Compare & Contrast CNF Exercise - Mikaela

The Only Rule That Counts and The Mute Sense are both similar in terms of reminiscing on past memories however the manner in which the past events are shared contrast greatly. The Only Rule That Counts does this by sharing the story of one old friend of his while The Mute Sense does this by describing different scents and the memories they bring back. For instance, one story that Diane Ackerman reminisces upon in The Mute Sense is “One scent can be  omentary, and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the Poconos, when wild blueberry bushes teemed with succulent and the opposite sex was as mysterious as space travel…”(Ackerman 226). Here the scent is described followed by the memory. In The Only Rule That Counts, John Long reminisces upon his time with his friend Jeff through a letter Jeff sent to him, “When I think about the old crew and how I live now, I start to drink too much. I never remember being puzzled in the old days, or feeling like I was living someone else’s life” (Long 2). This is a quote taken from Jeff’s letter. Jeff speaks fondly of his life in the past and somewhat remorsefully of the life he lives during the time he writes. 

In terms of overall theme, I would say that The Mute Sense has a lighter message than The Only Rule That Counts. The Mute Sense speaks of rather fond memories upon which scents bring back to life. The Only Rule That Counts appears light throughout the story until the author makes it known that his friend Jeff died on 9/11. Once this is announced to the reader, the message of the story is full of remorse over a beloved old friend and regret of not talking to them sooner.