A compare and contrast essay is one of the most common forms of essays that students are usually asked to write during their semester. You may have to compare and contrast two different kinds of novels or pets from the same historical period. You may also be asked to compare and contrast two different aspects of one topic If you are writing a comparison/contrast in service of an argument, keep in mind that the last point you make is the one you are leaving your reader with. For example, if I am trying to argue that Amante is better than Pepper’s, I should end with a contrast that leaves Amante sounding good, rather than with a point of comparison that I have to admit makes Pepper’s look better Compare, and contrast essay is concerned with evaluating differences and similarities between given items or topics. It’s not just a mere comparison; the essay requires thorough evaluation and analysis supported by reliable data
How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay: Students’ Guide
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. Here are a few hypothetical examples:. You may want to check out our handout on understanding assignments for additional tips.
Making a Venn diagram or a chart can help you quickly and efficiently compare and contrast two or more things or ideas. In the central area where they overlap, list the traits the two items have in common.
To make a chart, figure out what criteria you want to focus on in comparing the items. Along the left side of the page, list each of the criteria. Across the top, list the names compare and contrast argumentative essay the items, compare and contrast argumentative essay. As you generate points of comparison, consider the purpose and content of the assignment and the focus of the class.
How does it fit with what you have been studying so far and with the other assignments in the course? Are there any clues about what to focus on in the assignment itself? Here are some general questions about different types of things you might have to compare. You may want to begin by using the questions reporters traditionally ask: Who?
By now you have probably generated a huge list of similarities and differences—congratulations! Next you must decide which of them are interesting, important, and relevant enough to be included in your paper. Ask yourself these questions:. Suppose that you are writing a paper comparing two novels. However, if you were writing a paper for a class on typesetting or on how illustrations are used to enhance novels, compare and contrast argumentative essay, the typeface and presence or absence of illustrations might be absolutely critical to include in your final paper.
Sometimes a particular point of comparison or contrast might be relevant but not terribly revealing or interesting. Talking about the different ways nature is depicted or the different aspects of nature that are emphasized might be more interesting and show a more sophisticated understanding of the poems.
Be careful, compare and contrast argumentative essay, though—although this thesis is fairly specific and does propose a simple argument that atmosphere and delivery make the two pizza places differentyour instructor will often be looking for a bit more analysis. Again, thinking about the context the class provides may help you answer such questions and make a stronger argument.
You may find our handout on constructing thesis statements useful at this stage. The danger of this subject-by-subject organization is that your paper will simply be a list of points: a certain number of points in my example, three about one subject, then a certain number of points about another. This is usually not what college instructors are looking for in a paper—generally they want you to compare or contrast two or more things very directly, rather than just listing the traits the things have and leaving it up to the reader to reflect on how those traits are similar or different and why those similarities or differences matter.
Thus, if you use the subject-by-subject form, you will compare and contrast argumentative essay want to have a very strong, analytical thesis and at least one body paragraph that ties all of your different points together.
Rather than addressing things one subject at a time, you may wish to talk about one point of comparison at a time. There are two main ways this might play out, depending on how much you have to say about each of the things you are comparing. Be aware, too, of the placement of your different points.
Our handout on organization can help you write good topic sentences and transitions and make sure that you have a good overall structure in place for your paper. The following words may be helpful to you in signaling your intentions:. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4. You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Make a Compare and contrast argumentative essay. Skip to main content, compare and contrast argumentative essay.
Point by Point Method - Comparison Contrast Essay - English Writing Skills
, time: 18:58Comparing and Contrasting – The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Whether youre writing an argumentative paper, an informative essay, or a compare/contrast statement, you need a thesis. Essay Sample: Napoleon and Snowball, from the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, share many similar and different character traits Compare, and contrast essay is concerned with evaluating differences and similarities between given items or topics. It’s not just a mere comparison; the essay requires thorough evaluation and analysis supported by reliable data A compare and contrast essay is one of the most common forms of essays that students are usually asked to write during their semester. You may have to compare and contrast two different kinds of novels or pets from the same historical period. You may also be asked to compare and contrast two different aspects of one topic
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