Comparison and Contrast Essay

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Comparison and Contrast Essay: The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket and Araby “He threw a book at my head!” the tattle tale of the class squirmed. Holding his head where there was an obvious bruise, he pointed to Jacob Newton. After seeing what I thought to be his heroic display of masculinity, Jacob Newton became my first crush. As stupid as it may seem to me now, at the time it was anything but stupid. No matter how a first crush may develop, it is one of the first lessons of love. The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket by Yasunari Kawabata and Araby by James Joyce both deal with the subject of love. Highlighting how love can be represented, the fear of an unrequited love, and the reality of not always having a happy ending are only a few points in The Grasshopper and the Bell cricket and Araby cover. In The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket and Araby the boys both wanted to give a gift to represent their love. Wanting to show their feelings of love, the boys searched for the right gift. In The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket Fuijo claimed to have a grasshopper to give, but in actuality had a bell cricket to give. Waiting for the right girl to finally appear, Fuijo gave Kiyoko her surprised gift. ‘“Oh! It’s not a grasshopper. It’s a bell cricket. The girl’s eyes shone as she looked at the small brown insect” (Kawabata 545) is proof that Fuijo’s gift was successful and brought Kiyoko happiness. Although Fuijo had found his gift to represent his love, the boy in Araby was not so lucky. He soon realized his idealistic gift was nonexistent, which left him feeling hopeless and defeated. Each had wanted to represent their feelings, but only Fuijo had found the appropriate gift for the right girl. Unrequited love is a fear prominent in both stories. In Araby, it is made clear by the boy’s constant anxiety with just talking to his crush. “I did not know whether I
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