A&P vs. Araby Comparison Paragraphs

A & P vs. Araby Comparison Paragraphs

Paragraph #1: What new idea or understanding did you encounter through the course of the discussion? What did you learn, or in what way did your perspective change as a result of the discussions?

            During the discussion there were some points that were brought up that opened my mind to more similes and hidden meanings in the two stories. I learned that both stories are driven off the main character’s inability to look beyond the surface of things. Something important  that the discussion brought to my attention, was the fact that both characters were blinded by the theory that obtaining materialistic goods, could bring them spiritualistic feelings. In some cases this may be a possibility, but the way the two boys in each story try to obtain their spiritualistic feelings, is essentially based off of immaturity. I was also able to relate the odd endings of each story to how the boys both mature, and how they realize the mistakes they made regarding their blindness. In conclusion, the discussion was able to spark my analyzing skills, and I was able to make more critical connections in both of the stories.

Paragraph #2: If you had to write an essay comparing Araby and A&P, what would be your specific focus or area of interest? On what grounds would you compare the stories? How would you contrast them?

            If I were to write an essay comparing the two stories A&P and Araby, I would focus specifically on how the characters want to achieve a spiritualistic feeling, and how materialistic goods relate to this feeling. In Araby, the girl’s, and the bizarre poster’s surface blinds the main character and he does not look past the surface. He thinks he can achieve a spiritualistic feeling of being with the girl, by getting her a materialistic good. In A&P Sammy wants the spiritualistic feeling of freedom, and the fact that he thinks he can obtain this by physically hanging out with the girls because he thinks they are attractive. He is blinded by the girl’s appearance and does not look beyond the surface. I would then contrast the ending of the stories talking about how both characters realize their mistakes caused by their blindness. The two characters also react differently to this realization.

Sample Essay

In the two stories A&P and Araby, the two characters want to achieve a spiritualistic feeling, and both characters are blinded by how materialistic goods relate to this feeling. In Araby, the main character wants to get a girl that he thinks is like an angel. In reality the girl is very ordinary and he is blinded by her physical appearance. He thinks that he can obtain the spiritualistic feeling of being with the girl by obtaining a materialistic good at the bizarre. The poster advertising the bizarre also blinds him, as he see eastern people on the board and he assumes the event will be very mystical. These both prove that the main character is blinded by the surface of items, and does not have the maturity to look beyond it. In A&P, Sammy the main character, wants to obtain the spiritualistic feeling of freedom.. He sees the girls as only what their physical appearance is and he wants to hang out with them as he finds one of them to be very attractive. He realizes that if he gets to hang out with the girls, it will give him a reason to quit his job and obtain this feeling of freedom. In the end his plan does not work out, as the girls do not even notice him. In the end his maturity grows as he realizes how dumb his decision was, and he realizes that he was blinded by the physical appearance of the girls. He thinks that the world will be harder from then on in, as he likely not be blinded again, and he wont ever be able to make decisions based on his blindness, meaning that he will make more mature decisions that probable wont be the decisions that he really wants to make. In conclusion, both the character’s blindness causes them to think that they can achieve spiritualistic feelings, from obtaining materialistic goods. They both end up maturing at the end and in Araby he is disgusted with his blindness, and in A&P he realizes the “mature” world he now has to live in is going to be a lot harder.