Compare Across Texts

Compare Literary Elements

Photograph of the title pages for “The Clever Magistrate” and “The Constitution.”

The selections in this unit all have messages about justice and freedom. Compare their imagery and symbolism and analyze how these elements express the authors’ ideas.

How It Works

Collect and Organize Ideas To compare literary elements in more than one selection, organize the words and phrases in a chart like this one.

Comparison Chart
SelectionImagerySymbolHow Images and Symbols Express the Main Idea
“The Clever Magistrate”sights, sounds, smells of a Chinese villagecoatThe images make you feel as if you are there. The coat is a symbol of justice.
“The Flag We Love”ships arriving, marches for freedom, patriotic parade
“The Star-Spangled Banner”explosions in the dawn air, flag streaming

Practice Together

Analyze and Compare Ideas Compare the information you collected. Then summarize the way each selection uses imagery. Give examples.

Summary

“The Clever Magistrate,” “The Flag We Love,” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” all use imagery to make the writing come alive. In “The Clever Magistrate,” readers experience the sights, sounds, and smells of the village. …

Try It!

Complete the chart. Compare how the selections use symbols to express ideas. You may want to use this frame.

The symbols in all three selections ______. In “The Clever Magistrate,” the ______ symbolizes ______. In “The Flag We Love,” the ______ symbolizes ______. In “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the ______ is a symbol of ______.

Academic Vocabulary

  • • analyze (a-nu-līz) verb When you analyze, you separate something into parts and examine, or study, it.