WRITING A COMPARE & CONTRAST ESSAY

What is Compare and Contrast? Comparison is an analysis of how things are alike. Contrast is an analysis of how things are different. Both are often involved in everyday life, and weighing of alternatives

Thesis Statement The Thesis Statement will: Name the subjects being compared and contrasted Indicates whether the essay focuses on comparisons, contrasts or both State the essays’ main points of comparison.

Things to Remember about the Thesis Note the key words in the essay prompt: Compare and Contrast. This means you must write a thesis that expresses what 2 civilizations had in common and where they are different. Your thesis must address the comparison. Stay within the parameters of the question or prompt. An essay about Egypt should not deal with MesoAmerica.

Things to Remember about the Thesis Your thesis should state an opinion. Be bold. Don’t merely restate the question or one of its assumptions. To argue a point, you must first have one. Your thesis should contain the categories you will use in the essay as evidence. Categories show analysis of the topic.

Writing Tips Stay focused on your purpose Formulate a strong thesis Not just to compare and contrast Also needs to persuade, evaluate, and clear up any misconceptions Formulate a strong thesis Select sound points to be discussed Organize/Prioritize your points Consider your audience

Two C&C Methods Block Method Point-by-Point Method

BLOCK METHOD The writer discusses everything relevant about one subject before moving to another subject. Each subject is addressed in a parallel fashion, and the information is presented in the same order. This is an easier format to write because it’s less repetitious.

Topic: comparing two newspapers Everything about A: Herald’s news coverage international national local Everything about B: Beacon’s news coverage International National Local

POINT-BY-POINT METHOD Writer alternates from one aspect of the first Subject to the same aspect of the other subject within the same paragraph. This method is more difficult because the writer must be creative when referring to each subject to avoid repetition.

Topic: compare newspapers, the Beacon and the Herald. Everything about international news coverage The Beacon’s International coverage The Herald’s International coverage Everything about national news coverage The Beacon’s national coverage The Herald’s national coverage Everything about local news coverage The Beacon’s local coverage The Herald’s local coverage

WHICH METHOD OF ORGANIZATION? BLOCK METHOD These essays are usually more unified. This method is more effective with complicated subjects. This is generally better with brief essays.

WHICH METHOD OF ORGANIZATION? POINT-BY-POINT Rigid attention to the pattern of the essay will help maintain unity and cohesiveness. This method is better for subjects with less complex points to compare. Longer essays with many points of comparison work best in this format.

Writing a Solid Conclusion Conclusion must restate the thesis in an interesting way Your conclusion should answer the question: “So What?” In other words provide Sentence 1 – Restate the thesis Sentence 2 – provide implications Sentence 3 – make local to global connection

How to Write a Dynamite Compare and Contrast AP Essay 2-3 sentence introduction Clear, analytical thesis statement Shows similarities AND differences in three different body paragraphs and analysis of the reason for the similarities and/or differences Addresses all parts of the question or prompt evenly

How to Write a Dynamite Compare and Contrast AP Essay Includes appropriate historical evidence Provides at 2-3 relevant comparisons between the civilizations Provides a local to global connection (How is this prompt relevant to other parts of the world at this time?) Conclusion restates the thesis in an interesting way.