The word comparative means the one which is brought into focus to judge or measure subjects on their differences or similarities or both. In general (but depending on the length and topic of the essay), there should be 3-4 points of comparison. Comparative essays about social issues, historical events or science will be more likely to demand research, while the comparison of works of literature is less likely to need it. Keep a list of these things by you as you work. You may want to develop a system such as highlighting different types of similarities in different colors, or use different colours if you are using an electronic device. How to write a VCE comparative essay Comparative essays are an important part of the VCE English syllabus. References Now we will move ahead and look up to the facts to see how to write a comparative essay in a different aspect: ii. If you're wondering how to write a compare and contrast essay, we've got a six step formula to help you get there. “Though X is more stylish and powerful, Y’s top safety ratings make it a more appropriate, When you have two radically different topics, it sometimes helps to point out one similarity they have before concluding. This article was a great intro to, "Very helpful. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. ", Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/688/01/, http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/comparing-and-contrasting/, http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/comparative-essay, http://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/how-write-comparative-analysis. Level of complexity depends on your educational level as well as major, but rules of writing are identical. You can avoid this effect by grouping more than one point together, thereby cutting down on the number of times you alternate from A to B. Step 1: Analyse the documents individually. Always ask your professor first whether or not one of the below strategies is acceptable. By using our site, you agree to our. How To Write A Good Comparative Essay. Research may not be required or appropriate for your particular assignment. First, you should understand what is the aim and … This really helped. An introduction simply tells the reader what the paper is going to be about. What is a good thesis statement? Discuss them in your essay. Transition words and phrases allow you to easily guide the reader from one point to another without leaving them hanging. The first step is to choose topics for a comparison essay. Be sure to write your name on the Venn Diagram. Surrounded by hard times, racial conflict, and limited opportunities, Julian, on the other hand, feels repelled by the provincial nature of home, and represents a new Southerner, one who sees his native land through a condescending Northerner's eyes. Approved. That's because A and B are not strictly comparable: A is merely a tool for helping you discover whether or not B's nature is actually what expectations have led you to believe it is. If you encounter an assignment that fails to provide a frame of reference, you must come up with one on your own. The frame of reference may consist of an idea, theme, question, problem, or theory; a group of similar things from which you extract two for special attention; biographical or historical information. Faced with a daunting list of seemingly unrelated similarities and differences, you may feel confused about how to construct a paper that isn't just a mechanical exercise in which you first state all the features that A and B have in common, and then state all the ways in which A and B are different. (Ex. Understand the type of comparison essay you are being asked to write. Copyright 1998, Kerry Walk, for the Writing Center at Harvard University, The Writing Center   |   Barker Center, Ground Floor. It must contain references to both texts. How to Write a Comparative Politics Paper. Therefore what is expected is that you compare the content and form of more than one document and that you analyse their content thoroughly. The rationale behind your choice, the grounds for comparison, lets your reader know why your choice is deliberate and meaningful, not random. When identifying how to write a comparative literature essay the student compares two pieces of literature based on a central idea. Let's say you're writing a paper on global food distribution, and you've chosen to compare apples and oranges. Many comparative essay assignments will signal their purpose by using words such as "compare," "contrast," "similarities," and "differences" in the language of the prompt. As a team of well-versed professionals dedicated to helping students to achieve their academic goals, we ensure that every order is completed by the deadline, all instructions are met, and the quality corresponds to the highest How To Write A Comparative Essay About Two Art Pieces academic standards. Without such links, your reader will be unable to see how new sections logically and systematically advance your argument. Although you have just read what is a comparative essay, still I want you to go through a short definition. Your essay will not be your best effort unless you revise it. With the intro focus on any background topic information and the approach, you’ll take to the problem. Why not pears and bananas? To learn how to do research for your essay, read on! Step 2 : Determine the basis of your comparison. Predictably, the thesis of such a paper is usually an assertion that A and B are very similar yet not so similar after all. While your conclusion should include a simple summary of your argument, it should also emphatically state the point in a new and convincing way, one which the reader will remember clearly. Be aware that your various comparisons won’t necessarily lend themselves to an obvious conclusion, especially because people value things differently. They are not limited to specific topics; they can cover … A comparative essay is a basic writing task. Last Updated: March 30, 2021 Some believe that an "unbalanced" comparison - that is, when the essay focuses predominantly on one of the two issues, and gives less importance to the other - is weaker, and that writers should strive for 50/50 treatment of the texts or issues being examined. Just take what you are comparing and, in effect, summarize what your argument/s are going to be. Choose a topic or theme that is interesting to write about and appeals to the reader. The advantages of this structure are that it continually keeps the comparison in the mind of the reader and forces you, the writer, to pay equal attention to each side of the argument. A strong thesis statement is the backbone of a well-organized paper, and helps you decide what information is most important to include and how it should be presented. % of people told us that this article helped them. The Conclusion. Like any written work, start your comparative analysis essay outline with a strong introduction. It's good for this claim to be a bit controversial or up for interpretation, as this allows you to build a good argument. This commonly found conclusion weakens any comparative essay, because it essentially says nothing about the comparison. For example: This method is by far the most dangerous, as your comparison can become both one-sided and difficult for the reader to follow. In order to write a stellar comparative essay, you have to start off by picking two subjects that have enough similarities and differences to be compared in a meaningful way, such as two sports teams or two systems of government. To write a good compare-and-contrast paper, you must take your raw data—the similarities and differences you've observed—and make them cohere into a meaningful argument. Be sure you treat each individual the same; each person deserves the same amount of focus-meaning, do not place most of the emphasis on you or the other person. If you have any doubts regarding both topics, then you can’t be able to write a perfect introduction or complete essay. Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. There are two basic ways to organize the body of your paper. If a customer feels somewhat dissatisfied with their paper, they are welcome to ask the writer to make necessary changes. You will have to do some preliminary readingessay using your course materials, to get an idea of what kind of comparative you will use to assess whatever you are comparing. Step 1: Define both sides. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Throughout your academic career, you'll be asked to write papers in which you compare and contrast two things: two texts, two theories, two historical figures, two scientific processes, and so on. POINTS FOR DISCUSSION Determine the focus of your piece. These essays compare the similarities or dissimilarities of the literature based on their writing style, frame of reference, historical background and the trends that were shaping the society at that time. In general, it has a stable structure consisting of the introduction, a few body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The title and introduction really catch the reader's attention and make them read the essay. The goal of a comparison paper is to draw interesting parallels and help the reader realize something interesting about our world. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Additionally, the use of such words and phrases allows you to compare one point to the other without confusing the reader. This method is only recommended for short essays with simplistic subjects that the reader can easily remember as (s)he goes along. A basis for comparison may have to do with a theme, characteristics, or details about two different things. This is how to write a comparative essay in terms of its framing. assessment device for an examination that I am giving. Here are the five elements required. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Be very careful not to address different aspects of each subject. So for example: Imagine living in a world without water? As a girl raised in the faded glory of the Old South, amid mystical tales of magnolias and moonlight, the mother remains part of a dying generation. Support wikiHow by But in a "lens" comparison, in which you spend significantly less time on A (the lens) than on B (the focal text), you almost always organize text-by-text. Topics can wildly differ, from comparison of liberalism in Canada and the US to similarities and differences between reading and watching TV. A comparative essay is a composition made of many paragraphs that try to explain how two subjects are either similar or different. Others, however, value emphasis in the essay that reflects the particular demands of the essay's purpose or thesis. Quotes should be used sparingly and must thoroughly complement the point they are being used to exemplify/justify. For writing a perfect or well introduction of a comparative essay, you have to understand both the two subjects of your essay, on which you are going to write a comparison essay. For example: Organize your paragraphs using one of the approaches listed in the "Organizing the Content" part below. However, you can make the comparison without using the word "than," as you can see in these example sentences: Jill is faster than Todd. Make sure you know, The key principle to remember in a comparative paragraph or essay is that you must clarify. Lens comparisons are useful for illuminating, critiquing, or challenging the stability of a thing that, before the analysis, seemed perfectly understood. The broad structure of a comparative essay is already very familiar to you, and consists of an introduction, several body paragraphs and a conclusion. When you start your intro with an attention-grabbing sentence, you're keeping your reader's attention. Keep in mind that a comparative or any other type of essay must contain a clear thesis statement to guide the writer in the whole writing process. Whenever a point is made about one topic it should be compared with a directly linked point from the other topic. It's always a good idea to start with an outline. The assignment will generally ask guiding questions if you are expected to incorporate comparison as part of a larger assignment. Frame of Reference. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Yes, all our clients are provided with free revisions after receiving their orders. Even if you just finished writing the piece, read through again to pull out the main points of comparison discussed. But in a compare-and-contrast, the thesis depends on how the two things you've chosen to compare actually relate to one another. This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD. This means your subjects must be different enough to make your argument interesting. As a girl raised in the faded glory of the Old South, amid mystical tales of magnolias and moonlight, the mother remains part of a dying generation. You can organize a classic compare-and-contrast paper either text-by-text or point-by-point. That's exactly what you should do! (i.e. Add some background information about the topic, and how what you are comparing are similar, such as characteristics or behaviors. Which one is worse? The second step is to clear two different specific topics between which you have to compare. It depends. Just as looking through a pair of glasses changes the way you see an object, using A as a framework for understanding B changes the way you see B. The main methods of structuring an essay. For instance, in a paper asking how the "discourse of domesticity" has been used in the abortion debate, the grounds for comparison are obvious; the issue has two conflicting sides, pro-choice and pro-life. Do they extend, corroborate, complicate, contradict, correct, or debate one another? Write a list of the most important information you want readers to get from the essay. You can also write down your main points on sticky notes (or type them, print them, and then cut them out) so that you can arrange and rearrange them before deciding on a final order. You could start by defining the terms and talk about how the two different types function in society. 1. All argumentative papers require you to link each point in the argument back to the thesis. Avoid, at all costs, the conclusion that the two subjects are "similar, yet different." How do you form an argument for an essay? You may have a great idea for a paper in your head, but if it doesn't perfectly match the prompt, you may not create the product your instructor has asked for. Be aware, however, that the point-by- point scheme can come off as a ping-pong game. "Although X and Y don't seem to have anything in common, in actuality, they both ....”). This thesis statement, for example, could open a paper on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. Thus, in a paper comparing how two writers redefine social norms of masculinity, you would be better off quoting a sociologist on the topic of masculinity than spinning out potentially banal-sounding theories of your own. Can I start my introduction with the hook? The basis for your comparison may be assigned to you. This article received 15 testimonials and 87% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. My brother is clumsier than me. Most assignments tell you exactly what the frame of reference should be, and most courses supply sources for constructing it. Analyze the question or essay prompt carefully. In other words, when writing a comparative essay, you need to come up with such parameters of comparison that would make your readers interested in your paper. Water and oil are both non-renewable resources that our planet is quickly running out of. Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. Our writers are here to help you with any kind of essay. To write a comparative essay, start by writing an introduction that introduces the 2 subjects you'll be comparing. Develop the content of the essay Analyze the question or essay prompt carefully. A "weak" essay in this context would strive to treat unequal texts equally, rather than strive to appropriately apportion space to the relevant text. To draw comparisons well, you must use transition words and phrases when you write a comparative essay. How do I start a comparative essay on water and oil? This will make the concept of such essays more clear and you will remember it longer. In a compare-and contrast, you also need to make links between A and B in the body of your essay if you want your paper to hold together. Thesis. Make sure to have an introduction and conclusion. This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD. The ideal approach to discover an essay style that works for you is to try. This relationship is at the heart of any compare-and-contrast paper. This method is especially recommended for lengthy essays or complicated subjects where both the writer and reader can easily become lost. Looking at the same thing for too long makes your brain fill in what it expects instead of what it sees, leaving you more likely to overlook errors. I knew what to do but not where to start by myself. As in any argumentative paper, your thesis statement will convey the gist of your argument, which necessarily follows from your frame of reference. For example: "Choose a particular idea or theme, such as love, beauty, death, or time, and. "Classic" compare-and-contrast papers, in which you weight A and B equally, may be about two similar things that have crucial differences (two pesticides with different effects on the environment) or two similar things that have crucial differences, yet turn out to have surprising commonalities (two politicians with vastly different world views who voice unexpectedly similar perspectives on sexual harassment). Are you comparing their uses, their properties or something else? Your thesis needs to make a claim about your subjects that you will then defend in your essay. What point are you trying to make? Finally, write a conclusion that summarizes your main points and draws a larger conclusion about the two things you compared. If you can see a way forward from a problem or dilemma, include that as well. Once you have that, then you have to find at least two or three points of comparison and use research, facts, and well-organized paragraphs to impress and captivate your readers. … Writing a great comparative essay means highlighting the similarities and differences between two things in a systematic manner. Avoid vague language such as "people," "stuff," "things," etc. Also, be sure to make a strong thesis statement. You might be tall, but I am taller. The grounds for comparison anticipates the comparative nature of your thesis. Comparing the color of one thing to the size of another does nothing to help the reader understand how they stack up. Start by choosing the parameters (items) to compare, write an outline, and fill in the details for each section. The article is descriptive, contains robust content, and was clear and concise in its explanations. If the comparative essay you were assigned to write is not meant to contain research, you should refrain from including it. How do I write an introductory paragraph comparing three different texts? All delivered papers are samples meant to be used only for research purposes. Alternating pattern. [1] X Research source Look over the prompt (and rubric, if you have one) carefully and underline key phrases. Linking of A and B. By Prof. David Meyer, Cedarville University ©2006. Make sure you understand each topic clearly. 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