english compare and contrast essay example

Many essay prompts require a comparison or contrast between two elements (e.g., two characters in a story, two different political theories, two different religious doctrines or scientific explanations, two different historical events, and so forth). Comparison essays tend to focus on similarities, while contrast essays focus on differences. Realistically, either type of essay will usually address both similarities and differences. The key principles to remember in a comparative essay are that you must: 1. Explain precisely what you are comparing 2. Narrow your focus and define what you are looking at and what you are not looking at 3. Keep the comparison alive throughout the essay The Thesis The thesis of a comparative essay can either state a preference for one of the two things being compared or make an interpretative assertion about the differences or similarities between the two. Organization Once the comparison and the basis of the argument have been defined, then you need to organize the sequence of paragraphs in the main body of the argument. In setting up the sequence of the paragraphs, you have some options, as follows: Keep the comparison alive in every paragraph, so that the argument discusses each half of the comparison in each paragraph. Alternate between the two subjects, point by point. State your entire argument for one side first, then consider the other side of the comparison. Here is a sample outline of a compare contrast essay. This article was adapted from the Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers, which is available from Everyday Education, LLC (Janice Campbell’s site). Like this:Like Loading. Related.
What is a comparison essay? A comparison essay (or a Compare and Contrast essay) is a commonly used type of writing assignment in various classes of high school and college, from art to science. In a comparison essay you,the student, should critically analyze any two subjects, finding and pointing out their similarities and/or dissimilarities. Depending on your assignment, such essays can be comparative only (looking only at similarities), contrasting only (pointing out the differences) or both comparative and contrasting.Choosing a topic for comparison essay In order to write a good essay, first of all you need to have a good topic for it, i.e. a topic that lets you easily demonstrate your writing skills and finally get a high grade without thinking too much. What does it means specifically regarding the comparison and contrast essay? Very simple: the subjects must be easy comparable, so you don’t need to think too hard to point out their similarities and / or differences. For example: A big college campus and a small college campus World War I and World War II Two perspectives on the same place: morning and night William Shakespeare with William Wordsworth Windows vs. Linux Using the following links, you can find a lot of good comparison topics for your essay: 100 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics 50 Compare and Contrast Topics List of Compare and Contrast Essay Topics Finding and Using the Right Compare and Contrast Essay Topics and Ideas Comparison essay structure Considering the right structure for your essay is one of the key points of success. Sticking to a recommended essay structure is the only way to properly outline and write it, paragraph by paragraph from the introduction to conclusion, without mistakes. There are two recommended patterns for a comparison essay: point-by-point (or alternating ) pattern and subject-by-subject (or block ) pattern.
To write a comparison or contrast essay that is easy to follow, first decide what the similarities or differences are by writing lists on scrap paper. Which are more significant, the similarities or the differences? Plan to discuss the less significant first, followed by the more significant. It is much easier to discuss ONLY the similarities or ONLY the differences, but you can also do both. Then for organizing your essay, choose one of the plans described below whichever best fits your list. Finally, and this is important, what main point (thesis) might you make in the essay about the two people/things being compared? Do not begin writing until you have a point that the similarities or differences you want to use help to prove. Your point should help shape the rest of what you say: For example, if you see that one of your similarities or differences is unrelated to the point, throw it out and think of one that is related. Or revise your point. Be sure this main point is clearly and prominently expressed somewhere in the essay. Plan A: Use Plan A if you have many small similarities and/or differences. After your introduction, say everything you want to say about the first work or character, and then go on in the second half of the essay to say everything about the second work or character, comparing or contrasting each item in the second with the same item in the first. In this format, all the comparing or contrasting, except for the statement of your main point, which you may want to put in the beginning, goes on in the SECOND HALF of the piece. Click here to visit professional custom essay writing service! Plan B: Use Plan B if you have only a few, larger similarities or differences. After your introduction, in the next paragraph discuss one similarity or difference in BOTH works or characters, and then move on in the next paragraph to the second similarity or.
Summary: These sections describe in detail the assignments students may complete when writing about literature. These sections also discuss different approaches (literary theory/criticism) students may use to write about literature. These resources build on the Writing About Literature materials. Contributors:J. Case TompkinsLast Edited: 2013-12-06 10:29:39 Whether you are given a selection of prompts to choose from or just one, knowing something about the various sorts of writing prompts can help you understand what your teacher expects and how you should approach the project. “Compare and Contrast” This classic writing prompt can be quite challenging because it sounds almost as if you are being asked to compile a list of similarities and differences. While a list might be of use in the planning stage, this prompt asks you to use what you discover to arrive at a conclusion about the two works under discussion. Example: “Compare and contrast the two endings for Dickens’ Great Expectations paying special attention to the situation of Stella at the close of the novel.” Strategy: Find three or four elements from the texts upon which to base your comparison. Examine possible connections and determine a thesis. Base your outline around the elements you’ve chosen, remembering to give equal coverage to each side. “Discuss the theme of x as it appears in works a, b, and c.” This is an extended or re-named compare and contrast prompt. In this situation, you are given a general theme, such as “loss of innocence” or “self-revelation.” Your job is to use the instances of that theme to arrive at some general conclusions regarding how the theme works in the text you are analyzing. Example: “Discuss the ways in which Shakespeare talks about the passing of time in three of the sonnets we read for class.” Strategy: Re-read carefully the selected works looking specifically for the.
This type of essay can be really confusing, as balancing between comparing and contrasting can be rather difficult. Check out our compare and contrast essay samples to see how to write essays of this type on your own. Differences Between Tokyo and Kyoto In recent decades, the title of one of the most popular cultures worldwide should be definitely given to Japan. Millions of people all over the iPhone 5s Versus iPhone 6 The hype around Apple products seems neverending. The company’s announcement of a new product collects millions of views; people stand lines in front of Apple Differences Between Conventional And Alternative Medicine The progress of science is usually believed to have improved the quality of many processes, products, and services. However, in certain spheres of life, traditional Material and Non-Material Factors of Happiness According to famous French postmodernist philosopher Jean Baudrillard, the consumerist choice today is defined mostly not by the price of a certain product, but by Western Yoga Vs. Traditional Yoga: Is there a Difference? In my opinion, one of the most significant aspects of 21st century life is the inevitable process of globalization. Its opponents claim that it contributes Creation or Evolution? After Sir Charles Darwin introduced his original theory about the origins of species and evolution, humanity’s faith in God, which remained undisputed for hundreds of Major Differences in Hospitals Today and 100 Years Ago Medicine has a history spanning many thousands of years and specialized establishments for treating the sick have also existed for a long period of time. Differences Between the Daily Lives of Teenagers Today and a Century Ago Technological progress has boosted both mobility and industrial production levels, while globalization has enhanced communication around the world and made the exchange of socio-political.
What this handout is about This handout will help you first to determine whether a particular assignment is asking for comparison/contrast and then to generate a list of similarities and differences, decide which similarities and differences to focus on, and organize your paper so that it will be clear and effective. It will also explain how you can (and why you should) develop a thesis that goes beyond “Thing A and Thing B are similar in many ways but different in others.” Introduction In your career as a student, you’ll encounter many different kinds of writing assignments, each with its own requirements. One of the most common is the comparison/contrast essay, in which you focus on the ways in which certain things or ideas—usually two of them—are similar to (this is the comparison) and/or different from (this is the contrast) one another. By assigning such essays, your instructors are encouraging you to make connections between texts or ideas, engage in critical thinking, and go beyond mere description or summary to generate interesting analysis: when you reflect on similarities and differences, you gain a deeper understanding of the items you are comparing, their relationship to each other, and what is most important about them. Recognizing comparison/contrast in assignments Some assignments use words—like compare, contrast, similarities, and differences—that make it easy for you to see that they are asking you to compare and/or contrast. Here are a few hypothetical examples: Compare and contrast Frye’s and Bartky’s accounts of oppression. Compare WWI to WWII, identifying similarities in the causes, development, and outcomes of the wars. Contrast Wordsworth and Coleridge; what are the major differences in their poetry? Notice that some topics ask only for comparison, others only for contrast, and others for both. But it’s not always so easy to tell whether an.