This set of overlapping circles can help you visualize where your subjects are similar and where they differ. A “Venn diagram” can often be helpful when brainstorming.This will help you see which points are the major ones you want to focus on, and can help guide you when you formulate your thesis. Take a little time to brainstorm about how your chosen subjects are similar and different. You probably won’t be able to jump straight from deciding on your topic to having a thesis, and that’s okay. If you say “The Hunger Games and Battle Royale are both similar and different,” and your friend asked you “So what?” what would your answer be? In other words, why bother putting these two things together?īrainstorm your topic. It can be helpful to consider the “So what?” question when deciding whether your subjects have meaningful comparisons and contrasts to be made.For example, ask yourself: What can we learn by thinking about “The Hunger Games” and “Battle Royale” together that we would miss out on if we thought about them separately?.X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source “Meaningful” comparisons and contrasts do more than simply point out that “Topic A and Topic B are both similar and different.” A good compare and contrast essay will help your readers understand why it’s useful or interesting to put these two subjects together. See Chapter 15 "Readings: Examples of Essays" to read a sample compare-and-contrast essay.Make sure that your subjects can be discussed in a meaningful way. Make sure to use comparison and contrast phrases to cue the reader to the ways in which you are analyzing the relationship between the subjects.Īfter you finish analyzing the subjects, write a conclusion that summarizes the main points of the essay and reinforces your thesis. You may also consider your particular approach to the subjects as well as the nature of the subjects themselves some subjects might better lend themselves to one structure or the other. The organizing strategy that you choose will depend on, as always, your audience and your purpose. The body of the essay can be organized in one of two ways: by subject or by individual points. Your thesis should come at the end of the introduction, and it should establish the subjects you will compare, contrast, or both as well as state what can be learned from doing so. Once you have decided on a topic, introduce it with an engaging opening paragraph. The more divergent the two subjects initially seem, the more interesting a comparison essay will be.įirst choose whether you want to compare seemingly disparate subjects, contrast seemingly similar subjects, or compare and contrast subjects. Rather, you might try to compare how apples and oranges are quite similar. For a comparison essay, you likely would not choose two apples or two oranges because they share so many of the same properties already. Similarly, to focus on comparison, choose two subjects that seem at first to be unrelated. Drawing distinctions between elements in a similar category will increase the audience’s understanding of that category, which is the purpose of the compare-and-contrast essay. For example, Red Delicious apples are sweet, while Granny Smiths are tart and acidic. For example, if you wanted to focus on contrasting two subjects you would not pick apples and oranges rather, you might choose to compare and contrast two types of oranges or two types of apples to highlight subtle differences. The purpose of conducting the comparison or contrast is not to state the obvious but rather to illuminate subtle differences or unexpected similarities. The key to a good compare-and-contrast essay is to choose two or more subjects that connect in a meaningful way. A compare-and-contrast essay An essay that analyzes two subjects by either comparing them, contrasting them, or both., then, analyzes two subjects by comparing them, contrasting them, or both. in writing discusses elements that are different. in writing discusses elements that are similar, while contrast In writing, to discuss things that are different. The Purpose of Comparison and Contrast in WritingĬomparison In writing, to discuss things that are similar in nature.
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