Chapter 7: Reading Comparison/Contrast Essays

In Comparison/Contrast Essays, writers compare or contrast two or more topics, using quotes, statistics, or examples as support. The topics compared or contrasted can be almost anything: cities, countries, climates, schools, people, government policies, movies, songs…you name it. Comparison explores similarities, and Contrast explores differences. Sometimes, both similarities and differences are explored in the same essay.

Like other kinds of writing, the goal of Comparison/Contrast is to convince the reader to believe in the writer’s point of view about the topics, often making a case for which side is better. For example, Barak Obama might be contrasted with Mitt Romney, the Denver Nuggets with the Los Angeles Lakers, alcohol with marijuana, Chevrolet with Ford, Longmont with Colorado Springs, or Verizon with AT&T.

A Comparison/Contrast Essay is built around the Thesis Statement, which has two parts: the two (or more) Topics of the essay – and the Main Idea – whether the essay will compare or contrast the topics or both. The essay uses quotes, statistics, and examples to provide evidence for the differences or similarities in the topics.

Here’s an example of the Thesis Statement and main support points in a Comparison/Contrast Essay:

Thesis Statement: Although Sergey Brin and Larry Page’s aim and destiny were similar, their way of doing business was different.Support 1: approach to workSupport 2: personalitySupport 3: how they related to their employees

The Organization of the Comparison/Contrast Essay

1. Introductory Paragrapha. Gets the readers’ interestb. Sets the context for the essay (provides background)

a. Sets the context for the paragraph/essay (provides background)

c. Thesis Statement = topic + main idea (states whether the subjects, or topics, will be compared or contrasted.)

2. Support Paragraph 1: Topic Sentence (The first category of Comparison/Contrast)

a. General support 1 (connects the topic sentences to the supporting details)

b. Specific support 1 (The details – quotes, statistics, and examples – that provide evidence for the similarities or differences in the two topics of the essay)

3. Support Paragraph 2: Topic Sentence (The second category of Comparison/Contrast)

a. General support 2 (connects the topic sentences to the supporting details)

b. Specific support 2 (The details – quotes, statistics, and examples – that provide evidence for the similarities or differences in the two topics of the essay)

4. Support Paragraph 3: Topic Sentence (The third category of Comparison/Contrast)

a. General support 3 (connects the topic sentences to the supporting details)

b. Specific support 3 (The details – quotes, statistics, and examples – that provide evidence for the similarities or differences in the two topics of the essay)

5. Conclusion: Restates the main idea (what the writer proved in the essay about the differences and/or similarities in the two subjects)

Here’s a Comparison/Contrast Essay written by a student that models the organization outlined above. We’ll use this essay as an example

throughout the chapter. As you read the essay, see if you can identify its organization.

As you read, notice your thoughts, especially the three kinds of thoughts covered in Chapter1:

1. Random Thoughts that just pop into your mind. “I wish I had some coffee like the girl has at the table across the aisle. It sure looks good!” “I wonder if it’s going to rain because I need to walk to the bus after class.” “I’ve got to remember to call my mother this afternoon to see if I can borrow the car,” and on and on.

2. Judgments about people, events in your life, or the essay. “This essay [or just one idea in the essay] is good or bad, interesting or boring, worthwhile, or worthless,” and so on.

3. Negative self-thoughts. “I’m not understanding any of this stuff because I’ve never been any good at reading and never will be! It’s better to give up now and cut my losses.”

Choose one instance as you read the passage when you had one of above types of thoughts and record it here:

Practice letting go of the thought and bringing your attention back to the reading.

Use the following scale to rate how difficult it was for you to let go of the thought and return your attention to the reading.

_____ Easy       _____ Somewhat Easy

_____ Somewhat Hard      _____ Hard

Mishal Kasa11/30/2010REA 090

Comparison/Contrast Essay (The Google Story)

Informal OutlineThesis Statement: Although Sergey Brin and Larry Page’s aim and destiny were similar, their way of doing business was different.Support 1: approach to workSupport 2: personalitySupport 3: how they related to their employees

Sergey Brin and Larry Page: Google Co-Founders

What makes people do the work so that they become

famous? It depends on how hard they work and how smart they

are. We can see Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who are co-founders

of Google (the search engine) as an example for the inspiration of

how people become famous. Although their aim and destiny were

similar, their way of doing business was different.

One difference they had was their approach to work. Sergey

Brin was easygoing about his work and open to suggestion. When

he was in college, Sergey was friendly and gregarious with his

teachers and friends. He listened to everything his teachers said,

regardless of what was being taught. On the other hand, Larry

Page was a serious person who was very passionate about his

work. He did work his own way and often did not listen to what

was being taught or what the teachers had to say.

Another difference in the two founders of Google was their

personality. Sergey was more spontaneous and a better

communicator, whereas Larry used to think a long time before he

acted and was more careful, but not as good at coming up with

new ideas or communicating the concept or vision to others. It

was Sergey who came up with the vision for a better search

engine, while it was Larry who downloaded countless websites on

his several computers and spent several years developing and

polishing his product. Larry made the product work, while Sergey

made the business work with people. It was Sergey who got the

investment capital they needed to launch and market the product.

Both skills were needed for a successful result.

A third difference was how they related to their employees.

Both were very fast to interact with people, but Sergey was a

more social than Larry. Sergey treated his employees as friends,

which encouraged them to have higher morale. He came to be

known as the best person to deal with, whereas Larry was only

interested in his employees when they had a goal to accomplish,

like a new software idea.

Sergey Brin and Larry Page shared the same goal, but each

had his own approach to business and life. Sometimes different

ways of thinking can get a good result, especially when the

approaches complement each other and the people are tolerant of

differences. Their ability to realize one another’s strengths led to

Google’s phenomenal success. They inspire those of us who have a

strong aim in life, but I prefer Sergey Brin as an inspiration

because he was a fun-loving and hard-working person at the same

time.

Sergey Brin and Larry Page – Google Co-Founders http://kasun04.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/larry-page-sergey-brin.jpg

Next, let’s see how the organization outlined above is reflected in a Comparison/Contrast essay on Sergey Brin and Larry Page. We’ve made the organization of the introductory paragraph more understandable by using the following code:

The Introduction that sets the context in the essay is in Italics. The Thesis Statement is underlined Bold Type or double

underline the Main Idea.

Introduction to provide background for the essay: What makes people do the work so that they become famous? It depends on how hard they work and how smart they are. We can see Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who are co-founders of Google (the search engine) as an example for the inspiration of how people become famous. Thesis Statement for the essay: Although their aim and destiny were similar, their way of doing business was different.

Notice that the writer gets the readers’ interest by asking a question. “What makes people do the work so that they become famous?” He also

gives the reader some background on the two individuals that he will compare in the essay: Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Like many essays you read in college, the last sentence of the introduction is the thesis statement: Although their aim and destiny were similar, their way of doing business was different.

The Support Paragraphs

Here are the support paragraphs in our example Comparison/Contrast Essay on Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

The Topic Sentence for the support paragraph is underlined. The General Support is in Blue Type. The Specific Support (the supporting details) is in Red Type. The Transition Words are in (parentheses).

Support Paragraph 1:

[Topic Sentence for Support Paragraph 1]: (One) difference they had was their approach to work. [General Support for the Topic Sentence]: Sergey Brin was more easy-going about his work and open to suggestion. [Specific Support for the Topic Sentence using examples]: When they were in college, Sergey used to be very friendly and gregarious with his teachers and friends. He used to listen to everything his teachers said, regardless of what was being taught. On the other hand, Larry Page was a serious person who was very passionate about his work. He used to do his work his own way and often did not listen to what was being taught or what the teachers had to say.

The Topic Sentence gives the first area of contrast between Sergey Brin and Larry Page: (One) difference between Sergey Brin and Larry Page was their approach to work. Sergey is easy going and open to suggestion, while Larry is less interested in people and more interested in his work.

Support Paragraph 2:

[Topic Sentence for Support Paragraph 2]: (Another) difference in the two founders of Google is their personality. [General Support for the Topic Sentence]: Sergey was more spontaneous and a better communicator, whereas Larry used to think a long time before he acted and was more careful, but not as good at coming up with new ideas or communicating the concept or vision to others. [Specific Support for the Topic Sentence using examples]: It was Sergey who came up with the vision for a better search engine, while it was Larry who downloaded countless websites on his several computers and spent several years developing and polishing his product. Larry made the product work, while Sergey made the business work with people. It was Sergey who got the investment capital they needed to launch and market the product. Both skills were needed for a successful result.

The Topic Sentence gives the second difference between Sergey Brin and Larry Page: (Another) difference in the two founders of Google is their personality. Sergey was more spontaneous and a better communicator, whereas Larry used to think a long time before he acted and not a good communicator.

Support Paragraph 3:

[Topic Sentence for Support Paragraph 3]: A (third difference) between them was how they related to their employees. [General Support for the Topic Sentence]: Both of them were very fast to interact with people, but Sergey was a more social and fun-loving at work than Larry.

[Specific Support for the Topic Sentence using examples]: Sergey treated his employees as friends, which encouraged them to have higher morale. He came to be known as the best person to work with, whereas Larry was only interested in his employees when they had a goal to accomplish, like a new software idea.

The Topic Sentence gives the third difference between Sergey Brin and Larry Page: A (third difference) was how they related to their employees. Sergey treated his employees as friends, whereas Larry was only interested in his employees when they had a goal to accomplish.

The Conclusion:

Sergey Brin and Larry Page were two people with the same goal, but each has his own approach to business and life. Sometimes two different ways of thinking can get a good result, especially when the two approaches complement each other and the two people are tolerant of differences. Their ability to realize the strengths of each of them was the real strength of Sergey Brin and Larry Page and led to the phenomenal success of Google. They are an inspiration for all of us who have a strong aim in life, but I would prefer Sergey Brin as an inspiration for my life because he is a person who is fun loving and hard working at the same time.

In the conclusion, the writer restates his thesis statement in different words: Sergey Brin and Larry Page had his own approach to business and life.

Here are steps you can use to identify the organization of the essays, articles, and textbooks you read in college:

Engage

Question

Focus

Investigate

Understand

1. Engage: Read the paragraph once through carefully. Listen to what the paragraph has to say.

2. Question: Underline the unknowns (people, places, events, vocabulary) that you have questions about. Use the book, dictionary, computer, or ask for help to find the answers.

3. Focus: Identify the topics. What is the reading about?

4. Investigate: Identify the support sentences (the details – quotes, statistics, and examples in the essay)

5. Understand: Answer the following questions:

In your own words what is the writer’s opinion about the topics? Support your position with words, sentences, and ideas from in the essay.

How does the support reveal the writer’s opinion about the topic?

What sentence in the essay reflects the topic and the writer’s opinion about the topic.

By asking and answering questions, you interact with the reading, making it possible to understand, remember, and apply what you’ve read.

Use each of the above steps in the following practice exercise.

Practice 4. In the Comparison/Contrast Essay below titled “Marley and Me,” identify the Organizational Structure using the following pattern:

Put the Introduction designed to give background or get the reader’s interest in Italics.Underline and put in bold print the Thesis Statement for the essay.Put the Topic Sentence in Blue Type. Put the Support Sentences in Red type.Put (parentheses) around the Transition Words and Phrases that signal the Topic Sentence of Support Paragraphs.Put [brackets] around the Transition Words and Phrases that signal specific support or examples.Put the Conclusion that restates the Main Idea in different words and takes the reader a step further in Green Type.

Part 2. As you read, notice your thoughts, especially the three kinds of thoughts covered in Chapter1:

1. Random Thoughts that just pop into your mind. “I wish I had some coffee like the girl has at the table across the aisle. It sure looks good!” “I wonder if it’s going to rain because I need to walk to the bus after class.” “I’ve got to remember to call my mother this afternoon to see if I can borrow the car,” and on and on.

2. Judgments about people, events in your life, or the essay. “This essay [or just one idea in the essay] is good or bad, interesting or boring, worthwhile, or worthless,” and so on.

3. Negative self-thoughts. “I’m not understanding any of this stuff because I’ve never been any good at reading and never will be! It’s better to give up now and cut my losses.”

Choose one instance as you read the passage when you had one of above types of thoughts and record it here:

Practice letting go of the thought and bringing your attention back to the reading.

Use the following scale to rate how difficult it was for you to let go of the thought and return your attention to the reading.

_____ Easy       _____ Somewhat Easy

_____ Somewhat Hard      _____ Hard

Marley and Me

The book, Marley and Me, by John Grogan is a heartwarming story about

a family and a loveable, but often destructive, Golden Lab. A typical

American family takes “stewardship” of a very large, powerful, and yet

loving canine. Like having children, the dog changes their lives. The two

humans, husband and wife, named Jenny and John, come to love, be

frustrated endlessly by, and have different approaches to, “owning”

Marley. Underneath their differences, Jenny and John are alike because

they are very caring, loving, and calm.

Jenny and John are both caring to themselves and others. When one of

their neighbors got stabbed and screamed, both of them were very

worried. While Jenny called 911, John and Marley went outside to see

what had happened. They saw a fifteen year-old girl lying on the ground

bleeding because she had been stabbed. They did everything they could

to comfort her and calm her until the police and ambulance showed up

to relieve them of their spot. Once John got back in his house, Jenny

immediately called the hospital to find out if the girl was okay. The girl

survived the stabbing and became a close friend.

Going with their caring for others, Jenny and John formed a loving

family as was demonstrated over and over again with their children,

their dog Marley, and each other. John even left his job at the

newspaper, so he could be closer to his family. He moved the family

from Florida to a quieter and safer area in rural Pennsylvania where he

could spend more time with them. Jenny and John loved to take Marley

for long walks in the countryside and make snowmen with their

daughters in the winter. John wrote magazine articles for a living, and

whenever he had trouble with a story, it was Jenny who kept telling him

to just write and he would be okay. The loving support they gave each

other made their marriage special.

Last, they were both calm especially with a wonderful dog that all too

often was just out-of-control. For example, one night they both went

out, leaving Marley at home in the garage. When they arrived back

home, they went to check on Marley and walked into a whole new

setting. The garage was torn apart, all the shelves were on the ground,

and everything was a mess. They figured it was because a

thunderstorm had scared Marley, and the seventy pound Lab had

trashed the garage. That wasn’t the only time; on separate occasions

Marley had also trashed their living room, bedroom, and den! Never did

either of them get mad or anything. All they could do was laugh and

clean up.

In Marley and Me, the two main characters have much in common: they

are caring of other people and animals, have a loving relationship, and

are calm in the face of difficulty. They are the kind of people most of us

would want as friends.

Chapter Review Questions

1. In a Comparison-Contrast essay, if the Topic is two items (presidents, sports teams, restaurants, etc.) what is contained in the Main Idea?(Click Here for Chapter Review on Contrast Essay Organization)

2. In the following Thesis Statement with an informal outline showing the main support points, what is the Topic and what is the Main Idea?

(Click Here for Chapter Review of Example Contrast Essay on Google)

Example Thesis Statement: Although Sergey Brin and Larry Page’s aim and destiny were similar, their way of doing business was different.Support 1: approach to workSupport 2: personalitySupport 3: how they related to their employees

Topic:

Main Idea

3. What is the purpose of the Introduction in a comparison-contrast essay?

4. In a highly organized comparison-contrast essay, what is the first sentence of each support paragraph?

a. Introductory Sentenceb. Topic Sentencec. General Support Sentenced. Specific Support Sentence