Compare and Contrast Instructions

The table below provides an extensive list of topic options from which you must select, and we recommend that you choose one that you are interested in beyond this course. For instance, if you are a Finance or Business major, you might be interested in the Stocks v. Bonds topic. If you are a Political Science major, you might choose Monarchy v. Presidency. Or perhaps you’re taking StraighterLine’s Intro to Philosophy course, in which case you might opt for the Hobbes v. Locke topic. Note that you must use at least one credible source to support your ideas. 

Additional helpful resources:

Compare/Contrast Rubric | Compare and Contrast Sample

You may choose any of these topics:
Topic Options

• Stocks v. Bonds
• Socialism v. Capitalism
• Hitler v. Napoleon
• Apple v. Microsoft
• Renaissance Art v. Baroque Art (or any two artistic periods)
• Biology v. Chemistry
• America in the 1950s v. the 1970s
• Women in 1914 v. today
• Pop Culture in the 1980s v. Pop Culture today
• Abraham Lincoln v. Thomas Jefferson (or any two presidencies)
• British English v. American English
• Writing for print v. Writing for the Web•American Government v. Canadian Government (or any world government) 
• US Constitution v. Articles of Confederation
• Star Wars v. Star Trek
• Monarchy v. Presidency 
• Thomas Hobbes v. John Locke (or any two philosophers) 
• The former USSR v. Russia today 
• (World War) Allies v. Axis 
• Maya Angelou v. Adrienne Rich (or any two poets) 
• Nazism v. Fascism

Choose one of the options above and write an essay comparing or contrasting the two topics in your selection using EITHER the point-by-point OR the subject-by-subjectmethod to organize the details and specific examples. Consider focusing on three to five subtopics and generate ideas through prewriting. Develop a strong thesis statement for your essay that includes your two topics from the list above; your three to five subtopics; and a claim about how they are similar, different, or both. 

Sample Thesis Statements:

If you will argue that your two topics are mostly similar:

Topic A and Topic B share many similar characteristics, including (Supporting point 1), (Supporting point 2), and (Supporting point 3); while they differ in (Additional supporting point), the similarities greatly outweigh the differences. 

OR

If you will argue that your two topics are mostly different:

While Topic A and Topic B have (Additional supporting point) in common, they are mostly quite different; in fact, they differ in characteristics such as (Supporting point 1), (Supporting point 2), and (Supporting point 3).

OR

If you will argue that your two topics have many important/interesting similarities and differences: 

Analyzing Topic A and Topic B reveals many fascinating similarities as well as differences; for instance, they share (Supporting point 1) and (Supporting point 1), but are vastly different when it comes to (Supporting point 3) and (Supporting point 4). 

Tips

To brainstorm, you might consider using a Venn diagram or a simple list to show what your topics have in common and how they differ. Then you can select the most prominent or interesting characteristics that you want to highlight in your paper. 

Be sure to avoid beginning your comparisons or contrasts in the introduction. Your thesis is the only place in the introduction where you will include this information. Use the introduction to get your reader’s attention, and consider using a good strategy that leads into the topic. For instance, you might relate a short anecdote to illustrate your topic, an interesting quotation that relates to your topic, or perhaps a surprising statistic that reveals something about your topic. 

Then, in the body paragraphs remember to support your claim(s) outlined in the thesis. For instance, if one of your points says the city and the country are different in terms of transportation, be sure the topic sentence of one body paragraph presents a similar statement. In addition, spend equal time on each subtopic in each body paragraph, and one way to develop organized body paragraphs is to focus on one topic before moving to the next one so that the paragraph support is split 50/50. In other words, using the example above, you would explain the transportation options in the city in full, and then, you would detail the types of contrasting transportation in the country. End each body paragraph with a strong concluding sentence that synthesizes that paragraph’s discussions. 

The conclusion should sum up the specific supporting points as well as your overall assessment of why these points are important. Consider what kinds of interesting or new conclusions you can draw from your comparison. In other words, your essay must reveal why your comparison is important. A well-developed paragraph often contains a minimum of five sentences. Note that any of the main sections below labeled with Roman Numerals (I, II, III, IV) could be more than just a single paragraph. 

Point-by-Point

I. Introduction
   A. Thesis
   B. Additional information to introduce your topic and gain the reader’s attention

II. Supporting point 1
   A. Topic 1
   B. Topic 2 

III. Supporting point 2
   A. Topic 1
   B. Topic 2 

IV. Supporting point 3
   A. Topic 1
   B. Topic 2 

V. Supporting point 4 or Additional point
   A. Topic 1
   B. Topic 2 

VI. Conclusion
   A. Reiterate your thesis (but do not simply restate it from the introduction)
   B. Give your overall assessment—the “so what” factor—about your topic. For instance, is one topic better than the other for some reason? Is one topic misunderstood?

Subject-by-Subject

I. Introduction
   A. Thesis
   B. Additional information to introduce your topic and gain the reader’s attention 

II. Topic 1
   A. Supporting point 1
   B. Supporting point 2
   C. Supporting point 3
   D. Supporting point 4 or Additional point 

III. Topic 2
   A. Supporting point 1
   B. Supporting point 2
   C. Supporting point 3
   D. Supporting point 4 or Additional point 

V. Conclusion
   A. Reiterate your thesis (but do not simply restate it from the introduction)
   B. Give your overall assessment—the “so what” factor—about your topic. For instance, is one topic better than the other for some reason? Is one topic misunderstood? 

Here’s an example of how you might organize using these methods for an essay about cats versus dogs as pets (remember, this topic is not one of the options for this essay). 

Point-by-Point

I. Introduction
   A. Thesis: While cats and dogs are both clear winners when it comes to pet choices, these animals are vastly different when it comes to noise level, exercise needs, and cleanliness. 

II. Subtopic 1: Noise level
   A. Topic 1: Cats are quiet
   B. Topic 2: Dogs can be noisy 

III. Subtopic 2: Exercise
   A. Topic 1: Cats do not have to be walked
   B. Topic 2: Dogs require exercise 

IV. Subtopic 3: Cleanliness
   A. Topic 1: Cats groom themselves
   B. Topic 2: Dogs need to be bathed 

V. Conclusion 

Subject-by-Subject

I. Introduction
   A. Thesis: While cats and dogs are both clear winners when it comes to pet choices, these animals are vastly different when it comes to noise level, exercise needs, and cleanliness. 

II. Topic 1: Cats
   A. Subtopic 1: Noise level
   B. Subtopic 2: Exercise
   C. Subtopic 3: Cleanliness 

III. Topic 2: Dogs
   A. Subtopic 1: Noise level
   B. Subtopic 2: Exercise
   C. Subtopic 3: Cleanliness