Comparing and Contrasting Fiction
Comparing and Contrasting Fiction
Story #1: Once there were three little pigs who lived in an apartment in New York City. One day an apartment forced the pigs to leave their apartment and find new homes. The first little pig didn't want to spend much time looking, so he made his home in a cardboard box in an alley. The second little pig wasn't too concerned where he lived, so he rented the first place he saw advertised. But the third little pig knew he wanted someplace nice and safe. He hired a realtor to help him find the best apartment in the city.
Story #2: Once there were three little pigs who lived in the countryside with their mother. One day, their mother decided her pigs needed to learn to live on their own. She sent them off to build houses of their own. The first little pig picked up a few sticks and threw them together to build a simple shack. The second little pig gathered some straw and wove it together to make a little hut. The third little pig wanted something strong and safe, so he gathered bricks and carefully put them together to build a nice house with a chimney.
Both of the stories above tell about three little pigs, but they're not exactly the same. To figure out how the stories are the same and different, we can compare and contrast them.
When you compare and contrast fiction, you should focus on five key areas:
- Setting
- Characters
- Plot
- Theme
- Point of View
Setting
The setting is where and when the story takes place. When you're comparing and contrasting stories, you should ask:
- Do the stories take place in the same or similar places?
- Do the stories take place during the same or a similar time period?
By comparing the stories above, you can determine that:
- The first story takes place in the city
- The second story takes place in the country
Characters
Most stories have characters. The characters are the people, or animals, who play a role in the story. When comparing and contrasting characters in stories, you should ask:
- Are any of the characters the same?
- Are any of the characters different?
- Do any of the characters look alike?
- Do any of the characters act alike?
- Do any of the characters have something in common?
- Do any of the characters in the first story remind me of the characters in the second story?
If you look at the characters in the two stories above, you can figure out that:
- Both stories feature three pigs
- The first pig is the laziest in both stories
- The third pig wanted a safe house in both stories
- The pigs' mother is mentioned in the second story, but not the first story.
Plot
The plot is what happens in a story. Two stories can have similar plots, even if some of the specific details are different. When comparing and contrasting the plot of two or more stories, you should ask:
- What events happen in both stories?
- How are the plots of the stories the same?
- How are the plots of the stories different?
If you look at the plots of the two stories above, you can figure out that:
- In both stories the pigs must find new homes.
- In the first story, there is a fire. In the second story, their mother kicks them out.
Theme
Theme is the overall message of the story. When you compare and contrast fiction, you want to ask, "Do the stories have the same or similar themes?"
Let's add a little more to the stories above:
Story #1: Now, there was a wolf in New York City who was known for being big and bad. He was also known for trying to harm pigs. One day, the wolf was walking down an alley when he spotted the first little pig's cardboard box. He picked up the box and ripped it to shreds. Next, he came to the apartment of the second little pig and found the door standing wide open. He walked right in and starting tearing everything in the apartment apart. While he was there, he found the address for the third little pig's apartment and thought he'd pay him a visit too. However, when he got to the third little pig's apartment, the doorman turned him away. That day, the third little pig learned that it paid to take the time to be safe.
Story #2: One day, the Big Bad Wolf was walking down the road when he stumbled upon the first little pig's shack. Now, the Big Bad Wolf didn't like little pigs, so he took a match and set the pig's shack on fire. As he continued down the road, the Big Bad Wolf stumbled upon the second little pig's hut made of straw. He lit another match and set it on fire too. Finally, the Big Bad Wolf came to the third little pig's house. However, when he tried to set his house on fire, the bricks quickly extinguished the flames. The third little pig learned that it paid to take the time to build a strong, safe house.
Did you catch the theme of each story? In this case, each story had the same theme - "It pays to take the time to be safe."
Point of View
Stories can be told from 1st person, 2nd person, or 3rd point of view. They can also be told from the point of view of different characters in the story or from narrators who have different attitudes towards the characters. When comparing and contrasting the point of view of two or more stories, you should ask:
- Who is telling each story?
- How is the point of view similar?
- How is the point of view different?
In the case of these two stories, both are told from the third person point of view. In both stories, the narrator also thinks the wolf is a bad guy and that the third little pig is very wise.
Tools for Comparing and Contrasting
When you're comparing and contrasting two or more stories, you can simply ask the questions and keep the answers in your head or write them down on paper. You can also use a graphic organizer, such as a Venn diagram or T-chart to compare the two.
Use the practice questions and worksheet below to put your comparing and contrasting skills to work.
Related Worksheets: