COMPARISON/CONTRAST ESSAY TOPICS & USEFUL TIPS !

CHOOSE one of the seven topics below for your C/C essay. Essays should be between 6000-650 words. 1. Write an essay in which you compare AND/OR contrast the contribution of two well-known people, movements, or organizations to your field-of-study. 2. Compare and or contrast the impact of two significant discoveries in your field-of-study. 3. Compare AND/OR contrast two of the following forms of entertainment: reading a book for your own pleasure, watching a play, watching a movie, playing a video game. 4. Compare AND/OR contrast the experience of reading a specific book for your own pleasure to watching a movie (or a play) that is an adaptation of that book. 5. Compare AND/OR contrast doing research using a library to using the Internet. 6. Compare AND/OR contrast two events you have attended in terms of whether they met your expectations or not.

7. Compare and/or contrast two NGOs involved in the same type of domain (e.g. environment, medicine, etc.).
TIPS ! ! Compare two items/subjects that are comparable. Compare or contrast two things in order to prove that one is better or has more advantages than the other or to stress especially less expected similarities or differences. In other words, for a specific purpose. Your thesis statement clearly indicates that the emphasis is on similarities or differences. Of course, you may acknowledge some similarities but emphasize differences, or vice versa. Avoid a thesis that simply claims they are both alike and different. Use a clear organization (any of the four methods covered (see p. 269). Have a look at Writing Comparison/Contrast Essays on p. 266. Use proper transitions to show similarities or differences or that you refer to key words/ideas in the previous paragraph(s). Continue interrelating the two subjects so that you never make a point about one without showing how it relates to the other. This will ensure a balanced treatment of the two subjects.

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