The Compare and Contrast Essay
Generic Core-Scoring Rubric
Basic Core
1. Has an acceptable thesis that
addresses the comparison of the
issues or themes specified.
2. Addresses all parts of the question,
though not necessarily evenly or
thoroughly.
3. Supports thesis with appropriate
historical evidence.
4. Makes at least one or two relevant,
direct comparisons between or
among societies.
5. Analyzes at least one reason for a
similarity or difference identified
in a direct comparison.
Subtotal:
Points Expanded Core
1
Expands beyond basic core of 1 – 7
points. The basic score of 7 must be
achieved before a student can earn
expanded core points.
2
Examples:

Points
0–2
Has a clear, analytical, and comprehensive
thesis.
2
 Analyzes all issues of the question (as
relevant): comparisons, chronology,
1
causation, connections, themes, interactions,
content
 Provides ample historical evidence to
1
substantiate thesis
 Relates comparisons to a larger global
context
 Makes several direct comparisons
consistently between or among societies
7
Subtotal:
2
Total: 9
Sample Comparison Essay
Directions: Read and locate (circle, underline, highlight, etc.) all the compare and contrast words. Take
note of the format of this well done compare/contrast essay.
Confucius and Plato:
A Few Really Good People
What is the best way to create a strong
society? Can people be led by moral
example because they are basically good –
or do they need a philosopher-king to help
them control the evil within themselves?
What is the best way to create a good society?
History offers many answers. Hammurabi of
Babylon, as we saw, believed in harsh laws,
while Jesus of Nazareth saw love as the key.
Most of us have ideas that fall somewhere in
between. Given the many different answers to
this basic question, it is striking how similar
were many ideas of the ancient Chinese sage
Confucius (Kung Fuzi, or “Master Kung,” 551 –
479 B.C.E.) and famous Greek philosopher Plato
(427 – 347 B.C.E.). Both believed that a good
society or state had to be led by men of superior
virtue and wisdom. Both generally distrusted
laws because they made people devious and
merchants because they fostered greed. Neither
favored democratic self-government, but both
believed in the existence of absolute moral truth
and in the possibility that humans could live in
peace and harmony. Both focused attention on
the individual, but neither believed in “individual
rights” in the way that we use that phrase.
Before we explain these similarities by saying
that “great minds think alike,” we should note
several important differences between these two
philosophers. While both believed that only
those who were already virtuous could create a
well-ordered, peaceful political community or
state, Confucius and his followers were
convinced that all human beings were basically
good, or could be nurtured to be so. Plato
begged to differ; he thought most people were
far too easily deceived by tyrants or greed. They
needed to be controlled, either by their carefully
educated “betters” or by laws. Naturally, these
differing views on human nature resulted in
different versions of the ideal government.
Confucius emphasized human behavior in
general, while Plato stressed the importance of
the behavior of a carefully educated ruling class.
It might be said that Confucius was more
interested in the relationship of individuals
within a community, while Plato was more
interested in universal truths. The views of each
have been widely studied and have affected the
lives of millions over the centuries. Yet their
insights, however universal in nature, also reflect
the unique features of the world in which each
lived.
Source: Personalities and Problems:
Interpretive Essays in World History by Ken
Wolf
Writing Structure for Comparison Essays
Sample prompt: Compare and contrast the Aztecs and Incas.
The Split—categories
Body paragraph 1—political
Body paragraph 2—economic
Body paragraph 3—social
(similarities and differences)
(similarities and differences)
(similarities and differences)
Similarities and differences
Body paragraph 1—similarities
Political
Economic
Social
Body paragraph 2—differences
Political
Economic
Social
* You may not find similarities and differences in all three categories.
Lump
Body paragraph 1—region 1
Political
Economic
Social
Body paragraph 2—region 2
Political
Economic
Social
 When you write compare and contrast essays you must not just list the attributes of each topic.
You must relate their similarities and differences to each other. When writing the second body
paragraph you must refer to information in the first body paragraph.
No matter which structure you choose, you must be sure to make direct comparisons.
Useful Categories of Comparison
SPEC
Social, Political, Economical, Cultural
SPRITE
Social, Political, Religious, Intellectual, Technological, Economical
PERSIA
Political, Economical, Religious, Social, Intellectual, Artistic
SPEEK
Social, Political, Economical, Environmental, Knowledge
SPEED
Social, Political, Economical, Environmental, Demographic
GRAPES
Geographical, Religious, Artistic, Political, Economical, Social
SPICE
Social, Political, Intellectual, Cultural, Economical
SCAPE
Social, Cultural, Artistic, Political, Economical
Chart: Compare and Contrast Two Civilizations
Comparison Region/Event: ______________________________ ______________________________
Comparison Themes: ______________________ _____________________ _____________________
Thesis:
1st
1st Theme
2nd Theme
Conclusion:
Region or
Event
2nd
Region or
Event
Key Similarities
and Differences
Analyze one
reason why each
theme is similar
or different
Chart: Compare and Contrast Two Civilizations
Comparison Region/Event:
Comparison Themes:
Mesopotamia and Egypt
State Systems and Social Structures
Thesis: For most of human history, people lived in relatively egalitarian societies and developed fairly
simplistic forms of government. This all changed with the domestication of plants and animals. The
development of agriculture allowed people to generate a food surplus for the first time, which in turn led
to the creation of complex social and political systems found in river valley civilizations like those in the
Middle East and Asia. While the civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia developed social structures that
were very similar to those found in ancient Egypt, their political systems were very different.
1st Theme
State
Systems
1st Region or Event
Mesopotamia
2nd Region or Event
Egypt
 Tightly controlled
city-states
 Ruled by powerful
kings who controlled
vast amounts of land
 Court systems and
written laws (harsh
punishments – Code
of Hammurabi from
Babylon)
 Rulers claimed
authority came from
the gods
 Strong connection
between government
and religion – rulers
often helped assume
responsibility for
pleasing the gods and
assisted priests with
rituals
 Often warred with
other city-states and
outside invaders
 Political united
state
 Strong connection
between
government and
religion
 Pharaoh
considered a
living god
 Technically the
pharaoh owned all
of the land in
Egypt
 Legal systems –
courts and written
laws
Key Similarities
and Differences
Analyze one
reason why each
theme is similar
or different
 Both rulers
 Physical
controlled vast
geography –
amounts of land.
Mesopotamia
 Egyptian
was on an
economy was
open plain –
more fully
constantly
controlled by
dealt with
the government
invasions;
than its
this made it
counterpart in
difficult to
Mesopotamia.
unify
 Both developed
Mesopotamia
court systems
into one state.
and written law
codes.
 Both Egypt and
Mesopotamia
participated in
warfare to
ensure a steady
supply of slaves
taken as
prisoners of war
during combat.
1st Region or Event
Mesopotamia
2nd Theme  Rigid social
hierarchies
 Ruler at top, followed
Social
by priests and govt.
Structures
officials, skilled
workers – scribes,
engineers, artisans,
etc.
 Most of the people
were peasants –
toward the bottom of
the social pyramid
 Bottom rung occupied
by slaves –
differences between
Sumerian and nonSumerian slaves
 Women often wore
veils and were
secluded in the home
Conclusion:
2nd Region or Event
Egypt
Key Similarities
and Differences
 Rigid social
hierarchies
 Pharaoh at top,
followed by other
members of the
royal family,
priests and local
govt. officials,
skilled workers –
scribes, engineers,
artisans, etc.
 Most of the people
were peasants –
toward the bottom
of the social
pyramid
 Bottom rung
occupied by slaves
– could earn
freedom but
difficult to do so.
 Women had more
legal rights – own
their own property,
run businesses, sue
for divorce, serve
as witnesses in
court
 Love and
romance? Poetry
reveals greater
degree of affection
 Both had strict
social classes
based on job
specialization
 Both had
patriarchal
societies
 Women in Egypt
were respected
more –
participated in
public life more
(but still
expected to obey
husband)
 Love poems in
Egypt indicated
some emotional
attachment rarely
seen between
husband and
wife in ancient
civilizations
Analyze one
reason why each
theme is similar
or different
Sample Essay: Putting It Together
Question: Compare the political and social structures of two of the following: Mesopotamia, Egypt,
Indus Valley, Shang Dynasty, and Mesoamerica and Andean South America.
Thesis Statement: For most of human history, people lived in relatively egalitarian societies and
developed fairly simplistic forms of government. This all changed with the domestication of plants and
animals. The development of agriculture allowed people to generate a food surplus for the first time,
which in turn led to the creation of complex social and political systems found in river valley civilizations
like those in the Middle East and Asia. While the civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia developed social
structures that were very similar to those found in ancient Egypt, their political systems were very
different.
Topic Sentence #1: While the rulers of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt both created political systems
that allowed them to exercise total control over their subjects, the organization of these systems was
totally different.
Fact #1 Ancient Mesopotamia was composed of tightly organized independent city-states that were
ruled by kings who claimed divine authority, while Ancient Egypt was a politically united
state ruled by a king who was considered to be a living god.
Fact #2 Both Mesopotamian and Egyptian rulers controlled vast amounts of land.
Fact #3 While both governments were actively involved in their respective economies, the Egyptian
economy was more fully controlled by the government than its counterpart in Mesopotamia.
Fact #4 Governments in Mesopotamian city-states and ancient Egypt developed court systems and
written law codes. The Babylonian king Hammurabi created perhaps the world’s first written
law code in an attempt to set general standards of justice.
Fact #5 Both Egypt and Mesopotamia participated in warfare to ensure a steady supply of slaves taken
as prisoners of war during combat.
Fact #6 Analysis. Because of its physical geography, Egypt was less prone to invasion and was
therefore able to maintain a unified state, unlike Mesopotamia, which stretched across an open
plain and was in a constant state of warfare.
Topic Sentence #2: The generation of a food surplus allowed all early civilizations to develop a system
of job specialization, which in turn led to the creation of similar rigidly defined social hierarchies like
those found in Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Fact #1 Both civilizations developed rigid social hierarchies with a strong political ruler at the top,
followed by a ruling elite composed of political advisors and other government officials,
priestly class, and a professional class of merchants and other skilled workers and craftsmen.
Most of the people formed a peasant class of manual laborers and farmers.
Fact #2 Because of the difficult associated with learning written languages like cuneiform and
hieroglyphics, scribes held considerably high positions in Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt.
Fact #3 While slaves occupied the bottom spot in the social hierarchy, they were often able to earn
money and even buy their freedom.
Topic Sentence #3: Civilizations everywhere undermined the earlier equal relationships of men and men.
While women in Egyptian towns and villages lived in a patriarchal society like those found in
Mesopotamia, they were significantly better off than women in any other early civilization.
Fact #1 Women in Mesopotamia often wore veils and were secluded in private homes, away from the
prying eyes of strangers on the street.
Fact #2 Women in Egypt had several legal rights that women in other early agricultural societies
lacked. They could own their own property, run their businesses, and initiate divorce
proceedings.
Fact #3 Evidence exists that indicates many marriages in ancient Egypt may have been based, at least
in part, on romance, in addition to other considerations. Examples of love letters and poems,
like The Flower Song, illustrate strong feelings of love on the part of husbands towards their
wives.
Conclusion: The rise of agriculture profoundly changed the human experience all over the world. All
early river valley civilizations developed complex social, political, and religious structures that were
unknown before the Neolithic Revolution. Despite these common features, environmental conditions
helped create sharp differences in the various civilizations that emerged in the Middle East during the preclassical era.