Juxtaposition In Romeo And Juliet And Clap When You Land

Theodor W. Adorno once stated, “Love is the power to see similarity in the dissimilar”. Once realizing differences, it may bring people closer and make them more connected, making the hardships more significant. The differences between people are examples of real world juxtaposition. While in stories, authors tend to use juxtaposition to make it clear to the reader how unalike the characters are. This is portrayed in many pieces of literature, but the following stories have been the focal point. In “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare and “Clap When You Land” by Elizabeth Acevedo, both authors use juxtaposition to show the readers the major differences and similarities between the main protagonists.

In “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare,

It was known in the beginning of the story that the Monegues and the Capulets had hatred for each other. Juliet was a Capulet and Romeo was a Monegue which meant they were bound for failure and to not be seen together. William Shakespeare used juxtaposition to compare the two parties by emphasizing to the reader that they shared fighting and war but their love brought them together. By contrasting how different Romeo and Juliet were, it helped to convey the similarities they share when they are together. In the beginning of the story, when the two parties were in a fight, one states, “‘What, draw and talk peace? I hate the word As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Have at thee, coward (they fight)’” (Shakespeare 13). This quote explains the level of hatred each party had for each other from the beginning of the story. Romeo and Juliet were on completely different sides and had everyone saying they shouldn’t be together. The author accomplished this so you can know the differences between the characters, but know that they both don’t care about their families' generation problems. It helps to exhibit the similarities that no one else shared and made their special situation

Once the main protagonists connected, it was prominent that they had completely different lives and experiences, but shared an experience that was like no other. The first situation that was prominent to the reader of their differences was when Camino and Yahaira were in a taxi together. They were driving home and Yahaira offered to pay for the taxi and was being kind, and Camino interpreted her action as Yahaira showing off how much money she had. The author conveys this in Yahaira’s thoughts as she states, “I’m hoping this will make Camino feel better, I don’t need her to pay. But instead she makes a sound low in her throat and hops out of the car without a word” (Acevedo 329). Yahaira was trying to be nice and make Camino feel better and comfortable but instead got a different response. Once they met each other, it was apparent to the reader that the author chose to juxtapose the two to emphasize the one thing they had in common. They both shared their fathers passing and the hard realization that their father had separate lives. The author did this on purpose to make their similarities very known to the reader. While they were completely different characters with different personalities, in the end, they were able to accept that they were more alike than they thought. Throughout this novel, there are so many