Comparing My Father and My Brother

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Comparing My Father and My Brother

To find extreme viewpoints, I need look no further than my own family. My family has members whose opinions vary widely. These opinions often result in interesting conversations, debates, and occasional disagreements at family gatherings. The differences in opinions appear relatively minor but often lead to hours of spirited, verbal exchanges. Some of these discussions are nothing more than good-natured kidding which helps pass the time during long vacation trips in the family car. Two contrasting members of my family are my brother and my father. I understand both of them fairly well, but their attempts to understand each other are less successful. My father and my older brother sometimes assume diametrically different viewpoints.

My brother is artistic and creative while my father is pragmatic and technically minded. One of the more humorous differences between them is their taste in music. My brother is a born musician who loves music with soul. He is currently a Jazz Studies major at the University of North Texas. On the other hand, my father is a scientist, has no musical talent, and listens to "muzak." This situation often presents a problem during long car trips. The family often becomes polarized between those who want to listen to Mantovani and those who want to listen to something more tasteful. Compromises are usually reached by our first listening to Mantovani and then listening to something else. My father owns the car and manages to stay in the front seat most of the time. As a result, we hear a lot of Mantovani.

Another often humorous difference between my father and brother is the way they wear their hair. My brother wears his hair down to his sh...

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...eople in all walks of life. He studied music at an early age and was encouraged to develop his interest in the field. Although talented in math and science, my brother's true love was music. He was determined, upon graduating from high school, to make a career in music.

Although my brother and father disagree on many things, they manage to get along very well. Both of them are open-minded and can appreciate each other's differences. Though they are different in many ways, they share a few interests, such as fishing and working on cars. They also enjoy lively discussions on topics about which they disagree. It is probably a good thing that all people are not born exactly like their parents. If everybody were alike, the world would be a very boring place. One thing is certain: long car rides would be less interesting without arguments about Mantovani.

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