Academic english iii April 14, 2015

Today Compare/Contrast writing Photo credit: anvilcloud.blogspot.com

Compare/Contrast Writing This is a very common type of essay in many fields. Examples: Compare the forms of government of Canada and the U.S. Compare the characters of Winston and O’Brien in George Orwell’s “1984.” Compare and contrast methods for marketing a new product. Political Science Literature Business

Compare/Contrast Writing - Analysis - It is not enough to simply say: “This is how A & B are different; this is how they are similar.” Or “A and B are similar, yet different.” - The above is just listing information. - At the university level, some form of analysis is needed in comparison/contrast writing.  Go beyond “here is some information…the end ”

Organization A key feature of comparison/contrast essays is organization. - Careful organization is necessary for an effective essay of this kind. - You don’t want to confuse the reader(s). - There are several ways to organize a comparison/contrast essay. We will examine two of them.

Organization Look at these two examples: - How does each organize its information?

Organization – Example 1 Subjects: beaches & mountains Points of comparison/contrast: climate, activities, locations Body 1: Mountains Body 2: Beaches

Organization – Example 2 Subjects: fresh foods & canned foods Points of comparison/contrast: flavors, benefits, cost Body 1: flavor Body 2: health benefits Body 3: cost

Organization Example 1: Block organization Example 2: Point-by-point organization - Neither holds advantage over the other. - Which you use depends on your preference (and to a degree), the goal of your writing.

Block Organization Contents organized into “blocks” Discuss all of topic A, then all of topic B.

Block Organization Basic outline: I. Introduction (opening, purpose of the essay, thesis statement). II. Body A. Topic A features - Feature 1 - Feature 2 B. Topic B features - Feature 1 - Feature 2 III. Conclusion NOTE: Make sure you discuss the same features for each topic!

Point-by-Point Organization Each point of comparison (“feature”) becomes the topic of a paragraph. Within each paragraph, the two topics are compared or contrasted on that feature.

Point-by-Point Organization Basic outline: (Two topics, A & B) I. Introduction (opening, purpose of the essay, thesis statement). II. Body A. Difference/similarity 1 - FLAVOR - Topic 1 - Fresh - Topic 2 - Canned B. Difference/similarity 2 – Health - Topic 1 – Canned - Topic 2 C. Difference/similarity 3 - Cost - Topic 1 - Canned - Topic 2 III. Conclusion NOTE: Always discuss the topics in the same order!

Compare-Contrast Thesis Statements Topics: Point of comparison Job X Job Y Same or different? Salary $30/hour $25/hour different Benefits (vacation, pension, health insurance). Great (all) Good (no health insurance) Chance for promotion Good same Workplace environment Friendly, supportive

Compare-Contrast Thesis Statements A weak essay would use this thesis statement: “Job X and Job Y are similar, yet different.” This weak essay might even expand the thesis statement: “Job X and Job Y share similarities in chance of promotion and workplace environment; however, they differ in salary and benefits.” But the essay will still be weak…it lacks analysis.

Compare-Contrast Thesis Statements The goal of this type of essay is to compare and contrast two comparable topics and through this comparison, support a position. Basic structure: Although Topic X and Topic Y have similarities in A and B, Topic X is <ARGUMENT> due to C and D. i.e., While both Job X and Job Y offer good workplace environments and opportunities for promotion, Job X is a better job for a recent graduate because it offers superior salary and benefits.

Compare-Contrast Thesis Statements More examples (from past students): Although Nike and Adidas share similarities in business strategies, such as collaboration, and using technology, Adidas’s superior approach strategy and slogan make its business strategies more appealing to consumers. Although Baskin Robbins and Haagen-Dazs share similar quality of production and managing store, Baskin Robbins is a more attractive store for eating ice cream due to its superior promotions and lower costs.

Compare/Contrast Writing - Analysis - It is not enough to simply say: “This is how A & B are different; this is how they are similar.” Or “A and B are similar, yet different.” - The above is just listing information. - At the university level, some form of analysis is needed in comparison/contrast writing.  Go beyond “here is some information…the end ”

Compare/Contrast Writing - Analysis Your analysis should begin by researching two comparable topics/subjects AND Considering the rationale for comparing the two

Compare/Contrast Writing - Analysis Considering rationale: - Ask yourself: What factors can I compare my two topics on? - How are they similar? - How are they different?

Compare/Contrast Writing - Analysis Next, determine a position: i.e., two smart phones: Which would you recommend to a new smart phone user? two countries: Which is better for a foreign investor? two universities: which provides the best opportunities to foreign students?

Compare/Contrast - analysis These both have similarities and differences, BUT Which would you recommend to a Canadian tourist? Source: www.lonelyplanet.com Source: www.lib.utexas.edu