Connect Across the Curriculum, continued
Literary Analysis: Analyze the Topic
Academic Vocabulary

  • • topic (tah-pik) noun A topic is the subject of a piece of writing or of a discussion.

A topic of a story is what the story is about. Different writers can write about the same topic in a short story, a news article, a personal narrative, or another genre. When you compare the information that different authors present, you can learn a lot more about the topic.

Practice Together

Begin a Comparison Chart The topic of “Brave Butterflies” is life under a cruel government. The biography of Farah Ahmedi has the same topic. You can compare how the two selections discuss this topic. Begin by reading this passage from “Brave Butterflies.”

“But Alberto, these are violent and dangerous times,” said Mami. “Everyone in the Dominican Republic is caught in an iron grip of fear.”

Use a Comparison Chart to record your ideas. Think about what kind of writing each one represents. Add notes about the information that the writers include.

Rafael Trujillo was dictator in the Dominican Republic until 1961.

Rafael Trujillo was dictator in the Dominican Republic until 1961.

Comparison Chart
SelectionKind of WritingInformation
“Brave Butterflies”fiction short storyDominicans were afraid of the government.
“Farah Ahmedi”

Try It!

Complete the Chart Add more information from each selection to complete your chart.

Analyze Topics Use your charts to analyze the two selections. Why do you think the authors chose the genres they did to discuss the topic? What did you learn about life under a cruel government?