When you approach a study of literature with teens, it’s good to start with identifying the setting, plot, and theme. Those are the basic elements for understanding any story you’re reading. Once you’ve become comfortable in identifying these aspects of a story, you can continue to encourage deeper thought through comparison.

How Is Comparison A Good Thing?

Teens are natural at comparison. They are constantly comparing themselves with others or to another ideal. They are generally considering whether someone is smarter, prettier, uglier, taller, thinner, more athletic, etc. You can take advantage of this practiced skill to deepen their thinking about literature.

But how is it a good thing? The current model for comparison is shallow and based on appearances. It’s a quick judgement. That doesn’t make the concept of comparing a bad thing; it just means our teens need to learn a better way. By giving your teens the tools to think deeply with comparison in literature, you can call their thinking to a higher standard.

Pick Your Terms to Compare

Start with a character from the story you’re reading. Let’s use (affiliate link) The Secret Garden as an example. We could choose any of the characters to investigate more: Mary, the orphaned girl; Dickon, the animal charmer; Colin, Mary’s sickly cousin; Ben, the gruff and elderly gardener; Martha, the charming housekeeper; or Archibald Craven, Mary’s mysterious uncle.

Then you need to pick something to compare your character with. Your options are endless:

• Another character within the story (see list above) – how about Colin
• Any character outside of the story (Bible characters, family members, other book characters) – Anne from Anne of Green Gables
• Any object in the world (a rock, a dog, a pickle, a sock, etc.) – a pickle, that sounds fun!
• Themselves (at a different part of the story) – Mary at the beginning and Mary at the end

Start with Similarities

Don’t expect your teens to start off with deeper thoughts. Those come from thinking about something for a longer period of time. Comparison gives them another area to observe while letting the ideas simmer. The deep thoughts and ideas will come if given enough time.

Let’s start with Mary and compare her with a couple of the options from above. We’ll focus on these three ideas: have, are, and do.

Mary & Colin

What do both have? 

• bad attitudes
• a room to themselves
• servants

What are both? 

• kids
• living in the same house
• alive

What do both do?

• complain
• change their attitude
• work in the garden

Mary & Anne of Green Gables

What do both have? 

• friends
• adult care takers
• imaginations

What are both? 

• girls
• curious
• orphans

What do both do?

• relocate after their parents die
• live in beautiful places
• get in trouble

Deepening the Thinking

The deeper thinking is facilitated after the initial observations are made. Now it’s time to consider how they are different. In the comparison, readers start to identify with the characters and judge their actions. This is wise judgment, because they are really deciding whether a person should behave, act, think, or believe in the way that they do.

All you need to do is take the ways that they are similar and identify the differences:

Differences between Mary & Colin

What do both have? 

• bad attitudes – Mary was spoiled and contrary before her parents died, whereas Colin thinks he’s dying so he wants to make everyone else’s life miserable.
• a room to themselves – Mary’s room is secluded from the rest of the house, and Colin’s room is hidden.
• servants – Mary makes friends with hers, while Colin isolates himself from his.

What are both? 

• kids – one is a girl, and one is a boy
• living in the same house – Mary is a guest, while Colin was born there
• alive – one is healthy, and one is sick

What do both do?

• complain – Mary complains quietly to Martha, while Colin complains loudly to all of the staff
• change their attitude – Mary is transformed by working in the garden, and Colin is transformed by Mary’s encouragement
• work in the garden – Mary works more than Colin does

Differences between Mary & Anne of Green Gables

What do both have? 

• friends – Mary is awkward at first, while Anne makes kindred spirit friendships
• adult care takers – Mary’s care taker doesn’t want to see her, whereas Anne’s care taker is very involved in shaping her character
• imaginations – Mary’s is limited, but Anne’s is active

What are both? 

• girls – Mary is younger, while Anne is older
• curious – Mary’s curiosity brings life to the house, whereas Anne’s curiosity brings trouble to her house
• orphans – Mary had family to take her in, but Anne didn’t have any family

What do both do?

• relocate after their parents die – Mary goes to live with family, and Anne is adopted by strangers
• live in beautiful places – Mary lives in a great manor, while Anne lives in Green Gables
• get in trouble – Mary knows what she’s doing is against the rules, but Anne finds herself in “scrapes” due to her overactive imaginations

Expressing Understanding

Once students have contemplated the similarities and differences of two objects, they can then express their ideas in writing. Comparison papers are an excellent way to express understanding of a concept. They could easily choose three elements in which to elaborate upon. Adding an introduction and a conclusion would make a nice five paragraph essay.

This doesn’t have to be limited to literature. You could have your students compare two wars, two animals, or two paintings. Once they have the tool of comparison in their tool belt, they will unlock a whole new realm of thinking about a subject.

Comparison is one of Aristotle’s five topics of invention, or a tool for generating ideas or principles in which one can form an argument. To learn more about comparison and the other tools of invention, read (affiliate link) The Office of Assertion: An Art of Rhetoric for Academic Essay.