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Structure,
Sound & Sense:
Essay Writing:
Compare and Contrast
Essay
A compare and contrast essay is a short composition that points out the
similarities and differences between two things. Tackle a
compare and contrast essay just like you would tackle any
other essay—break it down into manageable tasks.
Task 1: Requirements
Make sure you understand what your teacher expects of you. Review all
of the information you have about the assignment and verify
that you can answer the following questions. If you don’t
know, ask your teacher.
·
Are you required to compare and contrast something in
particular?
·
When is your essay due?
·
Is
there a requirement for length?
Task 2: Topic and
points of comparison
1. Decide what you’re going to compare and contrast. Choose something
that interests you and complies with any guidelines that
your teacher provided. You might compare and contrast
objects, ideas, or people. If you’re having trouble coming
up with ideas, think about recent experiences, page through
a magazine, watch the news, or skim a newspaper for stories
about people, events, or issues that intrigue you.
Example: Your family is in the process of buying a new car.
Your parents have narrowed their options down to two
choices: a Ford Explorer and a Jeep Grand Cherokee. You
decide to use your essay to help them make their final
decision by comparing and contrasting the two cars.
2. Identify your points of comparison—that is, the key aspects that you
will compare and contrast. If necessary, do some digging to
get a better feel for your topic and pertinent points to
compare. Do Internet searches, read a few newspaper
articles, and skim encyclopedia articles related to your
topic. Example: Up until this point, you haven’t been
very involved in your parents’ search for a new car. You
decide to start by familiarizing yourself with the factors
people consider when they’re ready to purchase a new car.
You visit a few car-buying Web sites and check out a guide
for new car buyers from the public library.
Task 3: Outline
With your topic and points of comparison identified, it’s time to
organize your ideas—that is, to outline your essay.
1. Start by listing your points of comparison—the key aspects that you
will compare and contrast—on a piece of paper. Example:
You plan to compare and contrast the Ford Explorer and the
Jeep Cherokee, so you decide to use the factors people
consider when they’re ready to purchase a new car as your
points of comparison:
·
Price
·
Size
·
Safety
·
Gas mileage
·
Performance
2. Under each point of comparison, note the related similarities and
differences between your items. In essays, you can draw on
personal experience as well as research to support your
points. If you don’t know enough about the similarities and
differences for a particular point of comparison from
personal experience, do a little research. Example:
You’ve picked a topic that you don’t have much personal
experience with—you’ve never driven an Explorer or a Grand
Cherokee. You’ll have to rely heavily on research. You
decide to read several reviews on the Ford Explorer and the
Jeep Grand Cherokee, and then to take an informal survey of
all the people you know who own one of these cars.
Tip: If your teacher requires you to hand in a bibliography
with your essay, take a few minutes now to determine what
information on each source you’ll need. For example, does
your teacher require you to list your source’s publisher and
where it was published? Jot this information down for each
source as you do your research. Knowing exactly what you
need now will save you the hassle of having to go back to
look it up later.
3. Read through your points and consider the order in which they
appear. Does the sequence work? Could your essay be stronger
if you presented your points of comparison in a different
order? Would it make sense to discuss all of the
similarities, then move on to the differences? If necessary,
rearrange your outline.
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