My Cousin Venn-y

Hello all, it's now time to discuss comparisons in writing. What I'm going to talk about today is an easy way to compare works of literature and even show some contrast. You will be able to use this information throughout your school years in book reports and literature reviews, and you will even be able to apply this lesson in college and when you go out into the job market and are required by your employer to compare two items to see what they have in common, etc. I am of course talking about a Venn diagram. A Venn diagram is an organizational tool used to compare two (or even three, and I daresay four) items to see what they have in common to create - a superitem?

A Venn diagram looks like this. (Easy, huh?) All you
have to do is draw a circle that overlaps another
circle for each of the items that you're comparing.
Then label each circle so you can remember which
circle is which. Afterward, make a list of things that
differ from the two, three, or four items inside their
separate circles, and make a list of things that the
items have in common in the overlapped space.
Voila. You have just created a Venn diagram.



Here's an example of a completed Venn diagram to show you what one would look like when finished.

Notice how the example was on apples and oranges. If I am able to compare apples and oranges, then this comparative tool must really work.