In this unit, we’ve explored the topic of Journalism. In groups, we’ve created our own newsletter. We’ve also analyzed some current news articles and make comparison.
Comparison & Contrast Paragraphs: Texas Faces Massive Flooding & Catastrophe in the Gulf
Similarities
The two news articles “Catastrophe in the Gulf” and “Texas Faces Massive Flooding” are announcing the natural disaster happened around the world in a reporting tune. The losses of Hurricane Harvey in the US was serious and damaged uncountable numbers of houses strongly. “A two-story apartment building was destroyed when Hurricane Harvey hit Rockport, Texas. Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane and was the strongest storm to hit the US since 2005.” (Catastrophe in the Gulf by Dante A. Ciampaglia on August 28, 2017) “It was the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years, causing widespread flooding and destruction.” (Texas Faces Massive Flooding by Sean Mccollum on August 30, 2017) In two articles, they have the same idea of the topic. They report the effects of strong Hurricane Harvey currently in the cities in the US.
They have the pictures before the texts begin, the pictures are similar in a way that both present the damaged view of the villages. In the first paragraph, they summarize the basic storyline of the event. After, they add the data to support the idea of how serious is the hurricane. The basic structure of a new is formed. Secondly, other images are shown. They both lead the readers to feel like being in the scenes, the pictures show the process of rescuing the villagers on boats. Under that, the caption states how people help each other and save the children and pets. In the later paragraphs, they both describe the process of rescuing and the interview of villagers that are rescued safely. In the final paragraphs, they give more information about the root of the problem—Hurricane Harvey. The paragraphs provide some similar historical event and connect to the texts. Also, they include the solution and plans of the government. Overall, the basic structure of news stories is both similar to each other, which explains the problem, give more details and finally describe the effects based on the event.
Difference
The news article “Catastrophe in the Gulf” quotes an interview from a villager whose home is being damaged. A seventeen-year-old girl Maya Wadler was rescued in Houston, she watched the water rises. “I was sitting in the corner holding my dad really tight. I usually just trust my parents that everything is going to be O.K. But I looked up and I saw that my dad was closing his eyes, the water was getting in his eyes. And I just thought: He has absolutely no idea where we are going to go.” In the news article “Texas Faces Massive Flooding”, it doesn’t have any interview answers included that is a victim of the hurricane. In the third paragraph, it describes the military support and other help from the government. It describes the progress of rescuing. In the news article “Catastrophe in the Gulf”, it interviewed a girl who’s included in this event and watched the event happened. A good interview answer can influence the persuasive of the article. The both articles are telling how strong is the Hurricane Harvey and how it rushed through the US. The article “Catastrophe in the Gulf” seems more complete and it makes a vision for the audience. The interview strongly supports the feeling of the villagers whose homeland is being damaged. It gives more emotions in this article.