Comparison/Contrast Essay
General Zaroff from “The Most Dangerous Game”
versus Montresor from “The Cask of Amontillado”
What is a Comparison-Contrast Essay?
 Short piece of expository writing that describes the
similarities and differences between two or more subjects
 Identifies a purpose for comparison and contrast
 Identifies similarities and differences between two or more
things, people, places, or ideas.
 Gives factual details about the subjects being compared
 Uses an organizational plan suited to its topic and purpose
Types of Comparison-Contrast Essays
 Report about consumer goods (“Which Is Better? Brand A or
Brand B?”)
 Essay on economic or historical developments (“How Was
Japan’s Postwar Economic Development Different From
Germany’s?”)
 Comparison and contrast of literary works (“A Comparison
and Contrast of the Styles of Charlotte and Emily Bronte”)
Narrowing Your Topic
 You will be comparing and contrasting the characters of
General Zaroff from “The Most Dangerous Game” and
Montresor from “The Cask of Amontillado.” However, what
you say about the characters is up to you.
 Looping to Narrow a Topic
 Begin by freewriting about the characters
 Review your writing, and circle the idea that you think is most
important
 Freewrite about your circled idea, review it, and again circle the
most important idea
 Continue looping until you have sufficiently narrowed your
topic
Looping Example
Vanessa used looping to narrow the broad topic of ethnic food to one she could use
to write a good comparison-contrast essay.
Broad topic: The variety of ethnic foods
I like a lot of different ethnic foods. There are many different
kinds of ethnic restaurants in the United States. It seems like everywhere
I go, I see restaurants that serve Chinese, Italian, and Mexican food along
with restaurants that serve American food. These ethnic foods are so
popular that they are served in fast-food restaurants as well as in more
traditional restaurants.
Mexican food is my favorite ethnic food. I especially like gorditas
and chili with everything, but Mexican restaurants in the United States
usually don’t have real chili. Actually, most TexMex food is a lot different
from the real Mexican food.
Narrowed topic: Authentic Mexican food is different from TexMex
food
Considering Your Audience and
Purpopse
 To best communicate your ideas to your readers, take a
moment to identify the people you expect to read your
writing.
 Focus your purpose – you should have an even more focused
purpose in mind – why is this explanation valuable or
necessary?
 Sample purposes
 To advocate one over the other
 To reveal connections that might not be obvious
 To show what causes similarities or differences
Gathering Details
 Identify points of comparison and contrast
 Use a chart like the one below to help you gather details about
your topic
After deciding on the elements she would include in her essay,Vanessa listed the ideas that
would help her support her position.
Mexican Food
Points of Comparison and
Contrast
Americanized Mexican Food
Grown on farms, much time is Ingredients
spent preparing them
Canned or frozen, prepared
quickly
Real chili
Spices
Mild, tomatolike mixture
Fresh guacamole and bean dip
Side Dishes
Dip that is ready-made
Colorful
Appearance
Colorless
Organization
 Subject-by-Subject Organization
 First, discuss all the features of one subject
 Then, discuss all the features of the other subject
 Be sure to address the same features and devote equal time to
each subject
 Point-by-Point Organization
 Move back and forth between subjects
 First develop one point by showing how it applies to both
subjects
 Then move on to your next point, shifting back and forth
between subjects until you have addressed each point of
comparison
Organization Methods
Subject by Subject
I.
Introduction
II. Mountain Bikes (Subject
#1)
a.
b.
III.
a.
b.
IV.
a.
Frames (Point #1)
Tires (Point #2)
Touring Bikes (Subject #2)
Point by Point
I.
Introduction
II. Frames (Point #1)
a.
b.
Conclusion
Uses of both bikes
Tires (Point #2)
III.
a.
Frames (Point #1)
Tires (Point #2)
Mountain Bikes (Subject
#1)
Touring Bikes (Subject #2)
b.
Mountain Bikes (Subject
#1)
Touring Bikes (Subject #2)
Conclusion
IV.
a.
Uses of both bikes
Providing Elaboration
 SEE Method
 Statement – State the main idea in a topic sentence.
 Extension – Extend the idea of the topic statement by restatement.
 Elaboration – Provide examples, details, or facts to further prove the
point
EXAMPLE
 Statement: CDs are more visually appealing than audiocassettes.
 Extension: While cassettes are stacked in shelves without calling
attention to their cover art, CD cases are used to present walls of
display.
 Elaboration: At just less than 6 square inches, the art on the CD case is
visible from a short distance. When customers enter a music store, the
faces of popular artists smile out at them from these miniature frames.
MLA Format
 Margins = 1 inch all the way
around
 Entire document double spaced
 Ctrl + 2
 Page Layout, Spacing, After = 0
 Times New Roman, 12 pt font
 Header = Last Name, page
number




Double-click at top of document
Ctrl + R to put it on right side
Type Last Name & space
Go to Page Number, current
position, plain number
 Double-click under blue line
 Type Heading:




Your Name
Teacher’s Name
Class Name
Date: 5 Feb 2014
 Press Enter once
 Type Title
 Ctrl + Z to center
 Do NOT do anything to the title
except capitalize it
 Press enter once
 Ctrl + L
 Tab to indent – start typing essay