COMPOSING AN ESSAY OF COMPARISON AND / OR CONTRAST OR COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

ASSIGNMENT: Write a 400-600 word essay in which you compare, contrast, or compare and contrast a person, place or idea with another of similar classification. For example, if your thesis states that one fast food is preferable to another, your body paragraphs might contrast the two restaurants in terms of food, service, and atmosphere, revealing the superiority of one over the other in all three areas.

• Choose one or more of your journal entries and focus it into a topic that you can develop into a good essay of comparison, contrast, or comparison and contrast.

Preparing to write

· Consider your audience

· Consider your purpose

· Clearly state your thesis

· Determine the most important points of the comparison/contrast

· Focus on the specifics of the assignment

· Use parallel structures to organize comparisons/contrasts

· Keep the length of your paper in mind

• Answer the following questions before you begin your essay plan
1. What is your purpose?
2. Are you comparing or contrasting items in the same category?
3. Have you generated as many pertinent details as possible to expand your comparison/contrast?
4. Who is your audience?
• Write an essay plan following either the point by point or the block style.

DEVELOPMENT: There are two principal patterns of organization for comparison/contrast essays; point by point, and block. These samples will serve as the essay plan we have used with our other essays in organizing our essay.

Point by point:

Thesis: _________ is a better family restaurant than _________ because of its superior food, service and atmosphere.

Point 1: Food

A. First restaurant

B. Second restaurant

Point 2: Service

A. First restaurant

B. Second restaurant

Point 3: Atmosphere

A. First restaurant

B. Second restaurant

Conclusion

Block:

Thesis: Same as above

1. First restaurant

1. Food
2. Service
3. Atmosphere

2. Second restaurant

1. Food

2. Service

3. Atmosphere

Conclusion

TRANSITIONAL DEVICES:

Comparison Contrast

Also however

Similarly on the contrary

Too on the other hand

Both in contrast

Like although

Not only…but also unlike

Have in common though

Share the same instead of

In the same manner but

COMPARISON / CONTRAST CRITERIA

Prewriting—As you focus your attention on a particular topic, keep the following suggestions in mind:

• Always compare and contrast items in the same category
• Have a specific purpose or reason for writing
• Discuss the same qualities of each subject (if you explain mother’s qualities of kindness, you must also include father’s)
• Use as many pertinent details as possible to expand your comparison/contrast and to accomplish your stated purpose
• Deal with all aspects of the comparison that are relevant to the purpose
• Balance the treatment of the different subjects of your comparison (i.e., don’t spend more time on one than on another)
• Determine your audience’s background and knowledge so that you will know how much of your comparison should be explained in detail and how much can be skimmed over

Writing the essay

• Does your introduction (1) clearly identify your subjects, (2) explain the basis of your comparison/contrast, and (3)

state your purpose and the overall limits of your particular study?

• Does your thesis include the boundaries of your discussion?
• Have you limited your discussion to three or four basic categories?
• Is your paper organized in one of the following ways: (1) alternating, (2) block, or (3) as separate discussions of similarities and differences between two subjects?
• Does the conclusion summarize your main points and state the deductions madder form those points?
• Have you used quality transitions to lead your reader carefully from one point of comparison/contrast to antoher?