Comparison And Contrast Essay, Research Paper

Different Points of View

Because each individual views events in his or her own way, many discrepancies

exist within every story. Although this lack of accordance is at the foundation of human

perception, people continually struggle to grasp the truth. One example of this attempt to

grab hold of what really happened is my own endeavor to decide the facts of the matter

relating to my family s most recent party. On one side of the argument is my mother, and

on the other side is my grandmother. My role is merely to interpret the happenings of that

momentous last party.

My mother is a friendly, free spirited woman who enjoys spending time with her

friends. Recently, the idea of having a small get-together for my grandparents anniversary

occurred to my mother. This idea resulted in a hasty plan for a party that was thrown last

weekend. We all had the time of our lives at the gathering. Although everyone who

attended the shindig had a pleasant experience, the feeling of joy has not escaped the inner

soul of my mother.

In contrast to my mother s spontaneity, my grandmother is a calculating, cautious

individual. The idea of simply throwing a party without taking every little detail into

consideration disturbed my grandmother. Because the party that was held last weekend

was not well planned, it was a complete disaster in my grandmother s point of view until

she decided to relax a little about the whole situation.

The success of the party depends completely on who is recounting the story. In fact,

a little bit more than half of the people invited to take part in the festivities that evening

actually came. According to my mother, It s no big deal. On the other hand, my

grandmother saw the lack of attendants as a result of my mother s hazardous planning.

My grandmother viewed the large amount of left-over food as wasteful; however, my

mother saw the situation as a supply of good food. The fact that about 200 dollars were

spent to purchase the supplies for the party was seen as a worthwhile expense by my

mother. Unfortunately, my grandmother sharply disagreed. The differing viewpoints of

my mother and grandmother could lead one to believe that two completely different

occasions were being discussed when there was any mention of the party. My mother s and

grandmother s behavior, for just a short while after the celebration, was of two contrasting

worlds.

During the days following the party, my mother and grandmother continued to act

in very contrary manners. Mother maintained her light-hearted attitude while enjoying a

plethora of fruits and vegetables. In spite of my mother s positive outlook on what had

happened, my grandmother continued to dwell on what she though to be an absolute

disaster. My mother said that my grandmother s worries were nonsense, yet she acted as if

the party had almost totally destroyed our lives. On the other extreme was my mother s

endless rambling about how wonderful the festivities had been. These divergent opinions

and the subsequent reactions resulted in a blurry truth.

Many people throughout time have noted that history is written by winners.

Therefore, perhaps only time can bring a conclusion to the conflicting viewpoints of my

mother and grandmother. Who is to say which reality is false and which is true? The most

persistent is usually successful.