What Is a Compare and Contrast Essay?
A compare and contrast essay is a type of essay which is used to explore both the similarities and the differences between two subjects by comparing and contrasting them against each other.
The key point of picking a compare and contrast essay topic is to find two subjects that can be compared and contrasted. They should be different enough to be compared but belong to the same category. Before writing your compare and contrast essay you should specify why these objects or notions should be compared. In your introduction write a couple of sentences proving that there is a good reason for comparison. Your comparison should actually help somebody’s understanding of the objects you are contrasting.
Usually (but not always), the task of a comparison and contrast essay is to demonstrate a preference for one thing over another. You should allow the preference to grow out of the comparison without presenting your own point of view. Let the language used by you do its work.
60 Amazing Compare and Contrast Essay Topics
Medicine:
- To vaccinate newborns or not
- Wheat and Corn grain: what is better for a person and why
- Traditional and non-traditional medical approaches
- Phycology vs. Psychiatry: differences and similarities
- Plastic surgery or natural aging: what is better?
Law
- Juvenile and adult criminal justice
- Criminal vs. Civil justice
- Compare the law system of the 18th-19th centuries with the modern one
- Eastern and Western approach to the penalty for domestic violence
Music:
- Blues vs. gospel music
- Straus vs. Beethoven
- Pop music vs. classical music
- Trends in music: XX vs XXI centuries
- Listening to music vs. playing music
- Compare different instruments, e.g. piano vs organ
Modern Technologies
- iOS vs. Android
- Facebook vs. Google+
- 2D vs. 3D movies
- Traditional and 360o video
- Texting vs. writing letters
Social studies
- Working full-time in the office vs. Freelancing
- Raising children in the double career families and in the families with parent staying at home.
- Gender roles in Western and Eastern Worlds
- Immigration vs. Emigration
- Online and real dating
- Introverts vs. extraverts
Religion
- Compare different religions, e.g. Islam vs Buddhism
- Compare different branches of the same religion, e.g. Catholic vs Protestant
- Traditional religion vs. Sect
- Peculiarities of the same religion in different countries, e.g. Christianity in the USA vs Christianity in Israel
- Monotheism vs. Polytheism
Linguistics
- Written language vs. Speech language
- Compare the same language on the different stages of development, e.g. Old English and Modern English
- Compare languages from different families, e.g. Indo-European languages vs Sino-Tibetan languages
- Language vs. dialect
- Natural languages vs. artificial languages
History
- Maya vs. Aztecs civilizations
- Lincoln vs. Washington
- England’s colonies in Africa and India
- Antebellum Era vs. Reconstruction Era in American History
- Monarchy vs. Presidency
- Republican vs. Democrat
- American Government vs. German government (or any other)
Art
- Compare two art periods, e.g. Gothic art vs Renaissance art
- Compare two artists, e.g. Leonardo da Vinci vs Michelangelo
- Compare two art movements, e.g. Abstract Expressionism vs Art Nouveau
Other
- Book vs. movie
- Compare book or movie characters
- Compare favorite bands
- Compare two seasons
- Compare computer games
- Traveling by plane vs. traveling by train
- Public transportation vs. private transportation
- Living in dorm vs. living with parents
- School vs. College
- Coffee vs. Tea
- Compare two sport teams
- Gym vs. street workout
- Poetry vs. prose
- Fiction vs. nonfiction
- Childhood vs. Adulthood
Example of compare and contrast essay:
The Blogger vs The Online Journalist
In the 21st century, the state of publishing the news has both evolved and is continuing to evolve. The world where the journalist – the reporter, the correspondent, the newshound – only writes for traditional print publications (newspapers, magazines, and even newsletters) is long gone and certainly obsolete. Today, rather, we see news articles published on websites and in print publications.
And with this transition comes a transformation in the journalist’s roles, titles, duties and publishing domains. There is a print journalist, either a reporter or columnist, of course, whose articles and editorials may appear on websites after they’re published in print; and then there is an online journalist, who may also be a reporter or columnist, who writes solely for a website (such as cnn.com). And on top of this seemingly confusing and changing dynamic is the relatively new advent (seen in the last 10 to 15 years or so, at least) of the blogger, who writes, well, blogs – which appear on websites, such as huffingtonpost.com and on personal websites. It involves an individual recording their opinions and disseminating information, photographs and links to other websites on a regular, daily or weekly, basis.
It’s an understandable observation that the online journalist and the blogger, on first look, appear to be doing pretty much the same thing, the only difference between them is their job titles. Both are, in essence, writers whose articles and stories appear on websites, and their words, sentences, and thoughts are read online – but do a blogger and an online journalist really do the same thing? The answer is no – and yes – kind of. Sort of. Well, not really.
Let’s look, first of all, at how these two jobs compare. Both do involve writing, as well as writing for some kind of website (similarity 1). These two jobs are indeed performed by skilled, professional writers – at least we hope so – writers who are well versed on a certain subject, beat, topic, or even range of topics. Readers read their work on websites, and both the online journalist and the blogger are most likely knowledgeable of the inner-workings and relevance of digital media, SEO (search-engine optimization), how the Internet works, and both should possess an extensive understanding of the shift toward a mobile network and its ever-growing applications in a consumer society. Both kinds of writers are generally paid for their work, as well, but this is not necessarily always the case.
However, on many other levels, the two jobs are completely different. In fact, they’re entirely different. The online journalist doesn’t write on whatever topic or subject they wish (as does the blogger, in most cases); instead the online journalist is assigned a beat, they have to interview people and dig up facts on a daily basis, then use the information gained from those interviews and research to cook up relevant and topical stories to keep readers informed on relevant issues (difference 1).
Bloggers, on the other hand, aren’t necessarily journalists. Most are, in fact, far from ever being considered professional journalists. They don’t work leads to stories. Instead of finding legitimate sources (journalists, however, need sources to incorporate objectivity in their stories), and rather than writing journalistic, objective, news-oriented copy – often on current and controversial, informative topics, like gun control, crime and politics – the blogger, depending on the organization they’re writing for, usually writes on just about anything that is buzzing on the Internet (difference 2).
A blogger could be writing as a hobby on their own website, and a blogger could be writing as a promotional tool for a product that is out, like a newly published book, a service, etc. And a blogger usually only writes opinion-based pieces for a particular website, similar to what a columnist would write for a newspaper. A blogger’s writing could be hearsay, and most of the time the blogger is not a journalist trained to write articles void of their own, personal opinions, and their work usually includes much of their own influence or comments, which is, in a sense, similar to an online columnist; the blogger writes what is generally self-serving for themselves or for the company or organization they write and work for. Also, an online journalist is usually a salaried position, with a daily or weekly quota of stories to be produced; whereas the blogger is generally compensated for each blog they write.
In conclusion, the blogger, and the online journalist, to the everyday reader, seem like one in the same. But, in actuality, they are completely different jobs with completely different roles, responsibilities and career experiences. It is true that the online journalist may write blogs in addition to their own reported stories – and then for some media companies, they may even be required to write a blog. The blogger could even be a print reporter looking to get more work; also, a blogger may be doing freelance journalism on the side. In any case, the reader should, most importantly, be cognitive of who and what they are reading (conclusion).
Whether you are ready to write your compare and contrast essay or you are in the process of inventing your own catchy topic it would be helpful to check out compare and contrast essay examples to have a clear picture of what you should write.
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