Compare and Contrast Fiction and Non-Fiction
Compare and Contrast Fiction and Non-Fiction
Read the following passage:
Erica stared at a picture of her grandfather. Every Memorial Day, she liked to look at the picture and imagine what he had been like. She'd heard plenty of stories. Her grandfather had been a soldier in the Army, a courageous man who died protecting his country before Erica was born. She knew he had been well-respected and died with honor. Even though she had never known him, it made Erica proud to know that she was related to such a wonderful man.
Now read this passage:
Staff Sergeant Edward "Bud" McMillan was honored at this year's Memorial Day ceremony. McMillan was a soldier who served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He lost his life protecting our precious country and will always be remembered for the courage and honor he displayed during a time of war. Representing Staff Sergeant McMillan at the ceremony were his wife, Carmen, his son, Jack, and his granddaughter, Erica. The family was presented with a special military flag and a posthumous Medal of Honor.
What do you notice about both passages?
Chances are you notice that both passages talk about someone who served honorably in the military. You may also notice that while both passages cover the same topic, one of the passages is fiction and the other is an informational text.
When you are comparing and contrasting, sometimes you compare and contrast fiction and non-fiction texts. Often the two texts are written about a similar topic or historical event, but one of the texts is not entirely based on fact.
When you compare and contrast fiction and and non-fiction texts, you focus on a few key areas:
- Diction (Word Choice)
- Descriptions
- Theme or Main Idea
- Key Details or Facts
Let's compare and contrast the two passages from above.
Diction
Diction describes the author's choice of words. In this case, you will want to note whether certain words or types of words are shared by the passages. For example, you'll notice that both passages use military terms, such as Staff Sergeant, and words that are usually used to describe soldiers, such as honor and respect.
In this case, both passage use similar words. However, not all texts have similar diction. When you find texts that do not have similar diction, you should ask yourself, "How do the different word choices change what I think about the topic?"
Descriptions
Descriptions focuses on how each piece describes or portrays its topic. In both of these passages, the soldier is described as someone who was courageous and well-respected.
In this case, both passages have similar descriptions, but that may not always be the case. If the descriptions differ, you should ask yourself, "Why do they differ?"
Theme or Main Idea
The theme or main idea is what the passage is all about. Both of these passages tell about an honorable soldier, but the main idea in each one is slightly different. In the fiction passage, the main idea is that Erica is proud of her grandfather, even though she never knew him.
In the non-fiction passage, the main idea is "Edward 'Bud' McMillan was an honorable soldier who died for his country."
You must ask yourself, "Do the differences in the main ideas change how I think about the topic?" In this case, the answer is probably no since both pieces are so similar.
Key Details or Facts
When you compare fiction to non-fiction, you must keep in mind that in a piece of fiction, not all of the details are necessarily true. You must look at the key details or facts in each passage and ask yourself:
- Are there any details in the fiction passage that are not in the non-fiction passage?
- If so, how do these details add or take away from the topic?
- Are there any details in the non-fiction passage that are not in the fiction passage?
- If so, how do the details help me better understand the fiction passage?
- What key details do both passages share?
- Which of the details that they share are the most important?
In the case of the passages above, there are not really details in the fiction passage that are not in the non-fiction passage. There are, however, details in the non-fiction passage that are not in the fiction passage. After reading the non-fiction passage, you learn that Erica's grandfather was a Staff Sergeant in the Army and that he was awarded a Medal of Honor. This might help you understand why Erica was so proud of her grandfather.
Answer the practice questions below, and then complete the worksheets to practice comparing and contrasting fiction and non-fiction.
Related Worksheets: