Responding to an Image

The large photograph of the young couple was taken at Woodstock in August 1969 and then featured on the cover for the album and the poster for the movie that recorded the event. The smaller insert, taken before the event’s fortieth anniversary, shows the same couple, Nick and Bobbi Ercoline, now married for decades. Examine the two photographs carefully, noting similarities and differences. What does each image convey about its era? What does each convey about the couple, whether age twenty or sixty? What qualities made the original image iconic? What similar or different qualities are captured in the more recent image?

Which city — Dallas or Atlanta — has more advantages or drawbacks for a young single person thinking of settling down to a career? Which of two ads for the same toy appeals more effectively to parents who want to get durability as well as educational value for their money? As singers and songwriters, how are Beyoncé Knowles and Taylor Swift similar and dissimilar? Such questions invite answers that set two subjects side by side.

When you compare, you point out similarities; when you contrast, you discuss differences. When you write about two complicated subjects, usually you need to do both. Considering Mozart and Bach, you might find that each has traits the other has — or lacks. Instead of concluding that one is great and the other inferior, you might conclude that they’re two distinct composers, each with an individual style. On the other hand, if your main purpose is to judge between two subjects (such as moving either to Dallas or to Atlanta), you would look especially for positive and negative features, weigh the attractions and faults of each city, and then stick your neck out and make your choice.