COMPARE
TWO NETWORKS
THE
ASSIGNMENT
Write
a paper that compares two networks. The goal of this paper is to make the
reader smarter about the networks you have selected. This does not necessarily
mean presenting them with new facts -- if you compare taxis and subways, say,
you could write an entire paper that relies on the things they already know,
but presents those facts clearly enough to give them a better understanding of
the two networks than they currently have.
To make
your readers smarter, you need to give them a better framework for
understanding the networks than they would have on their own. This means not
merely listing facts -- taxis are yellow, subways run underground -- but
creating comparisons.
COMPARISONS
Comparisons
are not simply two sets of assertions. They are two sets of assertions, grouped
together by relatedness.
Taxis
and subways are both public transportation, but only subways are mass
transportation. Taxis and subways both cost money, but the subway is flat-rate,
while a cab ride is indexed to distance and time. Groups of riders pay per
person to ride the subway, but pay per trip to ride in a cab. Riders wait for
subways but look for cabs. Cab drivers look for riders, while subway conductors
do not. These kinds of comparisons are the raw material of your paper.
The
essence of a comparison is that the reader learns something about Thing A,
Thing B, and about the relationship between A & B. It is understanding this
relationship, and not just the underlying facts, that makes the reader smarter.
The difficult task in writing the paper is not identifying the important facts,
but in arranging and expressing them so that the reader sees the comparisons
clearly.
PARALLELISM
The
writing trick here -- and it is a trick, just like a programming trick, or a
video editing trick -- is parallel construction, which is to say writing about
A and B in similar enough ways that the reader sees the connection.
"Taxis must share the
road with many other types of vehicles, and are therefore subject to delays
caused by cars, buses, and especially trucks. Subways are the sole vehicles
using the subway system, and are only subject to delays caused by other subway
trains, or by decisions made by the dispatcher."
versus
"Taxis must share the
road with many other types of vehicles, so they get into traffic jams, because
these other vehicles -- cars, buses and trucks -- clog the roadways the taxis
rely on. Subway dispatchers control all the traffic, and sometimes decide to
delay a train if it is running ahead of schedule, and during rush hour, subways
can also be delayed if the trains are too close together."
The
facts in those two paragraphs are roughly the same, but the construction is
not. The paragraph using parallel construction makes a comparison between the
two networks; it isn't immediately obvious that the other paragraph is making
any sort of comparison at all.
STRUCTURE
This
trick is fine for making small comparisons, but once the comparisons get to a certain
level of complexity, you can't simply dump everything you want to say into one
long list. Once you get to this point, you need to use parallel construction in
structures larger than a paragraph.
There
are many many ways to do this, and no one right way. Some examples of parallel
structure would be:
- Describe the networks in order:
Describe an entire trip through the subway network, from deciding
to take a subway, through arriving at the destination. Then, with that
structure established, describe the same trip as taken by taxi. Because the
reader will have the subway example fresh in their minds, the description of
the taxi trip will help the reader compare the two networks.
This structure would involve describing all of A, then all of B,
like AAAAAA, BBBBBBB.
- Describe categories in order:
Alternatively, you could break up the aspects of the subway and
taxi network into different categories, and then structure the paper around the
categories, discussing "Payment Methods for the Subway", "Payment
Methods for Taxis", "Subway Routes", "Taxi Routes",
and so on.
This structure would involve alternating descriptions of A and B,
like AB, AB, AB, AB, AB, AB.
- Group networks by aspect:
Or, you could describe all of the advantages of taking a subway,
then all of the advantages of taking a cab, then all the disadvantages of
taking a subway, then all the disadvantages of taking a cab. Note that this is
different than describing categories, because some categories are an advantage
for subway riders but a disadvantage for cab riders, such as cost.
This structure would involve grouping descriptions of A and B,
like AAABBB, AAABBB.
These are just examples -- there are many ways to use parallel
structure, and you should use whatever method seems best suited to the
comparisons you are trying to make. The important point is to create a
structure that helps the reader keep track of the comparisons you are making.
CONCLUSION
You
should also have a concluding paragraph, in which you sum up for the reader the
most important points outlined in the paper.
LENGTH
The paper should be long enough to give the
reader a good amount of detail, but short enough to let them quickly
understand the essence of the comparisons you are making. In practice,
this will be about 750-1000 words, which is to say roughly 3-4 pages
of double-spaced, typewritten text. (It is also, not coincidentally,
the number of words in this description of the
assignment.)
WHY
THIS MATTERS
Writing
matters. Apart from this paper, or this class, or even your education at ITP,
it is important that you be able to write clearly. 10 years ago, it might have
been possible to get a decent job with little or no writing skills, but no
longer. With email as a normal tool of business communication, you will be
expected to express your ideas through writing, no matter where you end up.
You
will have to explain to funders what your company will accomplish, you will
have to explain to your boss why your project needs money, you will have to
explain to potential collaborators why they should be excited to work with you.
In these situations and many others, your ability to write clearly will
directly affect your success or failure.
Do not
believe that the informality of email will save you from needing to write well.
Informality is not the same as sloppiness; there is both good and bad email,
just as there are good and bad books. No matter how formal or informal a medium
is, the clarity of your writing will determine how well the reader understands
your ideas.
Writing
is a technology. Like a programming language, you write in order to accomplish
a certain task, and like a program, piece of writing is not finished when it
has reached a certain length, but when it accomplishes that task. You should
turn this paper in when it says what you want it to say, not merely when you
have racked up a thousand words.
And
whatever else you do, have fun with it. The easiest way to produce interesting
writing is to write about something that interests you.