Compare or Contrast Essay

1. Compare or Contrast Essay • You compare or contrast every day. • Should you eat pizza for lunch or a salad? • You look at the benefits of pizza, the benefits of salad, and then make your decision.

2. Why compare/contrast? • To demonstrate: • That one thing is better than another • That things which seem different are actually alike • That things which seem alike are actually different

3. Suggestions – all of these found in the reading • Be sure subjects are at least somewhat alike • Stay focused • Formulate a strong thesis • Select points to be discussed • Organize the points • Use clear transitions

4. Developing Your Essay • Two patterns for organization • Choose one and stick to it throughout. • Point-by-point • The Block

5. Thesis Sentence • Mom’s Hamburger Haven is a much better restaurant than McPhony’s because of its superior food, service and atmosphere.

6. Pattern One: Point by Point • Point 1: Food • A. Mom’s • B. McPhoney’s • Point 2: Service: • A. Mom’s • B. McPhoneys • Point 3: Atmosphere • A. Mom’s • B. McPhony’s

7. Now, it’s your turn! • Pair up with a neighbor and try a point by point with this thesis: • Hands down, Katy Perry is a better performance artist than Rihanna because of her superior lip-syncing, dancing and costumes.

8. Here is a template • Point One: • A: • B: • Point Two • A: • B: • Point Three • A: • B:

9. It Should look like this: • Point One: Lip-Syncing • A:Katy • B:Rihanna • Point Two: Dancing • A:Katy • B:Rihanna • Point Three: Costumes • A:Katy • B:Rihanna

10. Remember our original thesis statement? • Mom’s Hamburger Haven is a much better restaurant than McPhony’s because of its superior food, service and atmosphere.

11. Pattern Two: The Block • A. Mom’s • 1. Food • 2. Service • 3. Atmosphere • B. McPhony’s • 1. Food • 2. Service • 3. Atmosphere

12. Now it’s your turn! • Pair up with your neighbor again and put the same thesis sentence into the block pattern. • Hands down, Katy Perry is a better performance artist than Rihanna because of her superior lip-syncing, dancing and costumes.

13. Here is a template • A: • 1: • 2: • 3: • B: • 1: • 2: • 3:

14. Here’s what it should look like • A: Katy • 1: Lip-syncing • 2: Dancing • 3: Costumes • B: Rihanna • 1: Lip-syncing • 2: Dancing • 3: Costumes

15. Comparison Also Similarly Too Both Like Not only…but also Have in common Share the same In the same manner Contrast However On the contrary On the other hand In contrast Although Unlike Though Instead of But Key words to use in your essay

16. Outline • Why outline? • What does an outline look like?

17. Outline