Writing a Compare/Contrast Essay

The compare/contrast essay is one of the most common kinds of writing assignments because it reflects one of the most common kinds of thinking -- that on which decisions are based.

• Which college should I attend?
• Which apartment should I rent?
• What will I have for dinner?
• What toothpaste should I buy?

The thesis of a compare/contrast essay must commit itself firmly to a stand:

• Boston is a more exciting city than San Francisco.
• A community college can sometimes offer a number of benefits unknown at the four-year college.
• Sexual discrimination is harder to fight than racial discrimination.
• The dream and reality of owning a car are seldom the same.

Pointers

1. It's easier to stick to two units for comparison and contrast. There's no rule prohibiting you from using more, but two are easier to manage.
2. Avoid vague, what-else-is-new thesis statements like: "There are many similarities between Smith and Jones." The same statement could be made of any two human beings and so is worthless.
3. Don't feel you need to pay equal attention to comparisons and contrasts. In practice, most papers give much greater weight to one or the other. For example, a thesis statement like "Despite their obvious differences, drug addiction and alcoholism present strikingly similar psychological problems" could take care of the "obvious differences" in the introduction or background sections of the paper, while the rest of the paper could deal with the similarities.

Two Common Patterns

1. Block Pattern Discuss one unit entirely before moving on to the next.

Thesis: A community college can sometimes offer a number of benefits unknown at the four-year college.

1. Community college
1. Cost
2. Convenience
3. Instructors
4. Vocational training
   
   
2. Four-year college
1. Cost
2. Convenience
3. Instructors
4. Vocational training

Guidelines for the Block Pattern

1. Each sub-topic in Part 1 must be discussed in Part 2.
2. Sub-topics should be discussed in the same order in both parts.
3. Paragraphing should be similar in both parts.
4. To avoid ending up with two separate essays instead of one unified compare/contrast essay, sub-topics in Part 2 should generally include reminders of the point made about the same sub-topic in Part 1. Note the reminders in the following sentences:
• At many four-year colleges, the cost of attending is so much greater than at a community college that...
• Contrasting dramatically to the convenience of a community college...
• Instead of meeting full-time, professional teachers, the beginning student will more probably...

2. Alternating Pattern Swing back and forth between the two subjects.

Thesis: A community college can sometimes offer a number of benefits unknown at the four-year college.

1. Cost
1. Community college
2. Four-year college
   
   
2. Convenience
1. Community college
2. Four-year college
   
   
3. Instructors
1. Community college
2. Four-year college
   
   
4. Vocational training
1. Community college
2. Four-year college
   
   

Most principles that apply to the block pattern also apply to the alternating pattern.

• Use consistent order
• Reminders not so important as in the block pattern

Which Pattern to Use?

• Short papers -- block. Alternating can sometimes jump back and forth too much to let anything sink in.
• Long papers - alternating. Block pattern can put too much of a burden on the reader's memory; the reader should not have to wonder on page 7 what you said on page 2.
• Few sub-topics -- block. With only a few sub-topics, the reader won't have any trouble keeping track of them.