Comparing Two Authors on One Topic

Compare how two authors with different purposes or perspectives present the same topic.

When two authors write about the same topic, comparing them reveals how purpose and perspective shape a text. Look at four things: each author's purpose, their point of view, the evidence they choose, and their word choice and tone. Example with two original texts about a proposal to build a wind farm near a coastal town. Author A, an energy engineer, aims to explain benefits. She uses data on clean electricity and job creation and a confident, informative tone. Author B, a local fisher, aims to raise concerns.

He describes how construction might disturb fishing grounds, uses personal stories, and has a worried, protective tone. Both mention the ocean, but A frames it as a source of wind power and B as a livelihood. Neither is simply right or wrong; each highlights what their perspective makes important. A strong comparison states the difference clearly, gives evidence from both texts, and explains how each author's background and purpose might explain their choices.

• 1Compare purpose, point of view, evidence, and tone
• 2Background and purpose help explain each author's choices
• 3Give evidence from both texts