Compare and Contrast Essay

This is a sample of a Compare and Contrast essay written by five students in my RtI class. The students read two true stories of success and compare the people involved. Here is their essay that was written together as a class.


Kings of the Water Road
Have you ever dreamed to be someone in the future? I know two people that had different conditions, but they both succeeded.

Kenny Roberts and Amy Van Dyken have some similarities. One similarity is they had conditions that made reaching their goal harder. Amy had problems with asthma. If you have asthma and you're in sports, it's harder to breath. Kenny Roberts had problems with being short and skinny. Kenny's problem was that he was too small for his motor bike, and his motor bike was to big for him. Another similarity is that both of them get teased or made fun of. Amy would get teased just because she was tall, skinny, and dorky until she made the NCAA National Swim Team. Kenny was teased about being small and not being tall enough for racing. Finally, the last similarity is they both won championships. Kenny was the first American to win the Grand Prix World Championship. Amy was the first American woman with asthma ever to win four gold medals in one Olympics.

Amy Dyken and Kenny Roberts have some differences too. One difference is, Kenny and Amy raced in different areas. Kenny raced on a race track all around Europe. Amy swam in a pool in the Olympics. A second difference is one listened to their doctor and the other did not. Amy listened to her doctor, and she joined swimming. Kenny Roberts doctor said, “You can not race any more because you broke your back.” He raced in a back brace and still one the championship. Lastly, Amy quit but, Kenny did not give up his dreams. Amy said that it was to hard for her with asthma condition but, she couldn't stay away from swimming so she went back to swimming. Kenny never gave up his sport. Lots of people thought he was to small for racing but he showed what he was made of.

These people never gave up there dream. They fought through their conditions, went through teasing, but still they knew success is what they wanted.

Written By: Alexa, Cormac, Jasmine, Samantha, Viridiana