Although details and examples can be used in all kinds of expository writing, not all essay topics are best developed in an example essay pattern.\u00a0 Very often, for example, you are asked to compare and contrast two things, items, or people.\u00a0 In your history class you might be asked to compare and contrast the Greek and Roman empires; in your biology class you might be required to compare and contrast DNA and RNA.\u00a0 Comparing and contrasting is a process we all do every day.\u00a0 We compare and contrast to determine the superiority of one thing over another.\u00a0 When we buy a car, for instance, we usually shop around and compare deals.\u00a0 We explain something that is unknown by comparing it to something that is known.\u00a0 We might explain what a barometer is by saying it looks like a thermometer but measures atmospheric pressure instead of temperature.\u00a0 We also compare and contrast when we want to show that two apparently similar things are in fact quite different in important ways, or to show that two apparently dissimilar things are really quite similar in significant ways.\u00a0 It might, for instance, be quite enlightening to discover that two very different cultures have some important things in common.\u00a0 We also compare and contrast to show how something or someone has changed, such as Mt. St. Helens before and after the volcano erupted.<\/p>\n
We have many reasons for comparing and contrasting, and since comparison and contrasting is such a common method of thinking and of developing topics, it is important to write a well-organized comparison and contrast paper.\u00a0 There is one thing to keep in mind, however.\u00a0 With comparison and contrast, the purpose is not just to point out similarities and differences or advantages and disadvantages; the purpose is to persuade, explain, or inform.\u00a0 Think of comparison and contrast as a method of development — not as a purpose for writing.<\/p>\n
When you are planning a comparison and contrast essay, there are several points to consider.<\/p>\n
Points of Comparison<\/strong><\/p>\n Let us say that you were asked to compare and contrast two people — perhaps two generals, two politicians, or two religious leaders.\u00a0 What would you compare and contrast about them?\u00a0 You could compare their looks, backgrounds, philosophies, the way they treat people, their attitudes toward life, their intelligence, their life styles, and so on.\u00a0 The list could continue, but this is just the problem:\u00a0 you would have a list.\u00a0 When comparing and contrasting two things, people, countries, and so forth, especially for a standard 300-to 500-word essay, it is best to restrict the points of comparison to two to four.\u00a0 Therefore, be selective and choose the most significant points for comparison that would support the central idea in your essay.\u00a0 For instance, if you were comparing two politicians in order to show that one is better as a public servant, you would not bother with comparing and contrasting their tastes in food; it would be irrelevant.<\/p>\n Emphasis on Comparison or Contrast<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In a comparison and contrast essay, the emphasis is usually on one or the other; in other words, you spend more time comparing or contrasting, depending on your purpose.\u00a0 If you are comparing two rather similar things, acknowledge the obvious similarities, but focus on the differences.\u00a0 If you are comparing two obviously dissimilar things, acknowledge the obvious contrast, but again, emphasize the less obvious similarities.<\/p>\n A comparison is a systematic strategy for analyzing and evaluating the similarities of two or more things.\u00a0 (A contrast is simply a comparison that emphasizes differences rather than similarities.)\u00a0 An effective comparison attempts to demonstrate one of three general purposes:<\/p>\n Although details and examples can be used in all kinds of expository writing, not all essay topics are best developed in an example essay pattern.\u00a0 Very often, for example, you are asked to compare and contrast two things, items, or people.\u00a0 In your history class you might be asked to compare and contrast the Greek […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-module"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.binus.ac.id\/lc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.binus.ac.id\/lc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.binus.ac.id\/lc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.binus.ac.id\/lc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.binus.ac.id\/lc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=752"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/international.binus.ac.id\/lc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":753,"href":"https:\/\/international.binus.ac.id\/lc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752\/revisions\/753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.binus.ac.id\/lc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.binus.ac.id\/lc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.binus.ac.id\/lc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n