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CHAPTER
10
Comparison and
Contrast
PART A
The Contrast and the Comparison
Paragraphs
PART B
The Comparison-Contrast Paragraph
To contrast two persons, places, or things is to examine the ways in which they
are different. To compare them is to examine the ways in which they are similar.
Contrast and comparison are useful skills in daily life, work, and college. When
you shop, you often compare and contrast. For instance, you might compare and
contrast two dishwashers to get the better value. In fact, the magazine Consumer Reports was created to help consumers compare and contrast different product brands.
Your employer might ask you to compare and contrast two computers, two
telephone services, or two shipping crates. Your job is to gather information about
the similarities and differences to help your employer choose one over the other.
In nearly every college course, you will be expected to compare and contrast—
two generals, two types of storm systems, two minerals, or two painters of the
same school.
Part A
The Contrast and the Comparison Paragraphs
Topic Sentence
Here is the topic sentence of a contrast paragraph:
Although soul and hip-hop both spring from African-American
roots, they are very different musical expressions.
■
The writer begins a contrast paragraph with a topic sentence that clearly states
what two persons, things, or ideas will be contrasted.
■
What two things will be contrasted?
115
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■
What word or words in the topic sentence make it clear that the writer will contrast soul and hip-hop?
Paragraph and Plan
Here is the entire paragraph:
Although soul and hip-hop both spring from African-American
roots, they are very different musical expressions. Soul music borrows
from gospel and rhythm and blues. The singer’s voice, backed up by
live instruments, soars with emotion, with soul. This music captures the
optimism of its time—the civil rights movement of the 1960s and hope
for social change. There are two types of soul—the smooth Detroit style
of the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and The Temptations and the more
gritty, gospel-driven Memphis style of Otis Redding and Booker T and
the MGs. Soul music is upbeat and often joyful; its subjects are love and
affirmation of the human condition. On the other hand, hip-hop (or rap)
draws on hard rock, funk, and techno. The rapper chants rhymes against
a driving instrumental background that may be prerecorded. Rap grew
out of the New York ghettos in the late 1970s and the 1980s, when crack
and guns flooded “the hood” and many dreams seemed broken. Of the
rival East and West Coast rappers, New Yorkers include Grandmaster
Flash, LL Cool J, and the murdered Biggie Smalls, while Los Angeles
rappers include Ice Cube and the murdered Tupac Shakur. The subjects
of hip-hop are racism, crime, and poverty. Both soul and hip-hop claim
to “tell it like it is.” Hip-hop’s answer to the soulful Four Tops is the
Furious Four. What’s in a name? Perhaps the way the listener experiences reality.
—Maurice Bosco (Student)
■
The writer first provides information about (A) soul music and then gives contrasting parallel information about (B) hip-hop.
■
What information about (A) soul does the writer provide in the first half of the
paragraph?
■
What contrasting parallel information does the writer provide about (B) hiphop in the second half of the paragraph?
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■
Comparison and Contrast
117
Why do you think the writer chose to present the points of contrast in this
order?
■
Note that the last four sentences provide a thoughtful conclusion. What final
point does the writer make?
Before composing the paragraph, the writer probably brainstormed or freewrote
to gather ideas and then made an outline or a plan like this:
Topic sentence: Although soul and hip-hop both spring from African-American
roots, they are very different musical expressions.
Points of Contrast
A. Soul
B. Hip-Hop
1. influences
gospel, R&B
hard rock, funk, techno
2. sound
soaring voice, live
instruments
chanted rhymes; instrumentals
may be prerecorded
3. time period
1960s, civil rights,
hope for change
1970s–80s, crack, guns
4. types
Detroit, Memphis
New York, Los Angeles
5. subjects
love, affirmation
racism, crime, poverty
Organized in this manner, the plan for this contrast paragraph helps the writer
make sure that the paragraph will be complete. That is, if the historical period
of soul is discussed, that of hip-hop must also be discussed, and so on, for
every point of contrast.
Here is another way to write the same paragraph:
Although soul and hip-hop both spring from African-American
roots, they are very different musical expressions. Soul music borrows
from gospel and rhythm and blues, whereas hip-hop (or rap) draws on
hard rock, funk, and techno. The soul singer’s voice, backed up by live
instruments, soars with emotion, with soul; however, the rapper chants
rhymes against a driving instrumental background that may be prerecorded. Soul music captures the optimism of its time—the civil rights
movement of the 1960s and hope for social change. On the other hand,
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hip-hop grew out of the New York ghettos in the late 1970s and the
1980s, when crack and guns flooded “the hood” and many dreams
seemed broken. There are two types of soul—the smooth Detroit style of
the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and The Temptations and the more gritty,
gospel-driven Memphis style of Otis Redding and Booker T and the
MGs. Of the rival East and West Coast rappers, New Yorkers include
Grandmaster Flash, LL Cool J, and the murdered Biggie Smalls, while
Los Angeles rappers include Ice Cube and the murdered Tupac Shakur.
Whereas soul music’s subjects are love and affirmation of the human
condition, the subjects of hip-hop are racism, crime, and poverty. Both
soul and hip-hop claim to “tell it like it is.” Hip-hop’s answer to the
soulful Four Tops is the Furious Four. What’s in a name? Perhaps the
way the listener experiences reality.
■
Instead of giving all the information about soul music and then going on to hiphop, this paragraph moves back and forth between soul and hip-hop, dealing
with each point of contrast separately.
Use either one of these two patterns when writing a contrast or a comparison
paragraph:
1. Present all the information about A and then provide parallel information about B:
■
First all A:
point 1
point 2
point 3
Then all B:
point 1
point 2
point 3
This pattern is good for paragraphs and for short compositions. The reader can
easily remember what was said about A by the time he or she gets to B.
2. Move back and forth between A and B. Present one point about A and
then go to the parallel point about B. Then move to the next point and
do the same:
■
First A, point 1;
then B, point 1
First A, point 2;
then B, point 2
First A, point 3;
then B, point 3
The second pattern is better for longer papers, where it might be hard for the
reader to remember what the writer said about A by the time he or she gets to B
a few paragraphs later. By going back and forth, the writer makes it easier for
the reader to keep the contrasts or comparisons in mind.
What you have learned so far about planning a contrast paragraph holds true
for a comparison paragraph as well. Just remember that contrast stresses differences
whereas comparison stresses similarities.
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Here is a comparison paragraph:
In my family, personality traits are said to skip generations, so that
might explain why my grandfather and I have so much in common. My
grandfather arrived in the United States at sixteen, a penniless young
man from Italy looking for a new life and ready to earn it. He quickly
apprenticed himself to a shoe cobbler and never stopped working until
he retired fifty-three years later. Similarly, when I was fourteen, I asked
permission to apply for my first job as a bank teller. My parents smiled
and said, “She’s just like Grandpa.” Though everyone else in my family
spends money the minute it reaches their hands, my habit of saving
every penny does not seem strange to them. My grandfather also was
careful with money, building his own shoe repair business out of nothing. He loved to work in his large vegetable garden and brought bags of
carrots and tomatoes to our house on Saturday mornings. Like him, I
enjoy the feeling of dirt on my fingers and the surprise of seedlings
sprouting overnight. Though I raise zinnias instead of zucchinis, I know
where I inherited a passion to make things grow. Only in opportunities,
we differed. Although my grandfather’s education ended with third
grade, I am fortunate to attend college—and hope that education will be
my legacy to the generations that come after me.
—Angela De Renzi (Student)
■
What words in the topic sentence does the writer use to indicate that a comparison will follow?
■
In what ways are the writer and her grandfather similar?
■
What transitional words stress the similarities?
■
What pattern of presentation does the writer use?
■
What one point of contrast serves as a strong punch line for the paragraph?
■
Make a plan or an outline of this comparison paragraph.
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Transitional Expressions
Transitional expressions in contrast paragraphs stress opposition and difference:
Transitional Expressions for Contrast
although
whereas
but
however
conversely
on the other hand
in contrast
while
yet
unlike
Transitional expressions in comparison paragraphs stress similarities:
Transitional Expressions for Comparison
in the same way
and, also, in addition
as well as
both, neither
each of
just as . . . so
similarly
like
too
the same
As you write, avoid using just one or two of these transitional expressions.
Learn new ones from the list and practice them in your paragraphs.*
PRACTICE 1
Read the following paragraph carefully and answer the questions.
Certain personality traits, like whether a person is more reactive or proactive,
can predict success or its opposite. In his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective
People, Steven Covey writes that reactive people tend to sit back and wait for life
or circumstances to bring them opportunities. They react instead of act. When
good things happen, they are happy, but when bad things happen, they feel like
victims. Reactive people often say things like, “There’s nothing I can do,” “I can’t
because . . . ,” and “If only.” In the short term, reactive people might feel comfortable playing it safe, holding back, and avoiding challenges; in the long term,
though, they are often left dreaming. On the other hand, proactive people know
that they have the power to choose their responses to whatever life brings. They
act instead of react: If things aren’t going their way, they take action to help create
the outcome they desire. Proactive people can be recognized by their tendency to
say things like “Let’s consider the alternatives,” “I prefer,” “We can,” and “I will.”
In the short term, proactive people might face the discomfort of failing because
they take on challenges, set goals, and work toward them. But in the long term,
Covey says, proactive people are the ones who achieve their dreams.
*For an entire essay developed by comparison-contrast, see “E-Notes from an Online Learner,” Chapter 15, Part F.
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1. Can you tell from the topic sentence whether a contrast or comparison will
follow?
2. What two personality types are being contrasted?
3. What information does the writer provide about reactive people?
4. What parallel information does the writer provide about proactive people?
5. What pattern does the writer of this paragraph use to present the contrasts?
6. What transitional expression does the writer use to stress the shift from A to
B?
PRACTICE 2
This paragraph is hard to follow because it lacks transitional expressions that emphasize contrast. Revise the paragraph, adding transitional expressions of contrast. Strive for variety.
Either a cold or the flu can make you miserable, so does it really matter which
one you have? Experts say it does because a cold will go away by itself. The flu
can lead to pneumonia and other serious or even deadly problems. A cold usually
comes on gradually, accompanied by little or no fever. The flu comes on suddenly,
and its fever can spike as high as 104 degrees and linger for three or four days.
Someone with a cold might experience mild body aches and fatigue. The flu often
brings severe body aches, deep fatigue, chills, and a major headache. In general, a
cold is wet, with much congestion, a runny nose and even runny eyes. The flu
is far drier, marked by a dry cough. Because both are caused by viruses, little can
be done to cure them except rest, fluids, zinc lozenges perhaps, and a good, long
book.
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PRACTICE 3
Below are three plans for contrast paragraphs. The points of contrast in the second column do not follow the same order as the points in the first column. In
addition, one detail is missing. First, number the points in the second column to
match those in the first. Then fill in the missing detail.
1. Shopping at a Supermarket
Shopping at a Local Grocery
1. carries all brands
personal service
2. lower prices
closed on Sundays
3. open seven days a week
prices often higher
4. little personal service
5. no credit
2. My Son
credit available for steady
customers
My Daughter
1. fifteen years old
good at making minor
household repairs
2. likes to be alone
likes to be with friends
3. reads a lot
doesn’t like to read
4. is an excellent cook
expects to attend a technical
college
5. wants to go to chef school
3. Job A
Job B
1. good salary
three-week vacation
2. office within walking distance
work on a team with others
3. two-week vacation
one-hour bus ride to office
4. work alone
health insurance
5. lots of overtime
no overtime
6. no health insurance
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PRACTICE 4
Example
Comparison and Contrast
123
Here are three topics for either contrast or comparison paragraphs. Compose two
topic sentences for each topic, one for a possible contrast paragraph and one for a
possible comparison paragraph.
Topic
Topic Sentences
Two members of my family
A.
My brother and sister have different
attitudes toward exercise.
B.
My parents are alike in that
they’re easygoing.
1. Two friends or coworkers
A.
B.
2. You as a child and you as an adult
A.
B.
3. Two vacations
A.
B.
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PRACTICE 5
Here are four topic sentences for comparison or contrast paragraphs. For each
topic sentence, think of one supporting point of comparison or contrast and explain that point in one or two sentences.
1. When it comes to movies (TV shows, books, entertainment), Demetrios and
Arlene have totally different tastes.
2. My mother and I have few personality traits in common.
3. Although there are obvious differences, the two neighborhoods (blocks,
homes) have much in common.
4. Paying taxes is like having a tooth pulled.*
* For more work on this kind of comparison, see Chapter 22, “Revising for Language Awareness,” Part D.
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PRACTICE 6
Comparison and Contrast
125
Study the photograph on page 124 of a sunbather at the Indiana Dunes National
Lakeshore. Then write a paragraph contrasting the man and his rather unusual
surroundings. Notice the man’s posture, clothing, and apparent mood. How do
these differ from the scene on the dunes behind him? In your topic sentence, state
your overall impression. Then support this main idea with details. Remember to
conclude your paragraph; don’t just stop abruptly.
PRACTICE 7 Thinking and Writing Together
Contrast Toys for Boys and Toys for Girls
Stores like Toys-R-Us frequently recommend toys for different age groups, often
dividing their suggestions into “toys for boys” and “toys for girls.” In a group
with four or five classmates, examine and discuss these typical “great gift ideas”
for six-year-olds, made by Etoys.com in 2000:
Boys
Girls
Pro Pitcher baseball-pitching machine
Wild Planet wrist walkie-talkies
Fisher-Price pirate ship
Nerf Triple Strike arrow shooter
Hot Wheels X-V Racers Daytona 500
Superspeedway Set
Patty Playground Interactive doll
Barbie Dream Bed and Bath
My First Phonebook
Yoga Kit for Kids
Baskin-Robbins ice cream maker
Based on these lists, what contrasting messages are being sent about what
boys and girls supposedly like to do? Is one list more active or passive? More indoors or out? More fun? Do these lists put unfair limits on children of either sex?
Now plan and write a comparison-contrast paragraph based on your discussion.
Exploring Online
http://www.google.com/ or your favorite search engine; search, “toys, gender roles.”
✔ Checklist
The Process of Writing a Contrast or
Comparison Paragraph
Refer to this checklist of steps as you write a contrast or comparison paragraph of your own.
1. Narrow the topic in light of your audience and purpose.
2. Compose a topic sentence that clearly states that a contrast or a
comparison will follow.
3. Freewrite or brainstorm to generate as many points of contrast or
comparison as you can think of. (You may want to freewrite or
brainstorm before you narrow the topic.)
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4. Choose the points you will use, and drop any details that are not
really part of the contrast or the comparison.
5. List parallel points of contrast or of comparison for both A and B.
6. Make a plan or an outline, numbering all the points of contrast or
comparison in the order in which you will present them in the
paragraph.
7. Write a draft of your contrast or comparison paragraph, using transitional expressions that stress either differences or similarities.
8. Revise as necessary, checking for support, unity, logic, and
coherence.
9. Proofread for errors in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure,
spelling, and mechanics.
Suggested Topics for Contrast or Comparison Paragraphs
1. Compare or contrast two attitudes toward money (the spendthrift and the
miser) or dating (the confirmed single and the committed partner).
2. Compare or contrast two young children parented in different ways.
3. Compare or contrast a job you hated and a job you loved.
4. Compare or contrast two athletes in the same sport.
5. Compare or contrast the same scene at two times of day.
6. Compare or contrast two high schools or colleges that you have attended
(perhaps one in the United States and one in a different country).
7. Compare or contrast two ways to treat an illness or headache—Western medicine and some alternative.
8. Compare or contrast your expectations of a person, place, or situation and
reality.
9. Compare or contrast your best friend and your spouse or partner.
10. Writer’s choice:
Part B
The Comparison-Contrast Paragraph
Sometimes an assignment will ask you to write a paragraph that both compares
and contrasts, one that stresses both similarities and differences.
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Here is a comparison-contrast paragraph:
Although contemporary fans would find the game played by the
Knickerbockers—the first organized baseball club—similar to modern
baseball, they would also note some startling differences. In 1845, as
now, the four bases of the playing field were set in a diamond shape,
ninety feet from one another. Nine players took the field. The object of
the game was to score points by hitting a pitched ball and running
around the bases. The teams changed sides after three outs. However,
the earlier game was also different. The umpire sat at a table along the
third base line instead of standing behind home plate. Unlike the modern game, the players wore no gloves. Rather than firing the ball over
the plate at ninety miles an hour, the pitcher gently tossed it underhand
to the batter. Since there were no balls and strikes, the batter could wait
for the pitch he wanted. The game ended, not when nine innings were
completed, but when one team scored twenty-one runs, which were
called “aces.”
■
How are the Knickerbockers’ game and modern baseball similar?
■
How are these two versions of the game different?
■
What transitional expressions in the paragraph emphasize similarities and
differences?
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Before composing this comparison-contrast paragraph, the writer probably
brainstormed or freewrote to gather ideas and then made a plan like this:
Topic sentence: Although contemporary fans would find the game played by the
Knickerbockers—the first organized baseball club—similar to modern baseball,
they would also note some startling differences.
Comparisons
Knickerbockers
Modern Game
Point 1
four bases, ninety feet apart, in diamond shape
Point 2
nine players
Point 3
scoring points
Point 4
three outs
Contrasts
PRACTICE 8
Point 1
umpire sat at third base line
umpire at home plate
Point 2
no gloves
gloves
Point 3
pitcher gently tossed ball
pitcher fires ball at plate
Point 4
no balls and strikes
balls and strikes
Point 5
twenty-one “aces” to win,
no innings
most runs to win, nine
innings
■
A plan such as this makes it easier for the writer to organize a great deal of
material.
■
The writer begins by listing all the points of comparison—how the Knickerbockers’ game and modern baseball are similar. Then the writer lists all the
points of contrast—how they are different.
Here is a somewhat longer comparison and contrast (two paragraphs). Read it
carefully and answer the questions.
No meal eaten in the Middle East ends without coffee or tea, but coffee takes
precedence most of the time. Coffee is a social beverage, offered to guests by
housewives and to customers by merchants; to refuse it borders upon insult.
There are two distinct but similar ways of preparing it, Turkish and Arabic. Both
are served black, in cups the size of a demitasse or smaller. And both are brewed
by starting with green beans, roasting them to a chocolate brown color, pulverizing them at once, either with mortar and pestle or in a handsome cylindrical coffee mill of chased brass, and quickly steeping them in boiling water.
The Turkish version is made in a coffee pot that has a long handle to protect
the fingers from the fire and a shape narrowing from the bottom to the open neck
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to intensify the foaming action as the coffee boils up. Water, sugar and coffee are
stirred together to your taste; then, at the first bubbling surge, the pot is whisked
from the fire. It is returned briefly one or two more times to build up the foamy
head, which is poured into each cup in equal amounts, to be followed by the rest
of the brew, grounds and all. The dregs soon settle to the bottom, and the rich,
brown coffee that covers them is ready to be enjoyed, with more sugar if you like.
The Arabs prepare coffee in a single boil; they almost never use sugar; they pour
the liquid into a second pot, leaving the sediment in the first, and then add such
heady spices as cloves or cardamon seeds.
—Foods of the World/Middle Eastern Cooking, Time-Life Books
1. What two things does this writer contrast and compare?
2. What words indicate that both contrast and comparison will follow?
3. How are Arabic and Turkish coffee similar?
4. How are Arabic and Turkish coffee different?
5. On a separate sheet of paper, make a plan or an outline for these paragraphs.
PRACTICE 9
On page 130 you will find a cartoon showing two women in a department store.
Study the two women in detail: their clothing, ages, facial expressions, and so
forth. Notice the name of the perfume the taller one is holding. For a paragraph
that compares and contrasts the women, jot down similarities and differences.
Ask yourself, “What is going on here? What is my impression of each woman? Do
the similarities or differences between them add to the humor of the cartoon?”
Then plan and write your paragraph.
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Original Artwork by Ian Falconer. Copyright © 2002 Condé Nast Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission. All Rights Reserved.
Working Through the Comparison-Contrast Paragraph
You can work through the comparison-contrast paragraph in the same way that
you do a comparison or a contrast paragraph. Follow the steps in the earlier
checklist, but make certain that your paragraph shows both similarities and
differences.
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Suggested Topics for Comparison-Contrast Paragraphs
1. Compare and contrast calling on a cell phone and a regular phone.
2. Compare and contrast the requirements for two jobs or careers.
3. Compare and contrast your life now with your life five years ago.
4. Compare and contrast two films on similar subjects.
5. Compare and contrast learning something from experience and learning
something from books.
6. Compare and contrast two singers or musicians.
7. Compare and contrast parties, weddings, or funerals in two different cultures.
8. Compare and contrast two popular television programs of the same type
(newscasts, situation comedies, talk shows, and so on).
9. Compare and contrast two attitudes toward one subject (firearms, education,
immigration, and so forth).
10. Writer’s choice: