Comparative essay; an extract from Chocolat (1999) and article from Green & Black's Ltd.

Authors Avatar

LANGUAGE A2                                                                                                                                                               October 5, 2010      Mr. Averne Loos

COMPARITIVE ESSAY

between an extract from Joanne Harris’s novel Chocolat (1999) and an article from Green & Black’s Ltd.

        First and foremost, we can already identify the main topic of the two texts: chocolate. Both texts basically talk about their subjective and creative processes of chocolate creation. In this comparative essay, I will elaborate the different purposes and points of views of authors, as well as the syntax, lexis and semantic fields that differentiate the messages conveyed by the two texts.

        To begin with, it is quite clear that the to texts represent different types of writing; one (Text A) is an extract from a novel, Chocolat by Joanne Harris, the other (Text B) is an expository article from a chocolate company, Green & Black’s Ltd. The purpose of Text A is to narrate and describe to readers how a character creates his own unique way of baking chocolate. Citations such as ‘I only use the best’, ‘…but I like to do it myself’, ‘I never use electrical mixers’, and ‘As I work I clean my mind, breathing deeply’ give a sense of originality and uniqueness of the main character to the audience. Other than complementing the character’s individuality, Harris also seems to write with a purpose to inform that intellectual, creativity and ingenuity are highly needed to create the perfect blend of delightful chocolate. This can be identified from the words used, like ‘skill’, ‘lightness’, ‘speed’, ‘patience’ and ‘wise’ as one semantic field.

Join now!

        On the other hand, we can clarify that Text B’s main message of the text is also to convey Green & Black’s exclusive and original way of grinding their so called organic cocoa beans. Although, its purpose is not to complement a fiction, but to actually promote an actual ready-made product for real everyday chocoholics. As this expository article is taken from the official website of Green & Black Ltd., the author uses inviting and persuasive words to communicate the purpose of the text, in order to engage readers to read on further and simply to purchase their product. This ...

This is a preview of the whole essay