May 24th, 2012
How to Write a Compare/Contrast Essay
How to Write a Compare/Contrast Essay
Is it extremely likely that at some point in your academic career you will be asked to write a compare and contrast essay. This common essay type is used to discuss the similarities and differences between two ideas, things, or even people.
Planning
The first thing you should know about the compare/contrast essay is how to organize it. When you plan to write a compare/contrast essay, you need to choose two things that you know have similarities and differences. Draw out a simple but large Venn diagram and label everything they have in common and everything that they do not have in common. Choose at least two from each of these, so you can write a better and more objective essay. 
Format
The next thing you need to know is the format. The essay should consist of an introductory paragraph, three to four body paragraphs, and a closing paragraph. If, however, you believe that there are too many important points to limit yourself to only three body paragraphs, then feel free to add one or two more. Keep in mind that your objective is to show how the two things are connected.
Introduction
The introductory paragraph should introduce your two topics by starting broadly and then becoming more specific as the paragraph continues. Explain in this paragraph that you are going to show how the two things are connected. Also, if you feel that the connection is either strong or weak, state that here. For example, if your topic was “Comparing and Contrasting China and Japan,” you might state that “Though many consider Japan and China to have very similar cultures, there are more differences between the two nations than people typically realize.”
Body
The body paragraphs contain most of your details and key points. If you have no strong feeling about the connection between the two things, write four paragraphs: two that focus on the similarities and two that focus on the differences. In the example above, you might discuss writing style and Buddhism in your two similarities paragraphs, and you might discuss population size and isolation policy in your two differences paragraphs.
If, however, you feel that the connection is one-sided, write your first two paragraphs on the connection that you think it has, and write a third paragraph on the evidence against what you believe. Make sure that your writing takes an overall objective standpoint and does not become too personal even if the topic is.
Conclusion
The concluding paragraph needs to summarize your overall evaluation of the connection between the two items. Make sure to summarize key points that you previously wrote. Conclude whether the similarities outweigh the differences or vice versa, or conclude that the similarities and differences roughly balance each other.
General Guidelines
As previously mentioned, try to keep the essay in an overall objective tone. Avoid personal words, such as I, me, myself, think, feel, believe, and especially generalization words such as probably, maybe, and occasionally.
If you do all of these things, your compare and contrast essay will flow with a clear organization and will effectively show the relationship between the two items that you are trying to convey to the reader.