Directions Paper Assignment | Homework Help Websites

Comparison/Contrast

Three reasons for comparing (similarities) and/or contrasting (differences) are as follows:

1. To prove that two subjects that people think of as being similar are actually different.
2. To prove that two subjects that people think of as being different are actually similar.
3. To prove that one subject is superior to another subject by showing either similarities or differences.

Note:  you can only compare or contrast; you cannot do both.  You must choose.

Two ways to organize a compare/contrast essay:  (let’s pretend we are contrasting McDonald’s to Burger King)

1. Alternating pattern (5 paragraphs; 500 words)

Introduction with thesis statement

Body 1:  discuss both subjects (McD’s and BK) and one difference (cooking method)

Body 2:  discuss both subjects (McD’s and BK) and another difference (customer service)

Body 3:  discuss both subjects (McD’s and BK) and a third difference (dessert choices)

Conclusion:  Recap and find a way to make point about why it is important to emphasize the differences (or similarities, depending on which you choose) for these two fast food joints.

FYI:  In the second body paragraph, it would be important to explain the difference in customer service between the two restaurants at your local McD’s and BK.  The differences may only be true for your area while it would be opposite at the restaurants somewhere else in the world.  Pay attention to little things like that so that you are true to your statements within the paper.  In other words, not all Burger Kings have poor customer service if you think that to be true at the BK in your area.

2. Block Pattern (4 paragraphs; 500 words)

Introduction with thesis

Body 1:  discuss McDonald’s only, including cooking method, customer service, and dessert choices.  With this pattern, you may add other differences for this paragraph.

Body 2:  discuss Burger King only, including cooking method, customer service, and dessert choices, and any other differences you mentioned in Body 1.  You must cover the same differences for each restaurant.  The paragraph will demand transitional phrases like “In contrast to Mcdonald’s,…” or “Unlike McD’s…” and so on.

Conclusion:  same as the alternating pattern.

The block pattern allows the writer to emphasize more similarities or differences while the alternating pattern focuses on three.  However, I prefer the alternating pattern because three is ALWAYS a good number to get the point across without being too long winded.  A good writer has to keep the reader’s attention without rambling or boring him/her.  Students often get carried away with the block pattern and try to cover too much.  The paper gets wordy and confusing.  There are times when the block pattern works better because more than three similarities/differences are necessary to make a good point.  Be wise in judgment when you choose the pattern of organization for your paper.

I wrote the following essay as an example of the alternating pattern:

To the average onlooker, eleventh grade students and seventh grade students appear to be totally different.  Eleventh grade students are physically more mature than the awkward growth stage seventh grade students sport.  Also, eleventh grade students are more mentally mature than seventh grade students; it is much easier to discuss serious issues with an eleventh grader than it is with a seventh grader.  Because eleventh grade students can drive and seventh grade students cannot, eleventh graders are more self-sufficient than seventh graders.  However, when it comes to the classroom, eleventh grade students and seventh grade students have many similarities.

First of all, eleventh grade students and seventh grade students do not like to do homework.  Even though an eleventh grader is more mature, he/she will still moan, groan, huff, and puff as much as a seventh grader about having to take school work home.  Seventh graders fuss because they will miss a cartoon, and eleventh graders fuss because they have to work a job, or both grade levels fuss because they have some extracurricular obligation such as ball practice.  Regardless, both eleventh grade students and seventh grade students complain about homework.

Second of all, eleventh grade students and seventh grade students cheat on tests.  Both grade levels find ways to mark the correct answers on a test without having to study.  It is more obvious when a seventh grader cheats because they do not hide a fearful countenance well.  Eleventh graders are more experienced, so they are capable of pulling it off more smoothly.  Both will do anything from putting cheat sheets inside their 20 oz. bottled drinks to writing spelling words on the palm of their hand to simply looking onto their neighbor’s paper.  Whatever the case, both eleventh grade students and seventh grade students would rather cheat than actually learn the material.

Last of all, eleventh grade students and seventh grade students both give lame excuses.  Both grade levels will make excuses for not having books, pencils, or homework, being absent, being tardy, talking, why he/she cheated, or why he/she did not really cheat, and so on and on and on.  The excuses are endless, and they are rarely good ones.  They both blame somebody or something else for their lack of responsibility.  Both consider themselves the exceptions to the rules.  Seventh graders should be excused because they do not know better and eleventh graders should be excused because they have such busy lives.  Both eleventh grade students and seventh grade students will give an excuse rather than admit that they were wrong or just failed to fulfill a task.

Eleventh grade students and seventh grade students appear different on the surface.  They look different, they think on different levels, and their dependency level is different.  Most people would say that eleventh grade students and seventh grade students are from two completely, different worlds.  Despite these obvious differences, eleventh graders and seventh graders are actually similar when they play the role of student.