Exercise 5.13: Comparison and Contrast
Read “Opera Night in Canada” by Michael McKinley, Chapter 6 in Reader’s Choice (pages 278-281) using one of the two active reading strategies (Log Entries 6 and 7). Answer the Understanding Details, Analyzing Meaning, and Discovering Rhetorical Strategies questions on pages 281 to 282.
UNDERSTANDING DETAILS
1. The differences between opera and hockey are obvious; McKinley focuses on similarities. List the similarities he identifies.
2. Why did Uyeda choose to create an opera about hockey?
3. Why has the popularity of opera diminished over time? What effects have these forces had on hockey?
ANALYZING MEANING
1. Why has McKinley chosen to compare opera and hockey? What is his purpose in this essay?
2. Explain the “parodic phrase beloved of sports announcers: ‘it ain’t over until the fat lady sings”’ (paragraph 7). What does McKinley mean by his reference to this phrase in the final sentence of his essay?
3. Is McKinley’s outlook for the future of hockey optimistic or pessimistic? Explain.
DISCOVERING RHETORICAL STRATEGIES
1. Which of the four main methods of organizing and comparison/contrast essay has McKinley used? Why do you think he has made this choice?
2. In addition to comparison and contrast, what rhetorical strategies has McKinley employed in his essay? Where do you see evidence of these strategies?
3. How does McKinley give his essay cohesiveness? What details link the conclusion back to the beginning of the essay?
