History-1-8g-Compare and Contrast Essays
On the Other Hand...
(Writing Comparison/Contrast Essays)
What is a “Comparison/Contrast Essay”?
Someone once said that you can’t really know a thing unless you know
how it is alike and different from other things. To write a comparison/contrast
essay, you simply compare something or someone to something or someone
else. To be precise, when you compare, you are looking at the similarities, and
when you contrast, you are looking at the differences. In a comparison/contrast
essay, you would typically be looking at both although it may suit your purpose
to emphasize one or the other.
Hints for writing and organizing your paper:
1. Be sure that you have a point to the comparison. After comparing and
contrasting, arrive at some sort of interesting conclusion. Answer the big “So
what?”
2. There are a variety of ways to organize your paragraphs. You could
start with the similarities in the first half of your paper, then switch to the
differences in the second half, and finish with a conclusion. Or you could
reverse that order. Or you could go back and forth between the similarities and
the differences according to subtopics (how they are alike and different in
different aspects* each aspect becoming a separate paragraph* if you were
writing about two professional baseball players, for example, you could
compare/contrast their batting averages in one paragraph, their home-run
hitting ability in another, and their fielding ability in another, then draw
conclusions about who is most valuable in the end.). As you can see, you have
a lot of options for organizing and writing the paper; just be sure your thinking
pattern is logical, easy to follow, and leads somewhere.
What can I write about?
Compare/contrast two of your friends
Compare/contrast two of your
teachers
Compare/contrast two places where
you have lived
Compare/contrast your mom and
dad
Compare/contrast yourself today with
how you used to be
Compare/contrast how someone else
used to be and how they are now
Compare/contrast two books
Compare/contrast two movies
Compare/contrast the book version
and the movie version
Compare/contrast two famous
athletes who play the same position in
the same sport
Compare/contrast actors on-screen
with actors off-screen
Compare/contrast how things used to
be with how things are now
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use by the original purchaser’s own immediate family. No part of this publication may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
History-1-8g-Compare and Contrast Essays
Compare/contrast what is important
to young people with what is
important to older people
Compare/contrast two cars
Compare/contrast two kinds of
__________
Compare/contrast who you are in
school and who you are outside of
school
Compare/contrast Muslims and
Christians (or any two religions)
Compare/contrast two characters in
a novel or movie
Compare/contrast the old______ and
the new______
Compare/contrast two similar animals
or plants in nature (e.g.,
alligators/crocodiles, toads/frogs,
seals/sea lions)
Compare/contrast your two favorite
seasons
Compare/contrast two careers
Compare/contrast two colleges
Compare/contrast two political
parties or candidates
Compare/contrast reasons for or
against ____________
Compare/contrast high school and
middle school
Compare/contrast two sports
Compare/contrast good ________and
bad ________
Compare/contrast 9th graders and
10th graders
Compare/contrast two favorite
restaurants
Compare/contrast two fast-food
establishments
Compare/contrast independent
reading and assigned reading
Compare/contrast your house or yard
with somebody else’s house or yard
Compare/contrast boys and girls (not
just the obvious stuff, of course)
Compare/contrast reading books with
watching TV
Compare/contrast wisdom and
intelligence
Compare/contrast “confident” and
“cocky”
Compare/contrast “liking oneself” and
“being stuck-up”
Compare/contrast the advertisement
with the real thing
Compare/contrast animals and
people
Compare/contrast two siblings
Compare/contrast two political
candidates
Compare/contrast life in the movies
and real life
Compare/contrast two musicians or
musical groups
Compare/contrast two different diet
plans
Compare/contrast swimming in a pool
and swimming in the ocean
Compare/contrast “school” dances
with “church” dances
Compare/contrast a modern
“convenience” with its ancient
counterpart
Compare/contrast anyone with
anyone else
Compare/contrast anything with
anything else
Compare/contrast the Savior’s
response to the woman anointing his
feet with oil with the Pharisees’
response
Compare/contrast Jesus’ motivations
with the Pharisees’ motivations
Compare/contrast “not-for-profit” with
“for-profit”
Compare/contrast trusting in the Holy
Ghost vs. trusting in the arm of flesh
Compare/contrast righteous
judgment vs. unrighteous judgment
© 2012 American Heritage Schools, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for copying of the notebook pages and other online resources for
use by the original purchaser’s own immediate family. No part of this publication may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
History-1-8g-Compare and Contrast Essays
Compare/contrast coercion with
persuasion
Compare/contrast the daylight from
the dark night
Compare/contrast misdemeanors and
felonies
Compare/contrast worldviews of
family
Compare/contrast worldviews of the
Savior
Compare/contrast worldviews of
religion
Compare/contrast historical figures
(e.g. Stalin and Lenin)
Compare/contrast Karl Marx and
Adam Smith
Compare/contrast the Communist
Manifesto with the Constitution and Bill
of Rights
Compare/contrast two careers
Compare/contrast doctors and
lawyers
Compare/contrast patience and
impatience
Compare/contrast hypocrisy with
purity
Compare/contrast confidence with
doubt
Compare/contrast faith with fear
Compare/contrast right with wrong
Compare/contrast truth with error
Compare/contrast honesty with
dishonesty
Compare/contrast cheerfulness with
depression
Compare/contrast “lie” with “lay”
Compare/contrast “two,” “to,” with
“too”
Compare/contrast “principal” with
“principle”
Other commonly confused words (e.g.
“there,” “their,” and “they’re” |
“demigods” with “demagogues”
|“immigration” with “emigration” etc.)
Compare/contrast two products
(copiers, cameras)
Compare/contrast two continents
Compare/contrast two states
Compare/contrast two cities
Compare/contrast two oceans
Compare/contrast two animals
Compare/contrast blue and killer
whales
Compare/contrast climes (e.g. plains
vs. desert)
Compare/contrast forms of
government
Compare/contrast two wars
Compare/contrast two or more
schools
Compare/contrast the ACT and SAT
Compare/contrast BYU with the U of U
Compare/contrast Pilgrims and
Separatists
© 2012 American Heritage Schools, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for copying of the notebook pages and other online resources for
use by the original purchaser’s own immediate family. No part of this publication may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.