COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY WRITING

1. COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY WRITING

2. PURPOSE: To reveal similarities and/or differences between two subjects or things. • Compare contrast essays are used to examine two or more subjects and the similarities and/or differences between them. The task of this type of essay is to clarify something unknown by analyzing it next to something with which the reader is familiar. • It is important that your thesis statement clearly states whether you will be comparing, contrasting, or sometimes, both. Be sure your thesis gives a sneak “peek” into the points you make in your paper. • The thesis is your opinion and can be argued because you chose those 2 or more points of comparison or contrast to explore in your essay. In other words, someone else could disagree with your claim that those are the main or most important points to mention in your essay, so you need to use evidence to support your points compared or contrasted.

3. Key Prompt words • Compare • Contrast • Show differences • Show similarities • Differentiate • Show a connection between • Common

4. Most important aspects of Compare/Contrast Writing: KNOW WHETHER TO COMPARE OR CONTRAST (or both) • Must be able to interpret the essay prompt to know what it is asking of you • Must show a clear line of differences or similarities • Must provide specific logical evidence to prove the similarities or differences • BEYOND THE OBVIOUS: It is important that you go beyond the obvious to compare and contrast; your essay should be enlightening and effective, not merely a summary or description of items.

5. EXAMPLES OF COMPARE AND CONTRAST PROMPTS • The theme of revenge is common in many of Shakespeare’s plays. Explore the theme of revenge, and consider how it is treated in two of Shakespeare’s plays. • There is a saying: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Find the similarities between life when you were in kindergarten and your life today. • Using the two texts being studied in class, contrast how differently each of the protagonists are treated by their families and society in general.

6. Remember in a Compare/Contrast paper, you are to show the MAJOR similarities and/or differences between a subject/s. • Your thesis statement must clearly state whether you will be comparing, contrasting, or both. • Example of a simple Prompt: Compare and contrast entering junior high and high school. • Simple Compare/Contrast Thesis: While there are several similarities between entering junior high and high school, the differences are stark and even shocking for some students.

7. TESTING THE THESIS: Does this thesis qualify as a Compare/Contrast thesis? • Simple Compare/Contrast Thesis: While there are several similarities between entering junior high and high school, the differences are stark and even shocking for some students. • Does the thesis address whether the essay will cover similarities, differences, or both? • Does the thesis mention the topic of the essay? • Does the thesis tell what points will be compared/contrasted? • Better Thesis Statement for the Topic: • While both junior high and high school begin with new faces and lost students looking for their classroom, the shock of being a small fish in a big pond and the overwhelming feeling of drowning in homework is common as one enters the intimidating world of high school. BASIC THESIS BETTER THESIS

8. VERBAL CUES: The keys to the Compare/Contrast Essay • Consider the following passages: • There are many differences between a good student and a bad student. Good students study, and bad students may cram the night before. Bad students turn in their work only once in a while and good students do their homework. • There are many differences between a good student and a bad student. Good students study, while bad students cram the night before. Good students do their homework, unlike bad students, who turn in their work only once in a while. Do you see the differences between these two passages? The first uses the word “and” as the transition and the second one uses more effective transition words (bridges) to emphasize the differences between good and bad students.

9. SOME EFFECTIVE COMPARE/CONTRAST TRANSITION WORDS OR BRIDGES (Refer to the ELA Survival Guide (Transition words at a Glance) under Compare/Contrast COMPARING alike too along the same lines similarly also likewise as well like as well as is similar to in the same way compared to by the same token both in comparison to in the same manner CONTRASTING but while by contrast yet contrasted with whether or not contrasting unlike conversely rather than however on the other hand in contrast on the contrary in spite of nonetheless nevertheless By using these bridges, the reader gets a cue to indicate that a difference or similarity is coming. Be care though, do not use transition words everywhere, just where you need them. Overuse of these words can create confusion for the reader, and make the essay less effective.

10. ESSAY BLOCK METHOD FOR COMPARING/CONTRASTING BLOCK METHOD In the block method, each paragraph addresses TOPIC (COMPARING OR CONTRASTING) from your selected INFORMATION and includes SHARED ASPECTS you have chosen to compare OR contrast as stated in the topic sentence This organizational pattern is most effective when used on short essays, such as in-class essays. The body of such an essay is organized by discussing all elements that compare in a single paragraph and then all elements that contrast in a separate paragraph.

11. BLOCK EXAMPLE: Comparing “Yeh-Shen” and “Aschenputtel” are comparable regarding several plot features. One way is that Yeh-Shen and Aschenputtel are both kind. Yeh-Shen shares what little food she has been given with her pet fish, who is her only friend (Louie 197). Aschenputtel, rather than asking for materialistic items from her father’s travels, asks for a tree branch to plant on her mother’s grave (Grimm 297). Both of these actions reveal the characteristics of a caring and compassionate individual on the part of both main characters. They both think of others rather than just their selves. Another similarity is that both protagonists have relationships with magical animals as their only friends. Yeh-Shen’s only caring companion is a Carp, which is a fish that grants her simple wishes (Louie 198). Likewise, Aschenputtel befriends the doves, who assist her with the tedious chores assigned by her stepmother and stepsisters (Grimm 298). It is obvious that both characters do not have any human friends and are ostracized by their families to seek solace in the companionship of animals, which have magical elements, rather than people. Moreover, each of the young girls in these stories are forbidden to attend the King’s ball even though their other family members attend the soiree. Yeh-Shen’s stepmother denies her attendance because she is afraid that the men attending the ball will think Yeh-Shen is more beautiful than her own natural daughter (Louie 200). At the same time, Aschenputtel’s stepmother states that she has no proper clothes and would be a family embarrassment (Grimm 299). Both stepmothers in these tales harbor no love toward their respective stepdaughters nor do they intend to allow their stepdaughters to delight in the celebration or opportunity that might befall them if they were allowed to attend the gala. Clearly, there is enough commonality in the basic story line to show how the characters and circumstance relate to one another.

12. BLOCK EXAMPLE: CONTRASTING • Equally important is the contrasting elements including people in the story, history, and venue. For example, the setting varies between the two tales. “Aschenputtel” takes place in Germany, while Yeh-Shen’s story originates from China (Grimm 296) (Louie 196). Knowing that both come from unlike cultures makes the differences in these stories understandable regarding certain elements of plot including the origin and details included. Yeh-Shen resides in a cave village set in the mountains (Louie 196); however, Aschenputtel lives in her father’s country estate home (Grimm 296). Consequently, the places that they live vary in the specifics of their surroundings. There is also the contrast in these stories of the stereotypical stepsister/s that plague the protagonist. Yeh-Shen has only one stepsister who is plain and ordinary looking in comparison to herself (Louie 197). Conversely, Aschenputtel’s two stepsisters fit the American version of “Cinderella” being beautiful in appearance (Grimm 298). Even though the number of stepsisters varies in the two versions, only Aschenputtel’s stepsisters treat her cruelly as well as delight in the treatment of her as their personal slave. The author in “Yeh-Shen” does not fully develop the vicious typecast of the stepsister; instead, there is very little information given about her relationship to Yeh-Shen other than her dowdy looks. Another variance in the characters’ lives is the role of their real parents in the stories. Yeh-Shen was an infant when her mother passed away as well as her father dying shortly after marrying her stepmother (Louie 196-197). On the other hand, Aschenputtel’s mother died when she was a young girl leaving her with the memories of a loving parent. Her father remarries and becomes distant acknowledging his new family over her (Grimm 298). Both girls suffer from the loss of their parents’ involvement in their lives; however, Yeh-Shen’s situation is more heart wrenching between the two stories because of being orphaned by her natural parents after birth and being raised by an evil stepmother. Therefore, the dissimilarities are apparent to the reader and in turn evoke diverse reactions from the audience based on the characters backgrounds as well as circumstance.