Compare/Contrast
A comparison shows or spells out the similarities between two or more things; a
contrast shows the differences between two or more things; a comparison-contrast
paper shows both similarities and differences.
The most common kind of essay question on examinations calls for comparisoncontrast. It is important, then, to master the techniques of this method of development.
Comparisons and contrasts are also useful because they enable us to comprehend
our world. For instance, a small boy asks his parents what an apartment is. The parents
respond, “It’s like our house. You wouldn’t have your own yard to play in though. And
there are lots of apartments in one building, so many families live close together. An
apartment is usually much smaller than a house, and you wouldn’t be able to run in the
living room because you might bother the neighbors beneath you.” The parents, by
comparing and contrasting the familiar with the unfamiliar, are able to give the child
some idea of what an apartment is like; they have enlarged his comprehension of the
world.
Everyone uses comparisons, sometimes to explain the unfamiliar, and sometimes
just to establish a superficial similarity: “He is as slow as a snail,” for example. But to
produce a good comparison/contrast paper, the writer must apply logical principles to the
consideration of similarities and differences.
1. Comparing and contrasting according to a Single Principle.
You might compare automobiles and airplanes as means of transportation, or you
might compare them as causes of air pollution. The principle in the first instance might
be ease of travel; in the second, pollution. In each case, the principle determines the
similarities and differences discussed in the paper. If you’re concerned with ease of
travel, you won’t mention the variety of colors that both airplanes and automobiles can be
painted. If you’re concerned with pollution, you won’t mention the comfort of adjustable
seats.
In a sense, this means developing a thesis. However, a principle for
comparison-contrast usually needs to be established before you can arrive at a
thesis, you need to find the meaning of the similarities and differences. Having
examined the similarities and differences according to the principle of ease of travel, you
might establish as a thesis that travel by air is more convenient than travel by automobile.
2. Comparing and Contrasting according to a Single Purpose.
One useful purpose is to clarify. For an audience that knows little about soccer,
for example, you could make the game understandable by comparing it with football, a
game with which most American audiences are familiar. A foreign student might explain
the courtship and wedding customs of his or her country by contrasting them to their
American equivalents.
A second purpose of comparison-contrast is to show the superiority of one thing
over another: Spiffy Peanut Butter is a better buy than Spunky Peanut Butter; or living in
a high-rise apartment is easier than living in a house; or travel by air is more convenient
than travel by automobile.
A third purpose of comparison-contrast is to use the two items as examples of a
generalization: for instance, “That African Americans want to be thought of as
individuals rather than stereotyped as representatives of causes or groups is shown in the
writings of Toni Cade Bambara and Toni Morrison.”
3. Be fair with your comparison-contrasts.
If you see an exception to the comparison you have made, mention it. This is
known as qualification, and often can be an effective means of winning the reader’s
respect and confidence. You will lose the reader’s respect and your professional
authority if there are fallacies in your logic. For example,
4. Follow an established pattern of organization.
A compare-contrast essay can be organized in one of three ways: subject by
subject, point by point, or a combination of the two.
5. Subject-by-Subject Comparison or Term-by-Term Comparison
If you select this pattern, you first discuss one side of the subject completely, and
then you discuss the other side. You must, of course, stress the same points in discussing
each side of the subject; otherwise there will be no comparison. You must also
constantly refer back to the first half stating the similarities and differences on every
point! You need to constantly remind your reader of the comparisons because your
reference is in the second half. For example, if I were to compare the views of
presidential candidates concerning their taxation policies, I would first discuss Bush’s
view and his plan, then discuss Gore’s view and plan comparing Gore’s ideas to Bush’s
in the second half.
An outline for this type of comparison could look something like this:
I will be comparing X (Catholicism) and Y (Protestantism.) My thesis might be:
The Catholic and Protestant religions have many similarities and differences.
(Note: The thesis is the LAST SENTENCE of the introduction!!!)
X. Catholics
1. Governed by decisions made by the Pope and Bishops
2. Veneration of the Virgin Mary
3. Confession of sins
4. Etc.
Y. Protestants
1. Usually governed by elected representatives
2. Unlike Catholics, believe that the V.M. is important, but place Jesus and the
teachings far above her status and do not pray to her or worship her.
3. Most Protestant churches do not have mandatory confessionals.
4. Etc.
Advantage: This is the best format for ideologies, literature, and philosophy
comparisons.
Disadvantage: May cause the reader to lose stress on important issues.
6. A Point-by-Point Comparison:
A second pattern of development is the point-by-point pattern. Although this
pattern is most frequently used in writing long papers, it is by no means restricted to
them. In this pattern, the writer establishes one or more points of comparison or contrast
and then applies those points to each side of a subject. Settle on the components and
decide upon their order. Components might be based upon:
 Emphasis
 Chronology
 Cause and Effect
 Similarity
For example, if you were to compare two presidential candidates, you might use most
of these components. I will compare X (Bush) and Y (Kerry) First decide on the areas
for comparison, such as their views on social security, foreign aid, education, taxes, and
abortion. Then for each point you compare first Bush and then Kerry. Go over each
point or component and apply X and Y every time, never switching order.
Possible Thesis: There are important differences between Bush and Gore
concerning their policies and opinions on foreign aid, education, taxes, and abortion.
The pattern might look like this:
A. Foreign aid
1. X
2. Y
B. Education
1. X
2. Y
C. Taxation
1. X
2. Y
D. Abortion
1. X
2. Y
Advantage: Stresses individual points.
Disadvantage: Interrupts the flow of thought on different subjects.
7. Combined Patterns:
The point-by-point pattern and the subject-by-subject pattern are most useful for
stressing only the similarities between two items or only the differences between two
items. Sometimes, however, you may want to give approximately equal weight to
similarities and differences. To do so, the two patterns can be combined; however, this
can become confusing.
8. The compare-contrast paper is especially effective as a means of writing about
literature. When you examine one literary work with another, the comparison often
provides fresh insights into both works. If, for example, you read two poems separately,
you would probably not derive the same meaning from them as you would when
comparing them.
Some Suggested Topics:
Easy:
1. Compare two types of teachers. Narrow the comparison down to their:
a. attitudes toward students
b. two teaching methods applied to the same or similar courses
2. An attitude or opinion you held which is changed by an experience.
a. attitude before and after the experience. Possibly concerning:
 minorities
 a film
 a crusade such as stopping the wearing of fur
 or a political opinion
b. describe the experience that changed your opinion
c. show and describe your new opinion as opposed to the old one.
3. Compare and contrast your horoscope sign and your actual personality
Literature:
4. Compare and contrast 2 characters in a story
a. for ex. in King Lear compare and contrast the two villains
b. or, compare and contrast two different types of villains such as those in
Macbeth & Diago or the Joker and the Penguin.
5. Compare two works of art on the same subject
a. two poems on death
b. two poems on love
c. two short stories using the same symbol(s)
d. two films using the same subject--Apocalypse Now & Deer Hunter both were
about the Vietnamese War
e. a remake of a film and its original--Dracula of old and Tom Cruise as Leistad
f. book version & film version
Political
6. Two views on the same subject. For example,
 social security
 taxes
 education
 foreign policy
7. Two political candidates in the same Party
Philosophy
8. Two views on the same point
a. authentic behavior vs. existentialism
b. Christianity & Buddhism on morality or afterlife
Misc.
9. Two types of rock: heavy metal vs. head-bangers, two types of: raggae, blues, jazz,
etc.
10. Two entertainers in similar categories--Fred Astaire & Gene Kelly or Nureyev &
Barishnikov
For further exploration and explanation, read pages 49-50 in A Writer’s Resource