A is defined as an essay that students write in order to explore the similarities and or differences between two people, two objects, or two events. This is one of the 8 most common types of essays that there are. In some cases, students will only focus on the differences in their writing (contrast essays). In other cases they will only focus on the similarities (comparison essays). Finally, there are instances where students will write about both (compare/contrast) essay. There are two challenges when writing a compare/contrast essay. The first is coming up with contrast and comparison essay topics. The second is in formatting the essay in a way that makes it interesting, readable, and convincing. We will cover both issues in this posting.
When you are trying to come up with compare and contrast essay topics there are a few things to keep in mind. The first is selecting two appropriate subjects to compare and contrast. You must pick things that are in some way related to one another. For example, you could write a compare and contrast essay on the subjects of World War I and World War II. The topics are both related because they are both wars that were fought in the 20th century, involved many of the same countries, and they were both conflicts in which Americans traveled overseas to fight. Of course, you also don’t want to pick two subjects that are so similar that there are no differences. Going back to the examples of WWI and WWII there were also differences. The technologies of war were different during both conflicts, there were economic differences in the nations involved, and public sentiment was not the same. The point is that when you select two topics, you should know why it would be interesting to examine the similarities and differences between the two. Here are some subjects for compare/contrast essays along with a few points of difference and similarity.
Once you have your subjects chosen to compare and contrast, your next step is to actually determine the points of differences and similarities as they relate communicating your overall point. After this is done, you must determine how to structure your essay. That is, do you focus on point of comparison, contrast, or both, and how do you determine the order in which you will sequence your points. There many things to consider. Do start with the most compelling similarities and end with the most compelling differences? There are many options. Don’t be afraid to try different things in order to find the sequence and format that works best for you. Finally, keep in mind that poweredessay.com offers custom essay writing if you would rather leave the work to a professional.