Julie Reynders - Analytical comparison prose contrast and film scene.

The pros extract is taken from chapter 10 in Touching the Void, written by Joe Simpson. The film scene is taken from a documentary by Ray Mears. I will be comparing these two.

Apart from the obvious difference that one is a video and the other is a written text, there is one differences that stands out when analysing these two comparatively. This is that Simpson is in a life threatening situation, whereas Mears is in a euphoric island. In Touching the Void, Simpson often describes his situation as "painful." However, in Mears' documentary he depicts this to be "paradise." These are two very contradictory emotions to the nature they are surrounded by. While Joe is cold and calculating, Mears is simply enjoying his time there.

In both of these extracts, I noticed that the characters shown are very similar. They are both men who are going into the wilderness alone. Simpson ended up in the frosty mountains of Peru, whereas Mears is in a beautiful, yet lonesome deserted island. Both are portrayed to be alone, doing an adventurous journey. The shared urgency of their different goals is what really brings them together. They both are focused on what to do and figuring out how to do it. Although Mears' is part is more informative.

All together, I believe that both of these pieces have equal similarities to differences. They are both exploring the wilderness, although Simpson is put through worse conditions. Mears is on "paradise island."

15 Minutes to complete.