Clack Of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances Of A Gay Boyhood By Bernard Cooper
Comparative Literature Paper
Comparing and contrasting literature is an important way to show the similarities and differences between the two works. There are several types of literature one can compare and contrast; however, in this paper we will be discussing a form of literature known as essays. An essay is an exceptional way for an author to convey an opinion, emotion, or personal experience. In this paper we will look at two essays that demand comparison; American History written by Judith Ortiz Cofer (1993), and A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood written by Bernard Cooper (1991). The two works of literature seem so different on the outside, yet upon further analysis one can begin to notice many similarities making …show more content…
them a perfect candidate for comparing and contrasting. In this paper, we will discuss the various similarities and differences between the themes, writing styles, and use of literary devices in the selected pieces of literature.
Before we can compare and contrast the themes in the two essays, we must first determine exactly what the theme of each essay is. In Cofer’s essay, American History, the main character, also the narrator, is a girl in her early teens, Elena, growing up in Paterson, New Jersey in the Puerto Rican tenement called El Building. The essay discusses a period in Elena’s life in which she is somewhat awkward and tends to be made fun of quite a bit by her classmates. However, Elena has one thing to look forward to in her life, staring out the window into the kitchen of a young boy’s apartment known as Eugene. Similarly, in Cooper’s essay A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, the main character, also the narrator is a young boy also in his early teens who is somewhat awkward and tends to be made fun of.
In contrast, even though both main characters in the essays are somewhat out of the social “normâ€Â, Cooper’s main character in A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, is a great deal more ashamed of whom he is then Elena is in the opposing essay. He is determined to either change or hide his true self; while Elena resides in a building full of people like herself, aiding in her ability to accept her true self. Elena, unlike Cooper’s main character, is able to show her lustful feelings for a boy; whereas, Cooper’s character has to hide his true feelings in order to remain a friend to the boy he lusts after.
While the two essays have extremely different plots and two even more extremely different main characters there is a few underlying traits that tie the two essays together. The main characters of these two essays may appear quite different on the outside, yet at the same their lives are very similar. Both of the main characters in the essays are driven by their infatuation for a boy they can never have. One because of her background, American History, and the other, A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, obviously because he is not only ashamed of his crush but he knows if he reveals his true feelings he will loose his best friend. Possibly we have just found another similar theme between the two essays; forbidden love.
The writing styles of the two essays are both very much alike. Both essays are narrative but could be doubled as descriptive essays and are both told from a first person point of view. The main characters in both American History and A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood also double as the narrator of the essays. Both essays also have a serious tone; although, A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, seemed to give a bit more relief from the serious nature of the essay then American History did. Both essays used a clear and concise writing style that made both essays very easy to follow. The only obvious difference between the writing styles of the two essays was that one came from the point of view of a girl while the other from the point of view of a boy.
Both of these essays are part autobiographic and part fiction; the authors took a piece of their lives and experiences and added a fictional twist for each of the essays. Judith Ortiz Cofer commented on how she tried to remain historically correct for the account of President Kennedy’s assassination in her essay American History, but during a lecture was interrupted by very discontent older man. He was very upset that she had closed the essay with it snowing, when in fact it had been raining that day. In response to this Cofer stated:
I felt so good when I wrote that ending. I thought it 's lyrical. It brings to closure, you know, it has the right tone and that sort of thing. I had looked at newspapers of the day that the president was shot. It said, very cold in Paterson with some precipitation. I interpreted precipitation to mean snow. It was November after all. But the point of this is that when you set something in a particular locale on a particular day, you owe it to the reader to be accurate or they will feel betrayed. If you are talking about a particular day and the day is important, then go to the trouble to look it up (Annenberg Media, 2008).
Cooper’s essay, A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, was however, a much more autobiographic account then Cofer’s essay, American History.
Both essays also made very good use of literary devices. American History used literary devices like plot, conflict, climax, protagonist and antagonist, and irony to help tell the story. A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood also made very good use of most of the same literary devices but rather then the obvious use of irony like in American History, this essay used symbolism. Both essays used literary devices to keep their readers engaged and feeling as though they can relate to the characters of the essays.
The most obvious literary device used in American History was irony. The irony in this story pertained more to the title rather then the actual story. Because of the essay being titled American History, the reader would think that the story would have had more to do with the assassination of President Kennedy; however, the essay actually had quite little to do with this event. Ironically enough, what should seem like such a major event in an essay title American History seemed to just blend more into the background of the story while the major conflicts and climax focused more on the event between Elena and …show more content…
Eugene.
American History also used protagonist and antagonist devices. The protagonist is the main character of a narrative; its central character who engages the reader’s interest and empathy. While the antagonist is the character that opposes the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story (Glossary of Literary Terms, n.d.). Elena, of course, being the protagonist and Eugene’s mother being the antagonist by not allowing Elena to study with Eugene, and her comment “I don’t know how you people to do it†when Elena informs the mother that she lives in El Building (Abcarian & Klotz, 2007). On the other hand in A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, the protagonist and antagonist is the same person. The main character and narrator of the story himself is the obvious protagonist of the essay. However, the fact that he looks down on himself so much and tries so hard to change himself makes him his own worst enemy, doubling him as the antagonist. His obvious struggle to change himself also doubles as the essay’s conflict and climax once he realized it was not as easy as he thought to hide his true self.
A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood also makes good use of the literary device symbolism. Throughout the boy’s struggle with either changing or hiding who he truly is, he continuously compares this struggle with his mother’s struggle to quit smoking. He believes that his attempt to quit being gay should be as easy as his mother’s attempt to quit smoking. However, drawing closer to the end of the story there is a more innocent scene, in which the main character and his boy crush, Grady, are once again at the swimming pool yet at this point he has failed to mention any of his lustful feeling for Grady has he normally has when in the swimming pool together. He casually mentions Grady and himself hopping into the pool, the summer weather, his father barbecuing, and his mother relaxing by the pool smoking a cigarette in complete contentment. After he mentions his mother once again smoking after an obvious failed attempt at quitting he goes on to mention his longing for Grady undiminished in his also obvious failed attempt to quit being gay.
I believe that both of these essays were very well written and enjoyable to read.
Both essays were also easily relatable to by their audience. While both essays are so much alike in their portrayal of two young teenagers living in a society that is not very accepting of them as individuals; which is something we can all relate to, I am sure everyone has at one point in their lives felt different or like they did not belong. They both had their obvious differences as well in their themes, writing styles, and use of literary devices; making these two essays important candidates for comparing and contrasting. The way I felt about these two essays is best summed up in a quote by Bernard Cooper himself, “a good piece of literature causes you to have a sense of identification, even if the experience is remote from your own. When suddenly you feel that you’ve taken on a completely foreign experience and you’re living it to its fullest, it’s absolutely transporting. It’s one of the greatest pleasures literature can offer†(Abcarian & Klotz, 2007, p. 1148). Now that we have discussed the similarities and differences between the essays, American History and A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, I highly recommend taking the time to read them yourselves using your critical reading skills. Both essays are certain to leave an impact in your
life.
References
Abcarian, R., & Klotz, M. (2007). Literature: The human experience (shorter 9th ed.). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Annenberg Media. (2008). Developing writers: A workshop for high school teachers.
Retrieved June 8, 2008, from http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/hswriting/interactives/notebook/workshop6/read.html.
Glossary of literary terms. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2008, from http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/literature/bedlit/glossary_a.htm.
Comparing and contrasting literature is an important way to show the similarities and differences between the two works. There are several types of literature one can compare and contrast; however, in this paper we will be discussing a form of literature known as essays. An essay is an exceptional way for an author to convey an opinion, emotion, or personal experience. In this paper we will look at two essays that demand comparison; American History written by Judith Ortiz Cofer (1993), and A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood written by Bernard Cooper (1991). The two works of literature seem so different on the outside, yet upon further analysis one can begin to notice many similarities making …show more content…
them a perfect candidate for comparing and contrasting. In this paper, we will discuss the various similarities and differences between the themes, writing styles, and use of literary devices in the selected pieces of literature.
Before we can compare and contrast the themes in the two essays, we must first determine exactly what the theme of each essay is. In Cofer’s essay, American History, the main character, also the narrator, is a girl in her early teens, Elena, growing up in Paterson, New Jersey in the Puerto Rican tenement called El Building. The essay discusses a period in Elena’s life in which she is somewhat awkward and tends to be made fun of quite a bit by her classmates. However, Elena has one thing to look forward to in her life, staring out the window into the kitchen of a young boy’s apartment known as Eugene. Similarly, in Cooper’s essay A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, the main character, also the narrator is a young boy also in his early teens who is somewhat awkward and tends to be made fun of.
In contrast, even though both main characters in the essays are somewhat out of the social “normâ€Â, Cooper’s main character in A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, is a great deal more ashamed of whom he is then Elena is in the opposing essay. He is determined to either change or hide his true self; while Elena resides in a building full of people like herself, aiding in her ability to accept her true self. Elena, unlike Cooper’s main character, is able to show her lustful feelings for a boy; whereas, Cooper’s character has to hide his true feelings in order to remain a friend to the boy he lusts after.
While the two essays have extremely different plots and two even more extremely different main characters there is a few underlying traits that tie the two essays together. The main characters of these two essays may appear quite different on the outside, yet at the same their lives are very similar. Both of the main characters in the essays are driven by their infatuation for a boy they can never have. One because of her background, American History, and the other, A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, obviously because he is not only ashamed of his crush but he knows if he reveals his true feelings he will loose his best friend. Possibly we have just found another similar theme between the two essays; forbidden love.
The writing styles of the two essays are both very much alike. Both essays are narrative but could be doubled as descriptive essays and are both told from a first person point of view. The main characters in both American History and A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood also double as the narrator of the essays. Both essays also have a serious tone; although, A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, seemed to give a bit more relief from the serious nature of the essay then American History did. Both essays used a clear and concise writing style that made both essays very easy to follow. The only obvious difference between the writing styles of the two essays was that one came from the point of view of a girl while the other from the point of view of a boy.
Both of these essays are part autobiographic and part fiction; the authors took a piece of their lives and experiences and added a fictional twist for each of the essays. Judith Ortiz Cofer commented on how she tried to remain historically correct for the account of President Kennedy’s assassination in her essay American History, but during a lecture was interrupted by very discontent older man. He was very upset that she had closed the essay with it snowing, when in fact it had been raining that day. In response to this Cofer stated:
I felt so good when I wrote that ending. I thought it 's lyrical. It brings to closure, you know, it has the right tone and that sort of thing. I had looked at newspapers of the day that the president was shot. It said, very cold in Paterson with some precipitation. I interpreted precipitation to mean snow. It was November after all. But the point of this is that when you set something in a particular locale on a particular day, you owe it to the reader to be accurate or they will feel betrayed. If you are talking about a particular day and the day is important, then go to the trouble to look it up (Annenberg Media, 2008).
Cooper’s essay, A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, was however, a much more autobiographic account then Cofer’s essay, American History.
Both essays also made very good use of literary devices. American History used literary devices like plot, conflict, climax, protagonist and antagonist, and irony to help tell the story. A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood also made very good use of most of the same literary devices but rather then the obvious use of irony like in American History, this essay used symbolism. Both essays used literary devices to keep their readers engaged and feeling as though they can relate to the characters of the essays.
The most obvious literary device used in American History was irony. The irony in this story pertained more to the title rather then the actual story. Because of the essay being titled American History, the reader would think that the story would have had more to do with the assassination of President Kennedy; however, the essay actually had quite little to do with this event. Ironically enough, what should seem like such a major event in an essay title American History seemed to just blend more into the background of the story while the major conflicts and climax focused more on the event between Elena and …show more content…
Eugene.
American History also used protagonist and antagonist devices. The protagonist is the main character of a narrative; its central character who engages the reader’s interest and empathy. While the antagonist is the character that opposes the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story (Glossary of Literary Terms, n.d.). Elena, of course, being the protagonist and Eugene’s mother being the antagonist by not allowing Elena to study with Eugene, and her comment “I don’t know how you people to do it†when Elena informs the mother that she lives in El Building (Abcarian & Klotz, 2007). On the other hand in A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, the protagonist and antagonist is the same person. The main character and narrator of the story himself is the obvious protagonist of the essay. However, the fact that he looks down on himself so much and tries so hard to change himself makes him his own worst enemy, doubling him as the antagonist. His obvious struggle to change himself also doubles as the essay’s conflict and climax once he realized it was not as easy as he thought to hide his true self.
A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood also makes good use of the literary device symbolism. Throughout the boy’s struggle with either changing or hiding who he truly is, he continuously compares this struggle with his mother’s struggle to quit smoking. He believes that his attempt to quit being gay should be as easy as his mother’s attempt to quit smoking. However, drawing closer to the end of the story there is a more innocent scene, in which the main character and his boy crush, Grady, are once again at the swimming pool yet at this point he has failed to mention any of his lustful feeling for Grady has he normally has when in the swimming pool together. He casually mentions Grady and himself hopping into the pool, the summer weather, his father barbecuing, and his mother relaxing by the pool smoking a cigarette in complete contentment. After he mentions his mother once again smoking after an obvious failed attempt at quitting he goes on to mention his longing for Grady undiminished in his also obvious failed attempt to quit being gay.
I believe that both of these essays were very well written and enjoyable to read.
Both essays were also easily relatable to by their audience. While both essays are so much alike in their portrayal of two young teenagers living in a society that is not very accepting of them as individuals; which is something we can all relate to, I am sure everyone has at one point in their lives felt different or like they did not belong. They both had their obvious differences as well in their themes, writing styles, and use of literary devices; making these two essays important candidates for comparing and contrasting. The way I felt about these two essays is best summed up in a quote by Bernard Cooper himself, “a good piece of literature causes you to have a sense of identification, even if the experience is remote from your own. When suddenly you feel that you’ve taken on a completely foreign experience and you’re living it to its fullest, it’s absolutely transporting. It’s one of the greatest pleasures literature can offer†(Abcarian & Klotz, 2007, p. 1148). Now that we have discussed the similarities and differences between the essays, American History and A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood, I highly recommend taking the time to read them yourselves using your critical reading skills. Both essays are certain to leave an impact in your
life.
References
Abcarian, R., & Klotz, M. (2007). Literature: The human experience (shorter 9th ed.). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Annenberg Media. (2008). Developing writers: A workshop for high school teachers.
Retrieved June 8, 2008, from http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/hswriting/interactives/notebook/workshop6/read.html.
Glossary of literary terms. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2008, from http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/literature/bedlit/glossary_a.htm.