11 CP1 English
BUONO
Compare/Contrast Essay: The Music of War
A Comparison or Contrast essay is an essay in which you either compare things (people, concepts,
places, etc.) or contrast things. A comparison essay is an essay in which you emphasize the similarities,
and a contrast essay is an essay in which you emphasize the differences. We use comparison and
contrast thinking when deciding things like which university to attend or which car to buy.
(adapted from http://www.eslbee.com/compcont.htm)
TOPIC:
For this essay you will choose two songs about war to compare AND contrast; but the main body
of the essay will compare similarities. Therefore, these two songs must have something in common.
This commonality, called a basis for comparison, may be…
 Subject matter
o A specific war
o A concept
o An event
 Era written
 Songwriter bio
 Tone
 Genre/musicality (difficult to rely on; may be used to support other similarities or
differences)
PROCESS:
 Your essay will use textual evidence (lyrics) and other web research (if needed) to explain this
similarity. Your analysis will show HOW the songs are alike—it is not enough to copy and paste
similar lyrics and expect your reasoning to be clear.
 That said, because no two songs are alike, you will also contrast the songs you choose. This
section of your essay will come after the comparison and may not be as lengthy.
 You are not making an argument in this essay or attempting to show that one song is superior
to another; your language should be neutral and analytical, but not critical
REQUIREMENTS: (12 pt. Times or Cambria, double-spaced, no extra returns--DUH)
Introduction with…
 song titles (properly formatted; quotes OR italics) and writers
 basis for comparison
 thesis-like statement
Body paragraphs…
 with appropriate topic sentences
 that discuss only point of comparison/contrast
 that contain textual evidence FOLLOWED BY YOUR OWN ANALYSIS
Conclusion that…
 summarizes
 overall analysis of the value of your comparison
Sentences that…
 Are properly spelled and capitalized
 Are properly punctuated
 Are not run-ons or fragments
11 CP1 English
BUONO
STRUCTURE:
I. Introduction to the basis for comparison and songs
 A thesis statement that states specifically what you will compare and contrast
 Example: While Song A and Song B both discuss the physical damage to land caused by war,
their tones differ in that one is supportive and one judgmental.
II. How the songs compare (separate multiple points into multiple paragraphs)
 Specific ideas/concepts
 Lyrics for support
 Explanation of lyrics and similarities
 Other support
III. How the songs contrast (separate multiple points into multiple paragraphs)
 Specific ideas/concepts
 Lyrics for support
 Explanation of lyrics and similarities
 Other support
IV. Summary and conclusion
 What this comparison/contrast says about the songwriters/time period/ war, etc.
.............................................................................................................................................................................................
Song 1: ___________________________________________ Song 2: ___________________________________________________
Basis for comparison:
Evidence from Song 1:
Evidence from Song 2:
Point of Contrast:
Evidence from Song 1:
Evidence from Song 2: