Comparison: Using in Writing

Introduction

Comparison is a literary device writers use to show the nuances of complex ideas, characters, or situations. Through juxtaposing two distinct objects, authors try to reveal their similarities and differences, providing readers with clear understanding of the object compared.

This device not only aids in clarifying complex concepts but also fills the narrative with vivid imagery and emotional resonance. By drawing parallels between disparate elements, authors evoke powerful reactions from their audience.

This is how comparison serves as an indispensable tool for writers to shed light their subject matter and engage readers on emotional level and academic level.

Creating comparisons in a fictional work helps to add depth and complexity to characters, themes, and settings. Here are some tips for creating effective comparisons in your writing:

Step	Explanation	Example
1. Select Relevant Subjects	Choose two subjects or ideas that share some common attributes but might not be directly related. This contrast can lead to intriguing insights and captivating descriptions.	For a poem, select the themes of nature and human emotions.
2. Identify Shared Traits	Determine the specific qualities, characteristics, or traits that the two subjects share. These commonalities form the basis of your comparison and will help you create meaningful connections.	Both nature and human emotions are constantly changing and have various facets.
3. Use Descriptive Language	Employ vivid and sensory language to paint a clear picture of each subject. This allows readers to visualize and engage with your comparison more effectively.	The rustling leaves in the forest whispered secrets like a hidden choir, while her tears flowed like a gentle river down her cheeks.
4. Employ Similes and Metaphors	Similes and metaphors are key tools in creating comparisons. Similes use “like” or “as” to directly compare two things, while metaphors equate one thing to another.	“His determination was like a wildfire, consuming every obstacle in its path.”
5. Enhance Emotion and Atmosphere	Utilize comparison to evoke emotions and set the tone of your writing. By associating your subjects with specific feelings or atmospheres, you can establish a deeper connection with your readers.	The stormy sky mirrored the turmoil in her heart, casting a shadow over her thoughts.
6. Avoid Clichés	While familiar comparisons can be effective, try to steer clear of overused clichés. Create unique and fresh comparisons to make your writing stand out.	Instead of saying “quiet as a mouse,” try “silent as the pause between heartbeats.”
7. Consider Cultural References	Incorporate comparisons that your target audience can relate to. Cultural references can add another layer of meaning to your writing, making it more relatable and engaging.	“Her laughter resonated through the room, like the opening chords of a familiar song.”
8. Maintain Consistency	Once you introduce a comparison, ensure consistency throughout your writing. Don’t mix metaphors or abruptly switch between different types of comparisons.	If you begin by describing a garden as a tapestry of colors, avoid suddenly comparing it to a symphony of scents.
9. Highlight Contrasts and Similarities	Depending on your purpose, emphasize either the contrasts or the similarities between the two subjects. This choice can shape the tone and message of your writing.	To emphasize unity, explore how the contrast between city life and rural landscapes reveals shared moments of tranquility.
10. Revise and Refine	After drafting, review your comparisons for clarity, impact, and relevance. Revise and refine your language to ensure that your comparisons enhance the overall quality of your writing.	Replace vague comparisons with more specific and evocative imagery during the editing process.
11. Read Widely	Expose yourself to a variety of literature to observe how accomplished authors employ comparison effectively. Analyze their techniques and adapt them to your own writing style.	Study authors like Shakespeare, who masterfully used comparisons in his plays and sonnets to convey complex emotions.
12. Practice Patience	Mastering the art of comparison takes practice. Be patient with yourself and keep experimenting to find your unique voice and style when using this literary device.	Understand that becoming proficient at creating compelling comparisons is a gradual process that requires dedication and perseverance.

Benefits of Comparison

1. Clarity and Understanding:

• Clear Visual Representation: Comparisons provide a tangible and relatable image that helps readers grasp abstract concepts more easily.
• Enhanced Comprehension: Complex ideas become simpler to understand when compared to familiar or concrete objects.

2. Engaging and Captivating:

• Reader Engagement: Comparisons pique readers’ curiosity by drawing parallels between seemingly unrelated subjects, keeping them interested.
• Emotional Connection: Well-crafted comparisons evoke emotions, making the content more emotionally resonant and memorable.

3. Effective Communication:

• Simplification of Complex Ideas: Comparisons break down intricate concepts into digestible parts, making them accessible to a wider audience.
• Universal Language: Comparisons bridge language barriers and cultural differences, conveying messages that transcend boundaries.

4. Vivid Imagery:

• Immersive Description: Comparisons use sensory details to create vivid mental images, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the text.
• Memorable Descriptions: Striking comparisons leave a lasting impression in the reader’s mind due to their imaginative and unique nature.

5. Emotion Elicitation:

• Emotional Impact: Well-chosen comparisons trigger emotional responses, eliciting empathy and resonance in readers.
• Atmosphere Establishment: Comparisons set the tone and mood of the content by associating subjects with particular feelings or atmospheres.

6. Enhanced Persuasion:

• Analogies for Persuasion: Comparisons can be used as persuasive tools by aligning the reader’s existing beliefs with the writer’s viewpoint.
• Visualizing Benefits: Through comparisons, readers can better understand the benefits of a certain idea, product, or concept.

7. Increased Memorability:

• Memorable Mental Hooks: Unique and creative comparisons serve as mental hooks that help readers retain information for longer periods.
• Aiding Recall: Readers are more likely to remember content that features engaging comparisons due to the visual and emotional impact.

8. Cognitive Engagement:

• Intellectual Stimulation: Comparisons encourage critical thinking by prompting readers to explore connections and analyze differences.
• Active Participation: Readers actively engage with the content as they process and evaluate the validity of the comparison.

9. Expressive Writing:

• Creative Expression: Comparisons offer writers a versatile tool for conveying thoughts and emotions in a more imaginative and expressive manner.
• Style and Voice: Authors can establish a unique writing style by employing comparisons that reflect their individual voices.

10. Highlighting Contrasts and Similarities:

• Contrast Illumination: Comparisons emphasize differences between subjects, helping readers identify distinctions that might have been overlooked.
• Common Ground Identification: By highlighting shared traits, comparisons enable readers to recognize connections and similarities.

11. Attention Retention:

• Reader Focus: Effective comparisons maintain the readers’ attention by providing intriguing points of reference throughout the content.
• Avoiding Monotony: Varied comparisons prevent content from becoming monotonous, adding dynamic and engaging elements.

12. Cultural and Contextual Relevance:

• Cultural Understanding: Appropriate comparisons grounded in cultural references enhance relatability and understanding for diverse audiences.
• Contextual Application: Comparisons tailored to specific contexts ensure that the intended message is well-received and relevant.

Using comparisons in your writing offers a multitude of advantages that contribute to better communication, reader engagement, and impactful expression.Top of Form

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Comparison and Literary Theory

Literary Theory	Interpretation	Application of Literary Theory on Comparison
Formalism Literary Theory	Comparison could be used to analyze the structure, form, and language of literary works. It helps identify patterns, themes, and motifs within a specific work or across works in the same tradition.	In a formalist critique, comparisons are employed to examine how different works within the same literary tradition utilize similar or contrasting structures, forms, or language techniques. For example, in comparing William Wordsworth’s poem “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” with Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” one can analyze how both poems use natural imagery to evoke emotional responses and convey meaning.
Reader-Response Literary Theory	Comparison could be used to explore the diverse interpretations and responses of readers to different works, authors, or genres.	In a reader-response critique, comparison can be utilized to examine how readers’ responses and interpretations vary when encountering similar themes, characters, or narrative techniques in different literary works. For instance, comparing the reader responses to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights could reveal how different readers’ backgrounds and perspectives lead to contrasting interpretations of love and relationships in the two novels.
Postcolonial Literary Theory	Comparison could be employed to examine the impact of colonialism and imperialism on literature and culture.	In a postcolonial critique, comparison analyzes how different literary works portray the experiences of colonized peoples and colonizers, and how they depict power dynamics, cultural clashes, or resistance. For example, comparing Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart with Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness highlights the contrasting perspectives on colonialism and its effects, shedding light on the complex relationship between colonized and colonizer.
Feminist Literary Theory	Comparison could be utilized to analyze the representation and experiences of women in literature.	In a feminist critique, comparisons are employed to examine how different literary works present women characters, their agency, and the challenges they face. For instance, comparing Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” with Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” allows for an exploration of how each work portrays women’s struggles for autonomy and liberation within patriarchal societies. Comparison also enables the analysis of how the authors engage with feminist themes and ideas differently.
Psychoanalytic Literary Theory	Comparison can be used to explore the unconscious motivations and desires of characters and analyze the representation of archetypes or symbols.	In a psychoanalytic critique, comparison can be employed to analyze how different characters in literary works manifest similar or contrasting psychological experiences, desires, or defense mechanisms. For example, comparing the characters of Hamlet from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet and Holden Caulfield from J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye can reveal the manifestation of unresolved psychological conflicts and the exploration of the archetype of the tormented youth in different contexts. Comparison also allows for the examination of how authors employ psychoanalytic concepts to explore human behavior and motivations.

Suggested Readings

1. Brooks, Cleanth. The Well Wrought Urn: Studies in the Structure of Poetry. Harcourt, Brace & World, 1947.
2. Eliot, T.S. The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism. Methuen, 1920.
3. Hirsch, E.D. Jr. Valid Interpretation: Perspectives on Meaning in the Arts. Yale University Press, 1967.
4. Miller, J. Hillis. On Literature. Routledge, 2002.
5. Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Philosophy of Composition.” Graham’s Magazine, vol. 28, no. 4, 1846, pp. 163-167.
6. Shklovsky, Viktor. “Art as Technique.” Russian Formalist Criticism: Four Essays, translated by Lee T. Lemon and Marion J. Reis, University of Nebraska Press, 1965, pp. 3-24.
7. Wimsatt, W.K., and Monroe C. Beardsley. The Verbal Icon: Studies in the Meaning of Poetry. University Press of Kentucky, 2011.
8. Wood, James. How Fiction Works. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008.