Comparison

Paragraph #3

Every day, we make decisions based on comparisons. In literature class, you have read two
survival stories. Is a made-up story (fiction) really as good as a real-life story (non-fiction)? In
class, we will discuss criteria that we can use to compare these stories. Then, you will make
charts that illustrate these comparisons. Finally, you will select what you think is the best
criteria and compare these stories. In the end, you will reveal which book you liked better
Hatchet or Lost Trail.

Student Sample
Detail VS Truth
By comparing and contrasting two great survival stories that we recently read in literature
class, I will show you why I like one story better than the other. Hatchet was a fictionalized
survival story, and Lost Trail was a real survival story. There are several similarities in the main
characters. Brian, the main character in Hatchet, is from New York, is a teen, and reads about
adventure or watches it on TV. Donn, the main character from Lost Trail, is also a teen from
New York who has learned about survival through Scouts. Neither character is really prepared
for survival. On the other hand, there is quite a difference between where they were lost and
how they survived. Brian was lost in the northeast Canadian wilderness while on his way to visit
his dad. In detail, the author describes how Brian survived for fifty-four days after the plane he
was in crashes into an L-shaped mountain lake. We see him build a shelter, learn how to hunt
and fish, and survive being attacked by animals. Donn, on the other hand, got lost on a
mountain while hiking with a group in Maine. He had to survive for only nine days, and the
author uses less detail in describing how Brian spent most of that time walking. In conclusion,
the details that the author used in describing the setting and action in Hatchet made that book
more exciting for me.