Choosing Good Topics for Compare and Contrast Essays: Things to Remember
Compare and contrast essays can be assigned to you in any one of these situations:
- Homework assignments
- Classroom assignment
- Exam prompt
They are very common exam prompt essay topics and it is important that you learn how to grasp the knowledge of writing one. This article describes the fundamentals of choosing a good compare and contrast essay and those things you need to remember when writing one.
- SIMILAR, YET DIFFERENT
- STYLE
- GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURE
That is basically what a compare and contrast type essay is. You need to identify the differences and similarities between any two things that you may be assigned. It could be two characters, two poems from a set written by the same poet, or two pieces of work done by the same author. The main reason you will be assigned this type of essay is to see your knowledge of the issue and how far you can go with the topic.
Compare and contrast essays are either based on history or literature. Whichever it is, you need to talk about the differences very subtly between the two pieces assigned to you. If you are comparing two moments in time, make sure you show the reader what times they are talking about and tell them later what the differences were. Don’t just jump straight into a boring narrative. Make it interesting and your reader will enjoy reading it.
This is the most important thing about the compare and contrast essays. It is so important that it could make or break your grade. The structure is similar to all other essays – 5 paragraphs with 3 body paragraphs – but the way you use the 3 body paragraphs can make all the difference. You could choose one to be a compare, the other a contrast and drop the third, or you could take one trait and talk about it in each paragraph. The decision is yours in the end.
These essays are brilliant ways to get great marks out of your course. Once you know how to write them, I would recommend any other person to take up the task of writing them when they are given a choice between this and any other essay. This is because a compare/contrast essay can be tough, but you will notice you have a lot to write (as compared to very little). This way, you won’t be able to stop writing and eventually your essay will end.