Comparison and Contrast Writing Steven Federle Solano College What is comparison and contrast?

Comparison and Contrast Writing

• Steven Federle
• Solano College

What is comparison and contrast?

• Comparison shows how two or more things are similar
• Contrast shows how two or more things are different
• In most writing situations, the two related processes are used together
• An analogy explains one thing by comparing it to a second, more familiar, thing.

Establishing a basis for comparison

• The two things to be compared must have enough in common to justify the comparison.
• In making comparisons, you should move beyond the obvious (i.e., people and bees)
• When two things are very similar, it is the contrasts that may be worth writing about.

Searching points for discussion

• Determine your emphasis on similarities, differences, or both.
• Determine the major focus of your paper.
• Make sure you treat the same or similar elements for each subject you will discuss:

Do not discuss entirely different elements for each subject.

• Do not discuss entirely different elements for each subject.

Formulating a Thesis Statement

• Identify not only the subjects to be compared and contrasted in your essay, but the point you will make about them.
• Also indicate whether you will focus on similarities or differences, or balance the two.
• “Although Melville’s Moby-Dick and London’s The Sea Wolf are both about the sea, the minor characters, major characters, and themes of Moby-Dick establish its greater complexity.”

Structuring a Comparison and Contrast Essay

• Subject by Subject
• Write a separate essay about each subject, but you discuss the same points for both subjects.
• Use basis for comparison to guide your selection of points.
• Arrange points in logical order, usually order of importance.
• Good for short, uncomplicated papers.

Point by Point Comparison

• Good for longer, more complex papers
• Make a point about one subject, and then follow it with a comparable point about the other subject.
• Alternating pattern
• Be careful not to fall into a monotonous, back and forth movement between points. To avoid this problem, vary sentence structure as you move from point to point.

Using Transitions

• See list on page 43.
• See transitions especially useful for comparison and contrasts on page 369.
• Longer essays may have transitional paragraphs that connect one part of the essay to another.
• REVISING:
• See checklist on page 369

• Student Example: Comparison and Contrast Essay

• Auguste Rodin, The Kiss (Sculpture)

• Robert Indiana, LOVE (Sculpture)

• What significant characteristics do these two sculptures share? Do they share enough characteristics to establish a basis for comparison? Explain.

• WRITING EXERCISE: LOVE!

• Auguste Rodin, The Kiss (Sculpture)

• Robert Indiana, LOVE (Sculpture)

• In your journal, create a venn diagram to list the similarities and differences of these two works of art.

• Auguste Rodin, The Kiss (Sculpture)

• Robert Indiana, LOVE (Sculpture)

• What general statement could you make about these two sculptures? Do the points you listed on your venn diagram provide enough support for this general statement?

• Auguste Rodin, The Kiss (Sculpture)

• Robert Indiana, LOVE (Sculpture)

• Write a short comparison-contrast essay in your journal on the following:
• How does each sculpture convey the idea of love? Which one do you believe conveys this idea more effectively? Why?

Grammar: parallelism

• Parallelism is the use of matching nouns, verbs, phrases, or clauses to express the same or similar ideas.
• “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens, Tale of Two Cities.
• Click here to visit Purdue University website on parallelism.