Comparison Contrast Essay

Comparison/Contrast Comparison: similarities of objects, qualities, actions. Contrast: differences in objects, qualities, actions.

Purposes Reveal surprising or frequently overlooked likenesses or differences to add to reader’s knowledge, satisfy their curiosity or develop their self-awareness. – Explain generational differences over responsibility for housework. (Younger generations might share cooking and cleaning; home maintenance reserved for males). Show superiority of one thing over another. – Examine two antismoking campaigns; one by teens, one by advertising professionals. Show which is more effective. Explain or evaluate (alternatives or differing viewpoints on an issue). – Should companies be forced to label genetically modified foods? Explain the unfamiliar by comparing it to the familiar. – Wedding customs in Ethiopia and Kansas. Explore a thesis. – Thesis: Animals have emotional lives similar to humans. Compare pet to sibling.

Developing Comparisons Make logical comparisons that are arranged in a manner that will be clear to your readers. – Subjects should be of the same general type. – Modern medicine (prescription drugs, surgery) vs. traditional medicine (herbal remedies, acupuncture). – Not surgery vs. carpentry. Provide detailed explanations of the similarities and differences in order to support your conclusions.

Strategies Begin by identifying points of comparison/ contrast. Consider the following questions to identify and explore points of comparison. – What are similar/different Physical aspects (color, shape, size, texture, movement) of subjects you are analyzing? Parts and Processes (elements and their relationships, methods of operation, instructions)? Benefits (individual, social, political, environmental)? Problems (dangers, difficulties, limitations)? Costs (financial, emotional, political)? Uses (personal, social, environmental; to provide benefits, to create relationships, to accomplish a particular goal)?

Questions to develop fresh insights: What similarities or differences are readers likely to find… – Intriguing or surprising? – Useful or worth learning about? – Quite different from what they expected before they began? – Similar enough to make them more likely to consider different opinions on an issue or approaches to a problem? – Important enough to guide their choice among alternative policies, products or conclusions.?

Patterns of Organization Subject-by-Subject (Block): present one subject and explore all points of comparison; present second subject and explore same points of comparison. Point-by-Point: focus on points of comparison; explore each subject in terms of each point of comparison.

Subject-by-Subject Subject: Bella Costa Medical Center (curing illness) and Foothills Regional Health Complex (creating wellness). Thesis: Today’s health care dilemmas have gone beyond choices among insurance plans to choices between two very different kinds of medical treatment: one focused on curing illness (Bella Costa) and the other focused on creating wellness (Foothills).

Subject-by-Subject Subject 1: Bella Costa Medical Center – Feature 1: Type of medicine: Traditional – Feature 2: Large staff – Feature 4: Emphasis on drugs, surgery, PT Subject 2: Foothills Regional Health Complex – Feature 1: Type of medicine: Alternative – Feature 2: Some physicians, nutritionists, exercise specialists – Feature 3: Emphasis on diet, exercise, alternative therapies, healthy lifestyle.

Subject-by-Subject Conclusion: Summarize reasons for choosing either one and suggest that personal preferences may play an important role.

Subject-by-Subject Conclusion: Summarize reasons for choosing either one and suggest that personal preferences may play an important role.

Point-by-Point Subject: The Mummy (1932) starring Boris Karloff and The Mummy (1999) starring Brendan Fraser. Thesis: The original version of The Mummy takes itself and the horror movie form seriously and provides an often scary portrayal of evil while the remake (1999) takes itself only half-seriously and gently pokes fun at the conventions of the horror movie, so it is only occasionally scary and conveys no sense of evil.

Point-by-Point Point 1: Acting style – Subject 1: Boris Karloff, serious acting style, dramatic scenes and speeches. – Subject 2: Brendan Fraser, comic or ironic acting style, action scenes and physical comedy. Point 2: Script – Subject 1: 1932 provides motivation for characters, emphasizes force of evil desires – Subject 2: 1999 provides little motivation for characters, highlights stereotypes and conventions of horror movies.

Point-by-Point Point 3: Special effects – Subject 1: 1932: support storyline, emphasize unnatural desires and presence of evil. – Subject 2: 1999: Call attention to themselves, emphasize unreal and exaggerated element of horror stories. Conclusion: Original and remake show changing attitudes toward the horror movie as a portrait of evil.