If you think a compare and contrast essay should analyze the similarities and differences between two topics, you are only partially correct. The comparison should also be used to make a larger point about both topics. For example, if you compare and contrast two presidencies, you should be prepared to discuss the similarities and differences between both. In addition, you should be able to identify positive or negative results of both of those presidencies.
Of course, the process of writing a compare and contrast essay starts with one, very important step. You have to pick a topic. Which subjects should you compare and contrast? We’ve got a great list of topics for your use or inspiration.
- What Are The Similarities And Differences Between Old And New Money Wealth?
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Private Vs. Parochial Education
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School Uniform: Necessity or Relic of the Past?
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SAT and TOEFL: What to Choose?
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Is Computer Science More Important Than History Today?
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Life in a Small Town or Life in a Big City
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Video Games or Reading Books Is Better for Leisure
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Divorced Parents or Intact Family
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Kids Who Bully And Kids Who Don’t
- Similarities And Differences In The School Behavior Of Both Boys And Girls
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Cartoons of The Eighties or Cartoons of Today
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Working a Blue Collar Job or a White Collar Job
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Dress Code and Business Casual Wear
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Jeans Trousers vs. Khaki Wear for Health
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Working or Staying Home With Children
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Employment or Freelancing
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Going to Work or Telecommuting
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Using Facebook or Reddit
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Hip Hop Culture or Country Music Lifestyle
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Living in an Apartment or Living in a House
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Gothic or Baroque Style for an Apartment House
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Owning a Car or Using Public Transportation
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Japanese or American Animation
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The Rise of Google Vs. The Rise of Microsoft
Both companies are technology juggernauts, and arguably two of the biggest influencers on a global scale. Compare and contrast the growth and management styles of both companies.
- Harvard University or Yale
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Getting a College Degree or Learning a Trade
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Dating in School or Staying Single: Which Is Better for School Performance?
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Being Employed or Freelancing in College?
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Is It Easier to Write an Internship Report Instead of a Research Paper?
- Is Visiting the Library More Productive Than Studying in Your Room?
- The Remote Learning Courses vs. Traditional Classes
- Parental control or full freedom
- Studying Abroad vs. Taking Up Local Courses
- Manufacturing Jobs Against Service Sector Jobs for the College Student
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Life at a Large University or Small College
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Cities for Cars or for People?
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Traveling by Rail or by Sea?
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Liberal Arts or Business
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Differences and Similarities Between Chemistry and Biology
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Working in a Pro Union or a Right to Work State
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Negative Consequences or Positive Rewards
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Medically Assisted Drug Treatment or 12 Step Programs
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Messaging Kills Live Communication
- Compare your current home and a house of your dreams
Drug addiction is an issue that impacts people from every walk of life. Treating addiction is a bit of a controversial subject. Some people believe that 12 step programs that encourage complete abstinence are the key to curing addiction. Other People believe that medically assisted treatment options allow addicts to function normally without going through the pain of withdrawals. Compare and contrast both approaches and the benefits and drawbacks of each.
- Private Healthcare or Medicare For All
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The Political Campaign of Bernie Sanders Vs. Hillary Clinton
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Keto or Low Fat
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Cardio or Weight Training
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Free Range or Helicopter Parenting
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Veganism or Vegetarianism
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Traditional Theaters Vs. Themed Movie Experiences
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Local Music or Famous Musicians
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Cinema or Traditional Theater
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Fiction Against Non-Fiction
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Film Festivals or Big Studio Screenings
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Comedy or Drama Movies to Fix Bad Mood
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The Directing Style of Tarantino Vs. Clint Eastwood
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Sailor Moon or Pokemon
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Twitch or YouTube For Video Streaming
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Living With a Chronic Illness as a Poor Person or a Wealthy Person
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On Campus Living Vs. Commuting to School
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Online Courses or Classroom Only
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Buying Online Against Traditional Shops
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Fashion Today or Fashion in The Victorian Era
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Modern Fashion vs the One of the Early 90s?
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The Honeymooners or The Flintstones
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Traditional Advertising or Native Advertising
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Linux or Windows
Windows may be more popular, but Linux has and intensely loyal fanbase. Compare and contrast the features of both, then determine why each appeals to such a different audience.
- President Kennedy or President Obama
- Ronald Reagan vs. Donald Trump
- Current Political regime in the United States compared to the one 50 years ago
- Steve Jobs or Bill Gates
- American Government vs. Soviet Government
- Democracy and dictatorship: which one is better in a particular situation?
- US President vs. UK Prime Minister
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McCarthyism And The Muslim Travel Ban
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Authoritarian Parenting or Authoritative Parenting
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Parenting Style of the Chinese and the Western People
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Classical Music or Folk Music
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AP And Remedial Classes
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Teaching ESL Students or Native Speakers
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Teaching in a Wealthy District or Teaching in a Poor District
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Living Frugally or Being a Spendthrift
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High Risk or Income Based Investments
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Winter Vacations or Summer Vacations
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Disney or Universal Studios
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Beach Vacation or Mountain Getaway
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Road Trip or Resort Destination
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Basketball Versus Netball Rules
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Structured Academics or Independent Study
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French Cuisine or Italian cuisine
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Baking or Cooking
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Dieting and Sport for Weight Loss
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Fruits or Proteins for Breakfast?
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Fruitarianism and Vegetarianism
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Casual Dating Vs. Serial Monogamy
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Is Long or Short Hair More Feminine?
You hear a lot about the hookup culture. On the other hand, there are plenty of millennials and members of Gen-z that move from one serious relationship to the next. What are the differences to these two approaches. Is it more fulfilling to date casually or to pursue monogamous relationships, even if they are only short term?
- Apple or Android
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Nintendo or Playstation
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Java or Python
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Web Development or Web Design
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Apps or Websites
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Christmas Vs. Thanksgiving
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Money or Things as Gifts for Holidays
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Halloween or Valentines Day
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Living Alone or With Roommates
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Better to Be Miserable in a Mansion or Happy in a Shanty?
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Apartment or Private Houses
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Smoking Traditional Cigarettes or E-Cigs
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Classical Music or Folk Music
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Harry Potter Books or Harry Potter Movies
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Hollywood and Bollywood
This is a classic subject. Is the book or the movie better. With Harry Potter, you are working with a current series of books and movies. This means you’ll be able to research the topic quite easily.
- Conventional or Alternative Medicine
- Teachers' and Doctors' Impact on Society?
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US English and UK English Comparison
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Is Learning American English Easier Than British English for a Foreigner?
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Los Angeles Vs. New York
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Minor League or Major League Baseball Games
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College Football Vs. NFL
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Playing American Football vs. Basketball: Which One Looks Better in a College Application?
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Nascar or Formula 1 Racing
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Mindfulness Vs. Transcendental Meditation
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Surgical Cancer Treatment Vs. Chemotherapy Alone
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RNA or DNA
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Red Blood Cells or White Blood Cells
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Mineralogy and Geography
- Volcano Eruption or Tsunami: What Is More Dangerous?
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Harry Potter or The Lord of The Rings
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Young Adult or Romance
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YouTube Stars or A List Celebrities
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Fake News or Real Journalism
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Emails Versus Handwritten Letters
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House Lannister or House Stark
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Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary
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The Evangelical Movement of Today Vs. Thirty Years Ago
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Martin Luther King or Malcolm X
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Cleopatra & Margaret Thatcher
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Adolf Hitler vs. Joseph Stalin
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Ellen DeGeneres vs. Oprah Winfrey
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Plato vs. Socrates
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Racism in Europe vs. Racism in America
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Eastern Culture or Western Culture
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The Culture of Ancient Greece as Opposed to the One of Ancient Rome
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Russian propaganda during the Cold War vs. Russian propaganda today
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How Wars Are Covered in Press Today vs. in the Past
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Sparta and Athens
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The Origin Of Both Christianity And Islam
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Islam and Judaism
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Christianity and Islam
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Catholicism or Protestantism
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Punishment And Justice
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Religion and Occultism
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American vs. British Religion
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Buddhism or Hinduism
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Communism or Theocracy
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Pacific Theater or Europe
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Civil War or Revolutionary War
- What Did World War I and Ww Ii Have in Common?
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Traditional Poetry or Free Verse
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Soul or R&B
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Blues or Jazz
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CBT or Talk Therapy
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Do Aliens Avoid Us or Do Not Exist?
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What Actually Makes One More Energetic: Coffee or Tea?
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Black or White Coffee to Jump Start the Day?
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Coke vs. Pepsi
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Oven or Microwave
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Marriage and Divorce: Is It Worth It?
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The Edge Between Friends and More Than Just a Friend?
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Dogs vs. Cats
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Sources with Free Access and Rights Reserved: Should We Protect Intellectual Property?
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John Adams and Thomas Jefferson: Friends or Enemies?
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American Revolution VS French Revolution
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The War in Syria and Military Situation in Ukraine
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Consequences of Communism for China and Korea
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Legal Systems in the United States and Canada
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Marriage vs. Civil Union
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Can Flowers Exist Without Weeds?
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Eastern USA vs. Western USA
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Tennis vs. Ping Pong
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Series vs. Movies
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Watching Movies in the Cinema and at Home
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Are Male Friends More Loyal Than Female or Vice Versa?
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Role Models in 1950s and Modern Role Models
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Are 5-Star Hotels Always Better Than 3-Star Hotels?
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Camping in the woods or spending a night in a motel/hotel
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How Early Spacemen Are Similar to Christopher Columbus?
- People who influence teenagers most of all: Parents and celebrities
- Part-Time Jobs vs Seasonal Jobs
- Differences Between Canadian And American English
- Real Life Relationships vs. Romance On Films And Movies
- Mothers Love vs. Father Love
- Who Is More Important in One's Life: Siblings vs. Friends
- Love Before Marriage Vs. Love After Marriage
- What Is Different and Similar Between Love and Sex?
- Valentines vs. Christmas: Which Holiday Is More Intimate?
- Working out Early in the Morning vs. Late at Night
- Fundamental Differences And Similarities Between An Anglican Bishop And Catholic Priest
- Part-Time Work on Workdays or Full Day on Weekends?
- Are People Happier Today Than Back in the 50s?
Structuring Your Essay
When it comes to the structure of your essay, you have a few options. As always, you’ll need an intro, body, and conclusion. Your intro should introduce your topic, and state your hypothesis. Perhaps more importantly, you should clearly define the two topics. This means identifying what you will address and what you won’t. For example, if you are comparing WWI and WWII, that is a topic that can and has been the subject of full length books. So, you have to establish some parameters for the reader.
Next, you have to determine how you will approach the similarities and differences. You can focus on similarities, then differences, bringing both together at the end. You can also structure the body of your essay so you alternate between comparing and contrasting the two subjects.
Whatever you decide, it is very important that your transitions are strong. It should be clear to readers when you move from comparing to contrasting.
Finally, your conclusion is an important part of your compare and contrast essay. You should never simply restate the points you have made. Instead, you should synthesize those points and deliver a powerful message.
Make it Relevant
There’s more to this than simply finding a topic you like. It should be meaningful and relevant to your readers, and the class you are taking. Once you narrow down the topics that meet that criteria, you can begin identifying the ones that you find personally interesting.
Watch Your Own Bias
Remember that this isn’t a contest. You don’t have to identify one thing as being better or superior to the other. You are just analyzing differences and similarities, then drawing a greater conclusion from that analysis. If you have strong personal feelings about a topic, be careful. That could impact your ability to provide an objective analysis.
Researching Your Topic
The research you conduct will depend largely on the topic you select. For academic subjects you will likely rely on textbooks, journals, and academic databases. For current events, there are news sites, essays, news footage, etc. Whatever topic you choose, be sure you select one that has plenty of research sources for you to use.
Final Thoughts
Check out the topics listed above. These compare and contrast essay topics should provide you with a great idea, or at least a bit of inspiration.
