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Recall that a comparison/contrast essay serves the purpose of examining the similarities and/or differences between two subjects. When you compare things, you show their similarities; when you contrast things, you show their differences.
The first step in writing a comparison/contrast essay is to brainstorm ideas and decide upon a topic. It's important that you find two things that have enough similarities or differences in order to be able to effectively compare or contrast them. If you choose two things that are too similar, you’ll struggle to find meaningful differences. If you choose two things that are too different, you’ll struggle to find meaningful comparisons.
EXAMPLE
You can easily find similarities or differences between two pets, such as cats and dogs. On the other hand, comparing or contrasting a chocolate cake with country music makes no sense.During the brainstorming stage of the writing process, you can use a variety of activities to help you generate ideas for your topic. It can be helpful to make a list of similarities and differences between your two subjects, then choose the ones that are most important to use in your comparison/contrast essay.
This will help you to see the multitude of similarities and differences, and then focus in on the most important ones to use in your essay:
| Similarities | Differences |
|---|---|
| Both are cold-blooded reptiles. | Crocodiles are larger than alligators. |
| Both eat a similar diet. | Crocodiles have a pointed snout, and alligators have a rounded snout. |
| Both can move quickly on land. | Crocodiles live in saltwater, and alligators live in freshwater. |
| Both live in a water environment. | Alligators live only in the U.S. and part of China, while crocodiles live across the globe. |
Clustering, or mapping, is another way to generate ideas using words, shapes, and lines that show the connections between those ideas.
When deciding upon a topic, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind:
As you narrow your focus, you will need to determine which points of comparison or contrast are most important. The number of points of comparison or contrast that you settle on will be driven by the topic you choose. However, for the comparison/contrast essay you’ll be writing for this course, you will need to focus in on two or three main points of comparison or contrast.
As you know, an outline can be a useful tool during prewriting to help you further develop the ideas and organization of your essay. Creating an outline will help you plan the way in which you want to organize your body paragraphs, and which details you want to include in each. This will help you to produce a sort of roadmap for your essay.
A good thesis statement is the cornerstone of any academic essay. During the brainstorming and prewriting steps, you will have selected a topic and chosen your strongest main points to either compare or contrast within your essay. This will help you further develop your thesis statement.
A good thesis statement should convey the main points of your essay and should avoid being overly generic.
EXAMPLE
A thesis statement such as “Dogs and cats have many similarities, but they also have some differences” doesn’t do a very good job of informing the reader of exactly what will be covered in the essay, because it is very vague. What are those similarities and differences? Why should the reader care?Instead, a good thesis statement should provide more information on which points of comparison or contrast will be discussed in the essay. Below are some templates you can consider as you begin to draft your thesis statement. A good thesis statement is not required to follow one of these patterns, but as a beginning writer, you may find that they provide a helpful starting point.
For an essay contrasting two subjects, your thesis statement may look something like this:
Or, if you are comparing two subjects, your thesis statement might look something like this:
A thesis statement might meaningfully contrast two subjects using the template above, like this:
Notice how the primary emphasis in the above thesis is about how the two cities differ based on the three points the author chose to focus on: job opportunities, income, and living expenses. This thesis statement gives the reader a clear idea of the specific points of contrast that will be covered within the body of the essay.
Now that you have your working thesis statement, you’re ready to begin thinking about how to organize the body paragraphs within your essay.
There are two primary ways in which the body paragraphs can be organized:
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 point-by-point method, also known as the alternating format method, is one method of paragraph development and organization for a comparison/contrast essay.
When you use the point-by-point method, you are choosing one point of comparison and then writing one paragraph about each of your subjects that shows how they are similar or different.
IN CONTEXT
If you are comparing two fast-food restaurants, McDonalds and Burger King, you would first determine your points of comparison. Let’s say you're going to focus on similarities in costs, menus, and taste.
Your first body paragraph would consider the costs at McDonalds, and your second body paragraph would consider the costs at Burger King. Your third and fourth body paragraphs would consider the menus at McDonalds and Burger King, and your final two body paragraphs would consider the taste of the food at both restaurants.
This method of organizing is usually easier for the reader to follow, as the main points of the body paragraphs alternate in sequence between subjects.
To demonstrate this method, let’s take the thesis statement, "Paris and Tokyo are both large metropolitan cities, but they differ in terms of their job opportunities, average income, and living expenses." In this case, the author is focusing on the differences between the two cities in regard to three main points.
The organization of the essay using the point-by-point method would look like this:
The block method, also known as the subject-by-subject method, is another method of paragraph development and organization in a comparison/contrast essay.
As the name implies, if you choose the block method, you will consider all of your points of comparison or contrast for one subject in the first two or three body paragraphs of your essay, and then discuss the same main points for the second subject in the remaining body paragraphs.
IN CONTEXT
If you're contrasting your local grocery store with the giant superstore outside of town, you would first determine your points for contrast. You might choose to focus on the differences in prices, convenience, and atmosphere.
You would begin the body of the essay by devoting one paragraph each to these three points about your local grocery store; then, you would write three paragraphs that show how the superstore is different according to those same points.
To demonstrate this method, let’s again take the thesis statement, "Paris and Tokyo are both large metropolitan cities, but they differ in terms of their job opportunities, average income, and living expenses."
The organization of the essay using the block method would look like this:
Given that comparison/contrast essays analyze the relationship between two subjects, it is also helpful to have some transitions on hand that will cue the reader to such analysis.
These words and phrases help to highlight the points you are trying to make by signaling the relationships between the subjects in a clear way.
Below are some sample transitional words and phrases that you may use to indicate a comparison or contrast.
| Comparison Words/Phrases | Contrast Words/Phrases |
|---|---|
| Both | Alternatively |
| Similarly | In contrast |
| Likewise | One difference/another difference |
| One similarity/another similarity | Conversely |
| In comparison | Whereas |
| Like | Nevertheless |
| Similar to | Unlike |
| In the same way | On the other hand |
| Also | Despite |
| Compared to | However |
| In a similar fashion | While |
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