Sample essay of comparison using point-by-point method

From Errol Flynn to Arnold Schwarzenegger, over the years Hollywood has changed its image of the ideal male body; according to Susan McClelland in her 1999 Maclean’s essay “The Lure of the Body Image,” the North American media have changed their depictions of male body images as well, resulting in today’s widespread “beefcake” look. McClelland signals this trendy look for men as a serious problem. In another short magazine article, written for Mother Jones magazine in 1982, Margaret Atwood also invites readers to ponder a serious problem as she argues that Canadians chaff under American imperialism. Both articles seem intent on stirring readers to change their thinking and behaviour in response to the respective concerns represented. Before looking more at the writers’ purposes, however, it is interesting to compare their tones and methods. This rhetorical approach should help to sharpen an understanding of purpose.