Seven Modes: Compare and Contrast

What is it? When you compare two or more things, you are looking for similarities; When you contrast them, you are looking for differences. However, doing one implies doing the other – when you look for what is similar, you will also notice what is different. You can compare things at all levels: From trivial – colored shoelaces and plain ones; To quite serious – a career in medicine or a career in law. We often consider things at a serious level in an effort to make a choice. Therefore, it is helpful to have a systematic, useful way to analyze similarities and differences. The same process is needed when writing a compare-and-contrast essay.

Purpose STRICT COMPARISON: FANCIFUL COMPARISON Explores relationships between things in the same class or category Items being compared are fundamentally quite alike Actors with actors Musicians with musicians NOT actors with musicians Emphasis is typically on how things in the same category are different in important ways Ultimate goal is usually to make a judgment and then a choice FANCIFUL COMPARISON Explores relationships between things from different classes or categories Imaginative, insightful comparison between two things that don’t seem at all alike – metaphorical Can help to clarify a complex idea Ex: Comparing the human heart to a pump allows one to envision the heart at work Not often the focus of an entire essay More a device for highlighting basic similarities for the purpose of clarification or explanation Used to catch reader’s attention and show new connections between unlike things

Audience Before writing, consider: What readers will already know and what they will expect Readers may be familiar with both items or ideas Ex: two popular television shows Requires less time pointing out similarities More time can be devoted to reasons for the comparison Readers may be unfamiliar with both items or ideas Ex: Buddhism and Shintoism Requires definition Use concepts readers are familiar with to explain the unfamiliar concepts Only after definition can important contrasts be highlighted Readers may be familiar with one and not the other Ex: Football and rugby Use the known to explain the unknown Emphasize what is familiar about the known and explain how the unknown is in part like it and in part different from it Keeping your essay fairly balanced Equal time devoted to each item or idea being compared If division is uneven, essay will seem less like a compare/contrast and more like a platform to discuss the item or idea more heavily emphasized

STRATEGIES to convey a distinct purpose and a clear focus: Two basic strategies for organization: Divided or subject-by-subject comparison Presents all information on one topic before introducing another (i.e. completely describing football and then completely describing rugby as a different sport) Presents each item or idea as a whole Works well in short essays where reader is unlikely to get “lost” in excess information Can begin to feel like two separate essays Alternating or point-by-point comparison Works through comparison point-by-point (i.e. Describing scoring in football, then scoring in rugby; then describing player positions in football and player positions in rugby, etc.) Gives information first on one aspect of the topic, then on the other Works well to give emphasis to the individual points you are comparing Good for longer essays, where information is complex and plentiful If used for only a few points of comparison on a simple topic, can sound choppy and disconnected, like a list Combining the strategies Start using a divided pattern to give an overview of the topic(s) early in your essay Shift to alternating pattern to highlight points of comparison in your subject(s)

POINTS TO REMEMBER: Decide whether you want the pattern of your comparison to focus on complete units (divided) or specific features (alternating). Consider the possibility of combining the two patterns. Determine which subject/item/idea should be placed in the first position and why (better known by audience, simpler to understand, etc.). Arrange the points of your comparison in a logical, balanced, and dramatic sequence. Make sure you introduce and clarify the reasons for making your comparison.

Fallacies Slots 3rd 1st Ad hominem 4 3 Damning the Origin Ad Populum 2 Bandwagon Fallacy Begging the question Circular Reasoning Either/ Or reasoning Straw Man Fallacy Hasty Generalization 5 Non-sequitor Sweeping Generalization Post-Hoc Propter Hoc Slippery Slope Red Herring Pointing to Another Wrong Unnecessary Vagueness Over-precision Logical Fallacies You will sign up for a set of logical fallacies to compare and contrast. Here are your options (pick two to do research briefly tonight for homework):

Presentation You and the other students who signed up for your topic will present your research findings as part of your final. You will need to create a presentation, using powerpoint, prezi, or video format Your presentation must be 16-20 minutes in length MUST INCLUDE: Compare and Contrast Fallacies: definition of both (or all three) Examples from media, politics, and literature Differences and similarities between the two Make a judgment on which is stronger and which is the most destructive Research portion: Include internal citations in your presentation A packet of research: first page of all cited sources An annotated bibliography A works cited page