Maycomb and Hamilton - Compare and Contrast Essay

Major Assignment #1

Compare and Contrast Essay

Dan Faitz

Eng 2D1

30/12/15

        Maycomb and Hamilton; how similar are these two towns? As you may have expected, the two towns are quite different. Aside from the obvious, (for example, Maycomb is fictional and Hamilton is real), they have many differences regarding their size, people and culture, and geography.

        Although Maycomb and Hamilton may be quite different, they have one glaring similarity: they are either the administrative center, or county seat, of their counties/regions. An administrative center/county set is the specific town or city, where the local municipal government is. Maycomb being the county seat of Maycomb County is directly stated in To Kill A Mockingbird, “Maycomb...was the county seat of Maycomb County” (pg. 5). Because of this, we can assume that other towns mentioned in the book, such as Abbottsville (pg. 12), are the other towns in the county. Hamilton is a city in Southern Ontario. It is the administrative center of the region, governing many suburban areas such Ancaster, Dundas and Stoney Creek.

        There are quite a bit of differences between Maycomb and Hamilton, being their size, culture and geography. First, and probably most obvious, their size and population. In To Kill a Mockingbird, it is stated that “Maycomb is a small town in southern Alabama”, whereas Hamilton is one of the largest urban areas in all of Canada. Since Maycomb County is based off of the real Monroeville County, we can assume their populations are the same; 6,519 people as of 2010. Hamilton (including Ancaster, Stoney Creek, etc.) on the other hand has a staggering population of 772, 600 people. Next, their people and culture. “Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town...People moved slowly then. They shambled across the [town] square...There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with.” (pg. 6). Hamilton is the polar opposite of how Maycomb is described in To Kill a Mockingbird. It is a bustling city, filled with busy people with places to go, and things to do. Finally, their geography. According to the book, Maycomb is located in Southern Alabama, meaning it probably lies on the Piedmont Plateau, meaning it is on high elevated, yet very flat land. Hamilton lies on the Niagara Escarpment; a large landform created by glaciers during the Ice Age. This means that the land is very uneven, and has heights ranging from 300m below sea level – 350m above sea level, whereas the Piedmont Plateau stays at a rather consistent 250m – 300m above sea level.