young age, they were both raised by their grandparents. Both stories also begin with a safe arrival to a new country. Both also said the journey to the new country was a two month long trip. And lastly, the the refugees and the pilgrims traveled to a completely different continents and had to adapt to new cultures. These are all the similarities between the two stories.
The similarity and connection existing between the two stories is the point of view in the two essays. The stories are both written in the first person perspective and that
Sadly, to this day, women are still treated like objects in various parts of the world. Whether forced into marriage or used for inhumane acts, it is a shame that changes towards the treatment of women are only starting to take place now. An insightful look into the worlds of poorly treated women is seen in the short stories “Another Evening at The Club”, and “The Leaving”. Alifa Rifaat, the author of “Another Evening.” depicts the life of an eastern teenager that was forced into marriage and is controlled by the actions of her husband. While the main character, Samia, seems to act as an evil accomplice of her husband, her actions are driven by the need to serve a purposeful life for the sake of survival, and their image together. Similarly,
There are many books, written by numerous authors, containing similar themes and elements. Two such stories fitting that description are Angela’s Ashes and The Street. The former takes place in Ireland and is written by Frank McCourt; the latter is set in New York and is written by Ann Petry. The characters seem like they would not have much, if anything, in common. Frank McCourt’s main character is a child, born into a large, impoverished family; Petry’s is a single mother trying to get by. Additionally, their geographical locations and the cultures in each place vary greatly. However, their stories are similar in the fact that both characters have relating struggles. The primary theme of each of their stories is close to identical. Both
The stories we read in class had a lot of distinct similarities in each story. One similarity I saw was; all the stories introduced their settings in the beginning. Also, all the stories explain some truths about the world we live in. For example, in The Lottery, this story shows the danger of blindly following traditions of the community was so used to playing the lottery, that it has become a normal habit for them not realizing the damage this “lottery” is causing them and the people who has to lose their life for it. Another example, in The Lottery, is when Mrs. Delacroix turned against her good friend Tessie by picking up the largest stone to kill her which shows that there are certain friends you may have and when certain situations happens, their true colors will show and they may not have been a true friend to begin with. Also, in Young Goodman Brown, along his spiritual journey he encountered people he knew already, but then those people started to act the total opposite of what Goodman thought of his friends. This shows that in life, not everything is what it seems, no matter how you see it. Another example is
Currently, a plethora of outstanding stories have been written. What makes a story, though? The answer is the elements that the author includes into his or her writing, such as symbolism and imagery. "Hills like White Elephants," written by Ernest Hemingway, and "A Good Man is Hard to Find," written by Flannery O'Connor, are just two examples of admirable work. Each writer incorporated plenty of elements to improve the story. Since the amount of elements is limited, these two writers exploited several of the same ones. Although the stories have numerous resemblances, they are also remarkably different.
In a way, these two stories are similar because both the authors had carefully chosen the words they
The short story, as with other literary forms, is not defined by its actual parameters. Subject and theme may be as varied as those within full-length novels, just as the author's individual style plays an inevitable role in shaping the work. That said, there is a common element uniting short stories; they usually create impact due to the brevity itself, which authors typically rely on to make a more direct impression. Condensed, the form offers more overt power, and this is evident in how William Faulkner and Edgar Allan Poe employ it to achieve distinctly Gothic effects. “A Rose for Emily” and “The Cask of Amontillado” are very different stories set in very different worlds, and the tone of the narration in each is equally
While each story had their contrasting elements, the base theme of each was remarkably similar; Both of the authors manipulate the theme of motherhood to examine the ideas of slavery, home and forgiveness during two very different time periods.
In a way, these two stories are similar because both the authors had carefully chosen the words
Thesis: Death is the main theme of both short stories and both authors portrayed this dark and dreary idea as a game the characters are playing.
place nearly forty years apart. After a second read, however, it was easy to notice a distant
Compare two short stories where the characters face difficult situations We are comparing the stories ‘Flight’ by Doris Lessing and ‘Your shoes’ by Michele Roberts. They both deal with the issue of daughters leaving home and how it affects the whole family. In ‘Flight’, the granddad is affected most severely but in ‘Your Shoes’, it is the mother. ‘Your Shoes’ is written in a first person narrative from the mother’s perspective.
When you read a story,no matter if a short story or novel, you probably don't think that the stories you read are written similar or different from other stories by other authors. From the story to the writing style each piece of literature is its own independent piece. For example “The Lesson” By Toni Cade Bambara and “A Rose For Emily” By William Faulkner are two short stories written by two different authors.
The pair of short stories I will be analyzing and comparing is “Harvey’s Dream” by Stephen King, and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates. These two stories are similar in many ways, and they can be compared critically based on their diction, point of view, similarities in narration, characterization, tone, et cetera. Though the stories are from different authors and have different plots, by comparing their literary techniques, their similarities can be unearthed.