History and Writing and Compare and Contrast and Essay

							  Writing a
Comparison and
Contrast Essay
      Writing Assignment #2
• You will write a comparison and contrast
  essay. You will compare and contrast two
  things, deciding which is better.
• Examples of topics:
 1. Comparing and contrasting two cities: The
  benefits of living in Seoul versus living in a
  smaller town like Daejeon.
 2. Comparing and contrasting two times in
  history: When was a better time to live?
  Present or past? Why?
  3. Comparing and contrasting two ideas or
  theories: Think of two theories or theorists.
  Which theory was better? Why or why not?
Minimum: 4 paragraphs
Maximum: 5 paragraphs
   What’s a comparison and
       contrast essay?
• Compare and contrast two subjects.

Compare- Show how two things are alike.

Contrast- Show how two things are
  different.
    Review Essay Formation
Every essay must be composed of the
  following elements:
• Introduction- Tells us what the essay is
  about (thesis statement).
• Body- Gives us support and examples for
  the opinion or idea in the thesis.
• Conclusion- Ends the essay. Returns us
  back to the original thesis statement.
            Introduction
• Proceeds from general to specific
  ideas.
• The last sentence is the thesis
  statement. It is the most specific idea
  in the introduction.
• Thesis statement must communicate
  a clear idea or opinion; it can never
  be a statement of fact.
               Body
• Gives support for the opinion or
  idea in the thesis statement.
• Support can include facts,
  reasons, statistics, explanations,
  examples, comparisons and
  contrasts, and recommendations
          Conclusion

• Brings an essay to a close.
• Refers to ideas in the
  introduction and the thesis
  statement.
• Should not bring up new
  unrelated ideas.
How to set up Comparison and
Contrast Essay: Brainstorming
• Brainstorm everything you know about
  each subject.
• Look for connections that show
  similarities and differences.

Example: Compare and contrast two
  seasons: Spring and Autumn. Are there
  any similarities and are there differences?
          Thesis Statement
• The thesis statement of an essay creates
  unity
• What is unity? An overarching idea.
• A good thesis statement is supported by
  the other ideas, explanations, and
  examples in the introduction, body
  paragraph(s), and conclusion.
   What makes a good thesis
  statement or bad statement?
Look at these thesis statements and decide
  which one is a good thesis statement or
  bad thesis statement.

Hunger persists in Zimbabwe because jobs
 are scarce, the farmers are having
 difficulty farming on the infertile land,
 and the government does not allow
 democratic dissent.

Hunger persists in Zimbabwe.
   What makes a good or bad
      thesis statement?
• The concept of global warming should
  not receive the amount of attention
  because the earth periodically goes
  through a state of warming and cooling,
  and therefore it is out of human control.

• The concept of global warming should
  not receive the amount of attention that is
  currently focused on this issue.
    Thesis Statement: Comparison
         and Contrast Essay
•  Look at our list and let’s ask some
   questions.
1. Is there something important, significant,
   or interesting about my list? Are there
   any differences or similarities between
   the two seasons?
2. What have I discovered about the two
   seasons?

Example: Although there is exquisite beauty
   in the seasons of Autumn and Spring,
   there are also differences which allow
   the season to stand on its own.
How to Organize Comparison
    and Contrast Essay
• Paragraph 1- Introduce the topic
• Paragraph 2- Talk about 1st subject
• Paragraph 3-Talk about 1st subject/2nd
  subject
• Paragraph 4-Talk about 2nd subject
• Paragraph 5- Conclusion
 How would you organize this
          paper?
Your writing topic:

Your experiences before and after giving up
  a bad habit.
          Paragraph Unity
• Each paragraph of an essay must have
  unity.
• A paragraph must have one main idea.
• Every sentence in the paragraph must be
  relevant to that main idea.
 Example of Paragraph Unity
As you manage your time, think about how
  long certain activities will take. A
  common mistake is to underestimate the
  time needed to do something simple. For
  example, when you are planning to go to
  the store, there may be a line of people.
  Last week in line I met a woman I went to
  high school with, so we chatted. It turns
  out she has two children just the same age
  as mine. When you are estimating time
  for a more complex activity, such as
  reading, block out more time than you
  think you will need. It is better to allow
  too much time than too little.
 Topic Sentences: Connecting
   the Body to the Thesis
• Topic Sentence is usually the first
  sentence of each body paragraph.
• Restates one of the ideas or reasons from
  the thesis statement.
• The rest of the paragraph describes the
  idea found in the topic sentence.
• Topic sentences connect the ideas in the
  body paragraphs to the thesis statement.
          Controlling Idea
• Topic sentences usually contain a
  controlling idea.
• A controlling idea is when you make the
  reader curious.
• You make the reader question “How”?
  “Why?” or “What does it mean?”
Examples of Controlling Ideas
• English is one of the most difficult
  languages. (Why is it difficult? How is it
  difficult?)
• When I went to Seoul last month, I had an
  interesting experience on the subway.
  (What experience did you have? Why was
  it interesting?)
     Examples of Not Good
        Controlling Idea
• Over winter break, I went to Canada and
  the United States to visit my family.

Why is this not a good controlling idea?
      Transitional Sentences
• Connect ideas logically.
• Remind the reader of ideas from the last
  paragraph and they introduce ideas that
  come in the next paragraph.
• Can be the first or last sentence of a body
  paragraph
• May be an internal transition within a
  paragraph.
      Example of Transitional
    Phrases, Words, or Sentences
•   For continuing a line of reasoning
•   To contrast a line of reasoning
•   For opening a paragraph
•   For the final points of a paragraph
•   To signal conclusion
•   To restate a point
•   Sequence of time
        Connectors Showing
           Comparison
•   Both
•   And
•   Like
•   Similar to
•   The same as
•   Similarly
•   In the same way
•   Just as
•   In the same way that
    Connectors Showing Contrast
•   But
•   Yet
•   Unlike
•   Different from
•   In contrast
•   However
•   Nevertheless
•   Whereas
•   While
•   Although/even though
•   Despite/despite the fact that