Compare and Contrast Essay

By:Vanessa Kilian
Many kids have a dream job, in Role Playing and Discovery and The Life and
Adventures of Nat Love the texts show someone with a dream and someone who is living their
dream. Nat Loves autobiography is about his life and experiences as a cowboy and how they
have affected him. In Pinkneys personal narrative he shares his childhood interests and how
learning more about cowboys changed his perspective. Role Playing and Discovery and The
Life and Adventures of Nat Love include similarities and differences between both selections.
The audience,characters,and authors purpose can all affect the similarities and differences
between the texts.
The audience in a text can help show who they are writing the story for. Both the selected
texts share similar and different audience characteristics. In both selections the stories share
cowboys. In Role Playing and Discovery Pinkney talks about his childhood and interest in
certain topics or events people could be interested in. For example both stories talk about
cowboys and The Life and Adventure of Nat Love Nat talks about his life as a cowboy. On
page 266, lines 3-5 in Role Playing and Discovery the text says I was most excited when
there were westerns. As a young boy growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania I dreamed of
exploring the early frontier. Those lines from Pinkneys narrative is an example of audience
because it already tells you what the author is interested in, therefore the reader can decide if it is
a topic they are also interested in. On page 269, line 9 in The Life and Adventures of Nat Love
it states Having now fairly begun my life as a cowboy. This short but important quote is an
example of audience because it states what the autobiography is going to be about such as Nats

life as a cowboy. These pieces of evidence from the text show a similarity between both texts
because the authors clearly explain what they are interested in and because the texts are a
personal narrative and autobiography they are going to be about their life.
In Role Playing and Discovery and The Life and Adventures of Nat Love their
characters or personalities are similar and different. Therefore, both texts have a different or
similar way of writing so you understand the author or story. For instance in Pinkneys personal
narrative he is a child so his way of talking and interest are those of a younger person, but in
Nats autobiography he is wise and older so his word choice and actions are one of an older
adult. On page 266,lines 6 and 8 it says My friends and I played at being cowboys and
explorers. We fashioned our own costumes and gear. This piece of evidence shows a
difference in character because Pinkneys actions such as Playing give the reader a hint that he
is writing about his childhood experiences. On page 269, lines 2-3 and 15 in Nat Loves
autobiography it states While my roamings over the range country gave me a knowledge. I
have covered many times in the saddle. This piece of evidence is an example of a difference in
character because Nat uses specific words that trigger his personality or experiences. These
pieces of text from both stories show a difference between character because it shows the
authors personality and how one is wiser and older than the other,by word choice or
experiences.
All authors have a purpose for writing their story, but these two stories share similarities
and differences in this element. For example, in both Role Playing and Discovery and The
Life and Adventures of Nat Love the authors share their thoughts and feelings. In Pinkneys
narrative it says on page 268, lines 22-23 I do wonder, though how we would have been
affected as young boys. This is an example of authors purpose because he is sharing his

thought on how he would have been affected. In The Life and Adventures of Nat Love on page
269, lines 16-18 Nat says These long rides and much traveling over the country were of great
benefit to me. This piece of evidence from Nat Loves autobiography is an example of authors
purpose because he is sharing his feelings about his long rides. The evidence in both these texts
show a similarity because both authors have their own thoughts about their lives and events that
happened during specific experiences.
In both Nat Loves autobiography and Pinkneys personal narrative there are similarities
and differences in elements such as audience, character, and authors purpose. The audience in
both texts are different. One is for younger kids and the other is for older people. In both stories
the word choice or actions of a person can affect their character. Both Nat Loves and Pinkneys
stories express ideas or thoughts. In these texts the similarities and differences are important
because they tell the reader more about the story and can help it be easier to connect to or
understand the story.