COMPARE

AND

CONTRAST

ESSAYS

by

Anne Garrett

• Comparison discusses similarities (commonproperties).

• Contrast discusses differences

(properties each have that the other lacks).

• Be certain which action is being requested.

• Is it either/or or both?

What is the purpose of theassignment?

It is not enough to merely list what isthe same and what is different. Whyis it important to see what is thesame and what is different?Compare and contrast essayspromote critical thinking, which iswhy this type of assignment is sopopular.

• What overall pattern is operating inthe similarities and why does itmatter? How does the comparisonenhance our understanding of theseparate entities?

• What is the cause of the differencesand why does it matter? What uniqueand new insight comes fromcontrasting the entities?

The answer to these questions willform your thesis statement. Thethesis must make a claim that goesbeyond the listing of similarities anddifferences and creates a newunderstanding, a weaving together ofseparate strands to make a new form.This new synthesis becomes yourthesis.

EXAMPLE

Your assignment is to compare abook to a movie based on that book.To merely list the plot similaritiesand the divergences from the plotcould be done by anyone.

Put in your own analysis, somethingonly you can come up with.

Obviously not everything in a book can fit in a movie,but why were certain items chosen over others to beomitted? Is something emphasized more in one or theother? Why? Is something completely different in themovie? Why?

• What does that say about the strengths orweaknesses in the novel or the movie?

• What does that say about the time period in which thebook was written as opposed to the time period themovie was made?

• What does that say about the two different mediumsand their respective audiences?

Why do we care about any of thisanyway?

Ask yourself “so what?” for everysimilar and different item you cancome up with.

The answer to “so what” is theanalysis that the essay needs.

BREAK DOWN INTO PARTS

When writing compare and contrastessays, one is often dealing with a vastamount of detail. The subject must bebroken down into parts for analysisand a sufficient number of significantcharacteristics and details must beconsidered. Pull it apart and look ateach detail in isolation so you candecide how they all go together.

BRAINSTORMING

Start first with brainstorming todetermine what is the same and what isdifferent. You can use a Venn diagramor a listing strategy, clearly separatingone subject from the other.

Let’s say we are going to compare andcontrast frogs and cats.

VENN DIAGRAMUseful when comparing and contrasting only two things

Different DifferentSame

VENN DIAGRAM

Cats Frogs

SkinCold BloodedCroak

Two EyesFour LegsJump

FurWarm BloodedMeow

LISTList qualities of each and then highlight shared qualities

Cats Frogs

2 eyes jump

4 legs 2 eyes

Fur croak

Meow 4 legs

Jump skin

Warm blooded Cold blooded

Comparing and contrastingmultiple items or elements

Sometimes the assignment is morecomplicated – you are asked todiscuss more than two things. Forexample, you are asked to compareand contrast the push-pull factors withvarious groups that have migrated toCalifornia. Using a table to brainstormis more effective.

Break down the elementsof the assignment

Determine the parts of the assignment:1. Push-pull factors

• economic• political• social

2. Groups• African American• Latino• Asian• European American

Create a table and fill in the boxesHighlight shared qualities

European

American

Asian

Latino

AfricanAmerican

SocialPoliticalEconomic

ORGANIZATION

Once you have gathered all thespecifics, organization is crucial in thepaper. Otherwise you will eitherconfuse or lose your reader.

First arrange your lists or tables in theorder you want to present them. Whendiscussing just two elements, decidewhether to compare first or contrastfirst.

Emphatic Order

Order points from least to mostimportant.

• If the similarities are more significant,discuss differences first.

• If the differences are more significant,discuss similarities first.

For Example:

• If you are comparing/contrasting worldreligions and your conclusion willclaim that, in essence, all religions givethe same message, discuss thedifferences first.

• If you are comparing/contrasting agroup of children and your conclusionwill highlight their unique individuality,discuss the similarities first.

Organizing from a List

For purposes of illustration, let’s look atjust the similarities in the two animals.Arrange the lists in the emphatic order.

Cats Frogs

2 eyes 2 eyes

4 legs 4 legs

jump jump

Order of Presentation

Choose a method, either:

one-side-at-a-time

or

point-by-point

One side at a time

First discuss everything about the catsand then discuss everything about the frogs.

Keep the order of points the same in each.

jumpJump

4 legs4 legs

2 eyes2 eyes

FrogsCats

Point by Point

Discuss each point, first cats, then frogs, alternating back and forth.Keep the order consistent.

Always start with cats and then go to frogs.

jumpjump

4 legs4 legs

2 eyes2eyes

FrogsCats

With the more complicated assignment, firstdecide how you want to order the information,using emphatic order.

Would it be politics, economics and then socialor social, politics, and then economics?

How would you order the different groups ofpeople?

A table would use a combination of one side at atime and point by point.

To emphasize the push-pull factors:

European

American

Asian

Latino

AfricanAmerican

SocialPoliticalEconomic

To emphasize the immigrating groups:

European

American

Asian

Latino

AfricanAmerican

SocialPoliticalEconomic

Now you are ready to write

Introduction

Give the overall picture. Define thesubject matter, give brief, allinclusive background and write athesis statement that answers all the“so what?” questions.

Body Paragraphs

Follow your plan. Include a paragraphbreakdown in your plan. Whetherindividual points warrant an entire bodyparagraph or certain points can becombined depends on the length of thepaper (which dictates scope and depth).The order of the paragraphs dependson what you want to emphasize. Besure to start and end body paragraphswith topic and concluding sentences.

Again, keep the order consistent.While discussing economics, firstdiscuss•African American, then• Latinos, then•Asians, then• Europeans Americans,

and then follow the same order whendiscussing politics. This is known asparallel construction. Make decisionsabout the order before you start writing.

Conclusion

Look back at your introduction andthesis and again answer the “why dowe care about this?” question interms of the big picture. Theconclusion will accentuate thelessons learned in the comparisonand contrast of the elements. Whatis the new synthesis that has comeout of this exercise?