There's still a few people out there who think that comparative is really just two
text responses rolled up into the one essay. And boy, are they wrong. I'm sure you guys know
this if you're someone who's here watching this video. Most people are aware that when it comes
to comparative, the main difference from text response is that you're looking for similarities
and differences between the two texts. However, this is where the challenge actually begins.
As you start to study your texts in detail, you'll start to find that other students in
your classroom, maybe friends from other schools, if they're studying the same texts as you, start
coming up with the same examples as you, the same similarities to compare, the same differences.
So to stand out from all of these other students who are writing the exact same thing as you,
having the same pieces of evidence as you, you need to have a strategy. You
need something that's going to wow your examiners and catapult you to the top of the VCE cohort.
Drum roll. Introducing you to my golden rule, the convergent and divergent strategy. This strategy
is simple. It's simple to understand, and it's simple to incorporate into your essays, which is
why it works. If you've ever received feedback, like you need to elaborate, go into more detail,
or need more analysis in your essay, this strategy will help you eliminate those criticisms. It'll
also show your teacher that you're comfortable writing an in-depth analysis using fewer examples.
And this is because you're going to be spending more time going in detail with each example
you offer, because you're going to compare the similarities and then compare the differences.
Rather than using lots of examples in your first half of the body paragraph, grabbing one
similarity here, one similarity, one similarity there. Then in the middle of the paragraph saying,
on the other hand, and then afterwards finding difference, difference, difference, difference,
which can just feel really and really just like, you're just trying to grab and plug in as many
examples as you can. The convergent and divergent strategy will help you
be able to flesh out your paragraph in actual detail, to be able to grapple with one example,
or two or three, really, really well. And that's what examiners are looking for.
When we start looking at similarities in a comparative essay, keep the word convergent
in mind. Having convergent at the forefront of your mind will ensure that you're always aware
of the fact that your examples are never the same. Notice how the blue arrows in this convergent part
of the graph never actually touch. Sometimes students fall into the trap of referring to
examples in each of the texts as the same. This won't ever happen to you if you keep convergent
in mind. No two texts are ever exactly the same and no two examples are exactly the same. So you
automatically avoid falling into the trap of saying that this evidence from text one and
this evidence from text two are the same. So instead of saying the same, what do you do?
You use phrases like similarly to text one, text two does it in this way. Or
likewise, in text two, blah, blah, blah. So this is just the convergent part of the
convergent and divergent strategy. Pretty straightforward, right?
Let's move into the divergent part, which is where things get really juicy. The word divergent means
developing in different directions. Since no two examples are ever exactly the same,
this means that there is always an opportunity for you to, firstly, compare the similarities,
then move into the differences. This is the power of the convergent and divergent strategy.
You can use it for literally any piece of example out there in any type of essay.
Rather than just using a simple, on the other hand, or however, which you've probably written
a hundred times, and where you feel like you're just starting to repeat yourself now,
I'm going to show you some advanced ways where you can diverge, like this example in Photograph 51
and the Penelopiad. As always, don't stress if you're not studying these two texts. It's just
the example that I'm going to give you that you can apply for any text that you're studying.
In the Penelopiad, the resigned way in which Penelope confides in the reader alludes
definitively to the overlooked woman stereotype being in fact a very well used one. Atwood,
the author of the Penelopiad, does however, accord some power to Penelope by ensuring
that she alone tells her own story, a privilege which is not given to Rosalind in Photograph 51.
See how in this example, we don't even use those overused comparative words,
such as however or on the other hand, which can make a comparative feel quite simple,
to be honest. Instead, I'm showing you unique ways to compare the true texts so that the essay stands
out amongst all the others that are just using the same old words and methods to compare.
Too many students don't know this strategy. And I guess that makes sense because it's a strategy
I made up and we use it all the time at LSG. And I know when I teach my students this, it's
incredible to see their marks skyrocket. That's why in my how to write a killer comparative,
I show you how to use convergent and divergent in multiple essay examples,
across many text pairs. Too many students look at examples in a one dimensional way.
They either categorize it as a similarity or a difference, but they don't see that for every
single example, there's always a convergence and always a divergence. And by understanding this,
you're able to spend more time actually talking about that one example, which means that you're
going to be spending more time actually comparing, which is what this entire essay,
what this entire part of English is all about. In this study guide, written by myself and
[inaudible 00:05:55] who've achieved 15 English, we show you how to discuss
unique comparisons. We also show you how to advance your comparative discussion through
advanced essay paragraph structures. We truly showcase the power of the convergent
and divergent strategy. I highly recommend you have a look at the convergent divergent strategy.
Think about how it can apply to your essays and start integrating it. I promise you,
you're going to see a difference. Thanks so much for watching and I'll see you next time. Bye.