Compare/Contrast%20Essay

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Compare/Contrast Essay
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What to Write About

• 1. What are their titles?
• 2. What do they describe or depict?
• 3. What is their tone or mood?
• 4. What is their form?
• 5. Who created them?
• 6. When were they created?
• 7. Why do you think they were created as they
  were?
• 8. What themes do they address?
• 9. Do you think one is of higher quality or
  greater merit than the other(s)and if so, why?
• 10. For writing what plot, characterization,
  setting, theme, tone, and type of narration are
  used?

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How to Organize

•    Block Organization in Four ParagraphsI.
• I. Introduction Get your reader's attention and
  state your purpose which is to discuss the
  differences between vacationing in the mountains
  or at the beach.
• II.Vacationing in the Mountains
• the climate
• the types of activities
• the location
• III.Vacation at the Beach
• (A) the climate
• (B) the types of activities
• (C) the location.
• IV.Conclusion Summarize your ideas and leave the
  reader with a good impression.

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• Point-by-Point Organization in Five Paragraphs
• I.Introduction Get your reader's attention and
  state your purpose which is to discuss three
  differences between vacationing in the mountains
  or vacationing at the beach which are the
  climate, the types of activities, and the
  location.
• II.The first difference between vacationing at
  the beach or in the mountains is the climate.
• III.The second difference between vacationing at
  the beach or in the mountains is the type of
  activities.
• IV.The third difference between vacationing at
  the beach or in the mountains is the location.
• V.Conclusion Summarize your ideas and leave the
  reader with a good impression.

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Writing a Thesis

• Some instructors prefer that you only write about
  the differences between two things, while others
  want you to focus on explaining the similarities
  as well.  Either way, you'll need to make sure
  that your thesis statement reflects your
  instructor's expectations. For example, if I
  wanted to write about Social Networking sites,
  I'd need to write different thesis statements
  depending on my compare/contrast assignment.  

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• Sample thesis statement for contrast paper  In
  terms of social networking sites, Facebook
  focuses on presenting your daily life to others,
  whereas MySpace allows you to focus more on
  demonstrating your personal style.
• Sample thesis statement for compare/contrast
  paper  While both Facebook and MySpace allow you
  to meet other users who have similar interests,
  only MySpace allows you to demonstrate your
  personal style.   

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Why is it a Persuasive Essay?

• Compare-contrast essays are similar to persuasive
  essays in a couple key ways
• The persuade the reader to your point of view
  about how they are similar and different.

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• A compare-contrast essay is almost always formal
  academic essay in which the writer presents a
  thesis.
• In most formal academic writing, the proper point
  of view for the essay is third person (using the
  pronouns he, she, it, they). It is OK to use
  first person (I, me, we) in the conclusion
• INCORRECT First Person
• I think that Fitzgerald and Hemingway share many
  similarities despite their very different use of
  descriptive language.
• CORRECT Third Person
• Fitzgerald and Hemingway share many similarities
  despite their very different use of descriptive
  language.

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Using Quotes

• Compare-contrast essays rely on direct evidence
  from several sources.
• Why use quotes?
• 1. They demonstrate you read the available
  information closely.
• 2. They serve as concrete evidence to
  support your position
• 3. They demonstrate a deeper level of
  understanding, which is persuasive to readers.

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• Where can evidence come from? What can I quote
  from?
• Books, films, newspaper articles, credible
  websites, newscasts, etc.
• What cant I use?
• Wikipedia, encyclopedias, other student essays,
  interviews with non-experts, etc.

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How to set up Paragraphs

• ICCEE quoting examples (i.e., your proof) of
  what your topic sentence claims, quoted from
  another source
• I introduce the quote (who, what, when, where)
  
• In chapter 8, after shaping a snowman figure out
  of mud and sticks, he begins to cover it with
  snow.
• C copy the quote down correctly using quotation
  marks appropriately
• Jem scooped up some snow and began plastering it
  on. He permitted me to cover only the back,
  saving the public parts for himself (Lee 67).
• C cite the quote
• himself (Lee 67).
• E explain what the quote means
• Jem sees nothing wrong with making a snowman out
  of both mud and snow.
• E Elaborate, expand, and explore on the
  significance of the quoteshow how it relates to
  the thesis of your essay
• In other words, his snowman is both black and
  white. What we see on the outside of a person is
  just a thin layer of skin, like the snow, but on
  the inside, we are all made of the same basic
  materials. Its not what we are on the outside
  that matters its what we are on the inside.
  Without the stick frame covered with black mud,
  there would be no white snowman.

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