{"id":2555,"date":"2014-10-27T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-28T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/?post_type=essay-writing-blog&p=2555"},"modified":"2018-04-08T09:09:18","modified_gmt":"2018-04-08T16:09:18","slug":"how-to-write-a-compare-and-contrast-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-write-a-compare-and-contrast-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Theodore Roosevelt once said, \u201cComparison is the thief of joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, don\u2019t let Ol\u2019 Teddy or that compare and contrast essay get you down. Compare and contrast essays are a great way to expand your knowledge on two subjects. And, with a little guidance, they can be fun and easy to write.<\/p>\n

Besides, what does Theodore Roosevelt know? All he ever did was invent the teddy bear.<\/p>\n

Wait, what? He was president?<\/i> We let the teddy bear inventor lead the free world? Never mind. Let\u2019s forget I said that. It\u2019s time to learn how to write a compare and contrast essay!<\/p>\n

What Is a Compare and Contrast Essay?<\/h2>\n

First, let\u2019s make sure we all understand the basics of a compare and contrast essay. Rest assured, you will come across this type of paper at some point in your academic career, if you haven\u2019t already. A compare and contrast essay asks you to look at the similarities (compare) and differences (contrast) between two or more items or concepts.<\/p>\n

At first glance, this will not appear to be difficult. It may seem easy to look at Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un and notice the surface-level differences and similarities.<\/p>\n

The compare and contrast essay often asks you to go beyond the surface, to perform a critical analysis of the two subjects, and to begin to understand the underlying tendencies and characteristics. By doing so, you not only better understand the two subjects, but you reveal the concepts and connections, and possibly what makes them the way they are.<\/p>\n

How Can I Organize My Ideas?<\/h2>\n

Depending on the prompt assigned, you may find your mind is overwhelmed by the myriad similarities and differences related to your subjects. Instead of just shoving them all into an essay with the subtlety of a dictator with daddy issues throwing a tantrum, let\u2019s see if we can organize them beforehand.<\/p>\n

My favorite organization tool for a compare and contrast essay is the Venn diagram<\/a>. This writing tool allows you to clearly organize the similarities and differences of two subjects with two simple, overlapping circles.<\/p>\n

I suggest you draw a big Venn diagram on a piece of paper and write everything you can think of that fits in the three sections. Once it is packed full of aspects of each subject, you can then think about which ones are the most important to your paper. What do you want to focus on? What interests you about these two areas? Which similarities and differences best relate to the prompt, or the course in general? Which pieces of information support the argument that you are presenting?<\/p>\n

For example, if you are comparing and contrasting two novels, you may want to take a look at how the two stories and the characters within them relate in terms of a certain theme. Do the two works support each other on a certain subject? If so, perhaps those aspects are the ones that should be presented in your paper.<\/p>\n

Once you have narrowed your focus, you can then identify the points in your Venn diagram that you will include in your paper.<\/p>\n

Remember that having fewer points to discuss is usually better. The more you have, the less space you will have for analysis.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, if you are able to narrow your focus to a couple of similarities and differences that really highlight the point you are trying to prove, you leave more space for discussion of those points.<\/p>\n

How Should I Structure a Compare and Contrast Essay?<\/h2>\n\t
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Stuck on Your Essay?<\/div>\n\t\t\t
Check Out These Example Compare and Contrast Essays<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tYes! Show me examples.<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

I\u2019m all for creativity. If you have a new and interesting angle you would like to approach the essay from, then do it.<\/p>\n

In all of my time teaching English, I\u2019ve never lowered the score of a paper because a student was thinking outside the box and intentionally trying something new and different.<\/p>\n

Of course, the key word here is \u201cintentionally.\u201d If you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing, that\u2019s going to come through in the paper. If you already know how to write a compare and contrast essay, however, then you can be free to let your creativity run wild.<\/p>\n

So, what is the easiest way to do it? People may have varying opinions, but in this instance I think it is best to follow the K.I.S.S. acronym. K.I.S.S. stands for\u2026uh\u2026um. What is it again?<\/p>\n

Kaleidoscopes Influence Scared Stoners?

No, that\u2019s not it.<\/p>\n

Kittens Inspire Sylvester Stallone?<\/p>\n

True, but that\u2019s not what I had in mind.<\/p>\n

Kardashians Induce Sectarian Savagery?<\/p>\n

Perhaps, but that\u2019s another issue.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is too complicated. I don\u2019t remember. Let\u2019s forget it. What I\u2019m trying to say is, when you are structuring your essay, just keep it simple, you silly goose. I feel like I was so close. Oh, well.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t get much simpler than the 5 paragraph essay<\/a>, and in the case of the compare and contrast essay, it works perfectly. In fact, it lines up with our Venn diagram in an incredible fashion. The 5 paragraph essay includes an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The Venn diagram gives us 3 gorgeously clear sections to work with, which will fit nicely into that 3-paragraph-body format.<\/p>\n

Will You Give Me an Example of How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay?<\/h2>\n

Well, I have some good news for the bold typing friend who lives in my head, and anyone else who may be reading: I will, indeed, give you an example.<\/p>\n

Our example compares and contrasts the Kibin.com editing service<\/a> with the average online editing service. Although there are many similarities and differences, we will focus on just this one for the sake of giving an example.<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So, the introduction paragraph of your five paragraph compare and contrast essay will, besides introducing your topic and hooking your reader like Ali in his prime<\/a>, present a solid thesis that guides the rest of your paper.<\/p>\n

A common problem in compare and contrast essays is a weak thesis statement. It seems logical to write something like, \u201cThis paper will compare and contrast Kibin.com with other online editing services\u201d or \u201cThere are many similarities and differences between Kibin.com and the average online editing site.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although these statements may be true and describe what your paper is about, they are way too vague. It is like writing, \u201cThis is an essay that will use words in a structured way to bring attention to something you may or may not already be aware of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Okay. Well. That\u2019s great, but your readers already know that, and now they are upset that you wasted the amount of time it took to read it. That\u2019s 5 seconds of their lives that they can never get back, and, if they are as begrudging as I am, they may never forgive you for it (I will destroy you, BuzzFeed<\/a>, if it is the last thing I do!!!).<\/p>\n

So, instead, we want to present a thesis that is specific, proposes an argument, and gives a bit of insight into your analysis.<\/i><\/p>\n

For example, \u201cAlthough there are many editing services available online, Kibin.com\u2019s commitment to providing high-quality editing that never overcharges sets it apart from the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

See the difference?<\/p>\n

Body Paragraphs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In your Venn diagram, you will have several points and examples from the two subjects. Once you have narrowed them down to the ones that best fit the theme of your paper, you will be able to clearly organize them in the body of your paper. There are a few different ways that you can present these similarities and differences in your paper, but each fits really well into our essay structure.<\/p>\n

One way of organizing the information is to<\/p>\n