Compare Contrast

1. Compare Contrast

2. Comparison and contrast are ways of looking at objects and thinking about how they are alike and different. The idea here is to create NEW connections or differences about your two subjects. This paper is NOT A LIST. You need to look at “A” & “B” in a new way to write a good compare/contrast essay.

3. 2 Reasons There are two main reasons that people use comparison and contrast: 1. To Explain--You might compare and contrast kinds of food to help someone understand which food need to be refrigerated and which can be stored in a cabinet. 2. To Evaluate--You might compare and contrast kinds of food to show why one kind of food or brand of food is better than another. For example, are apples are a healthier snack than peanut butter?

4. Compare • When you compare items, you look for their similarities--the things that make them the same. An elementary example: • Apples and oranges are both fruit. • They're both foods. • Both are made into juice. • Both grow on trees.

5. Contrast When you contrast items, you look at their differences. Apples are red. Oranges are orange. The fruits have different textures. Oranges need a warmer place to grow, like Florida. Apples can grow in cooler states, like Washington.

6. You probably use comparison all the time. Maybe you want to buy some candy, so you go to the store and look at all of the candy that is available. You can't buy all the candy, so you have to narrow down your choices. You compare and contrast the different kinds of candy so that you can make your decision.

7. You can compare the kinds of candy by looking at the things that makes the candy alike. All these kinds of candy are sweet. None of them are sour. All these kinds of candy are medium-sized. None are big or small.

8. You also look at the things that make the candy different. Some of the candy is chocolate. Some is hard candy. Some pieces of the candy have a filling, like caramel or cookies. Some do not. Some of the candy can be broken into smaller pieces while the others are harder to divide if you want to share.

9. As you begin to organize your writing, it's important to make sure that you balance the information about the items that you're comparing and contrasting. You need to be sure that you give them equal time in what you write. If you cover character, setting, and historical accuracy for a book, for instance, you need to be sure that you cover the same elements for the movie.

10. Three Strategies There are three strategies to organize comparison and contrast papers: 1. Whole-to-Whole, or Block 2. Similarities-to-Differences 3. Point-by-Point

11. Strategy 1 • Whole-to-Whole or Block Strategy • In this structure, you say everything about one item then everything about the other. • For instance, say everything about the characters, setting, and plot for the book then everything about the characters, setting, and plot for the movie.

12. Whole-to-Whole comparison and contrast uses a separate section or paragraph for each item you're discussing. For a paper comparing and contrasting a book to a movie, the section for Item #1 would include everything about the book and the section for Item #2 would cover everything about the movie. The points in each of the sections should be the same and they should be explained in the same order (for instance, you might discuss character, setting, and plot for both, and in that order for both).

13. Structure of Whole-to-Whole • INTRODUCTION • ITEM #1 (Alexie) • A: hydrocephalic • B: born on a reservation • C: etc. • ITEM#2 (Junior) • CONCLUSION

14. Strategy 2 Similarities-to-Differences Strategy In this structure, you explain all the similarities about the items being compared and then you explain all the differences. For instance, you might explain that the characters and plot were similar in both the book and movie in the one section. In the next section, you could explain that the settings were different. The book took place during the summer while the movie took place during the winter.

15. Similarities-to-Differences comparison and contrast uses a separate section or paragraph for similarities and differences. In other words, the body of your paper would have two large sections: one for similarities, and another for differences.

16. Structure for Similarities-Differences INTRODUCTION SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES CONCLUSION

17. Strategy 3 Point-by-Point Strategy In this structure, you explain one point of comparison before moving to the next point. For instance, you would write about the characters in the book and movie in one section; then you would write about the setting in the book and movie in the next section.

18. Point-by-Point comparison and contrast uses a separate section or paragraph for each point. Point #1 for your paper could be information about the characters in the book and the movie. You'd begin a section or paragraph for Point #2. For consistency, begin with the same item in each section of your point-by-point paper. For instance, for each point that you discuss, explain the information about the book first and then about the movie.

19. POINT-TO-POINT INTRODUCTION POINT 1 POINT 2 CONCLUSION

20. TRANSITIONS!!! In comparison and contrast, transition words tell a reader that the writer is changing from talking about one item to the other. Transitional words and phrases help make a paper smoother and more coherent by showing the reader the connections between the ideas that are being presented.

21. To compare Use some of these transition words: Also, as, as well as, both, in the same manner, in the same way, like, likewise, most important, same, similar, similarly, the same as, too. Ex. The characters in the movie were very similar to the characters in the book. Both the characters in the movie and in the book were interested in detective work.

22. To Contrast Although, but, differ, even though, however, in contrast, instead, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, unless, unlike, while, yet. Here are some examples: The setting in the book was summer while the setting in the movie was winter. The events in the book took place during several afternoons, but the events in the movie took place during the evening.

23. There are three main things to pay attention to as you write a comparison and contrast paper: 1. Purpose & Supporting Details 2. Organization & Structure 3. Transitions & Coherence In addition, be sure to pay attention to the usual requirements for writing, such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

24. Purpose and Supporting Details Clear writing Supporting examples from text Only relevant information

25. Organization and Structure Pick one of the three we went over (also on the assignment sheet). Follows consistent order when presenting information. Paper breaks the information into appropriate sections or paragraphs to the ideas.

26. Transitions & Coherence Paper moves smoothly from one idea to the next. The paper uses comparison and contrast transition words to show relationships between ideas. The paper uses a variety of sentence structures and transitions.

27. Your Turn A 2-Circle Venn Diagram is made up of two overlapping circles that allow you to organize information about two items that you are comparing and contrasting. You write the characteristics of the items inside the circles. Features that apply to both go in the overlapping portion (the middle) of the two circles. When you're done, you'll have your information divided into similarities (the overlapping part) and differences (the non-intersecting parts).

28. Out of your list of similarities and differences, choose only those that are meaningful, informative, interesting and make new connections for you (and the reader). For instance, it’s not particularly interesting that Alexie and Junior were born in the same place. What IS interesting is the specifics of how they dealt with growing up in that place.