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A Comparison or Contrast essay
is an essay in which you either compare
something or contrast something. A
comparison essay is an essay in which you
emphasize the similarities, and a contrast
essay is an essay in which you emphasize the
differences. We use comparison and
contrast thinking when deciding which
university to attend, which car to buy, or
whether to drive a car or take a bus or an
airplane to a vacation site.
In this section,
two classic organizational patterns of a
comparison or contrast essay will be
discussed. One is called block
arrangement of ideas; the other
is called point-by-point or alternating
arrangement of ideas.
Suppose you are interested in showing the
differences between vacationing in the
mountains and vacationing at the
beach. You will then write a contrast
composition. One way to arrange your
material is to use the block
arrangement which is to write about
vacationing in the mountains in one
paragraph and vacationing at the beach in
the next. If you mention a particular
point in the mountains paragraph, you must
mention the same point in the beach
paragraph, and
in the same order. Study the
following outline, which shows this kind of
organization. The introductory
paragraph is followed by the
mountains paragraph, the beach
paragraph, then the conclusion; the fully
developed essay is just four paragraphs.
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Block
Arrangement (four paragraphs)
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| I. |
Introduction
in which you state your purpose
which is to discuss the differences
between vacationing in the mountains
or at the beach |
| II. |
Mountain
A. Climate
B. Types of Activities
C. Location |
| III. |
Beach
A. Climate
B. Types of Activities
C. Location |
| IV. |
Conclusion |
A second way to
organize this material is to discuss a
particular point about vacationing in the
mountains and then immediately to discuss
the same point about vacationing at the
beach. This is called point-by-point
or alternating arrangement. An
outline of this organization follows.
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Point-by-Point
or Alternating Arrangement
(five paragraphs)
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| I. |
Introduction in which
you state your purpose which is to
discuss differences between
vacationing in the mountains or at
the beach |
| II. |
First
difference between mountains and
beaches is climate
A. Mountains
B. Beach |
| III. |
Second difference
between mountains and beaches are
types of activities
A. Mountains
B. Beach |
| IV. |
Third difference
between mountains and beaches is
the location
A. Mountains
B. Beach |
| V. |
Conclusion |
Application:
Block or Point-by-Point
Examine the
comparison or contrast essays that follow,
and decide whether the authors used block
arrangement or point-by-point (or alternating)
arrangement. Notice how other authors
structure their essays. Five
paragraphs or four? Block
arrangement or point-by-point
arrangement? Noticing these things
will help you become a better, more
conscious reader and writer.
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Vacationing
at the Beach or in the
Mountains
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| People are always looking
forward to their vacation period.
There are many options where to
choose. I think that the two most
common places people choose for
taking a vacation are the beaches
and the mountains. Both places
offer a variety of fun activities.
The beach offers activities that
the mountain cannot offer and vice
versa. The mountain and the beach
are totally different. The purpose
of this essay is to contrast the
climate, types of activities and
locations of beaches and
mountains.
I’m
going to discuss mountains
first. The three aspects I’m
going to discuss are climate,
types of activities and
location. Climate is always
important in order to enjoy
vacations. If a person dislikes
cold weather, he or she might
have a hard time in the
mountains. The cold climate in
the mountains is the first
barrier to enjoying them, but
the climate and the temperature
of these zones also determine
the types of activities they
offer. Snow boarding, mountain
climbing, mountain biking,
hiking, and skiing are some
activities people can enjoy when
going to the mountains. There
are many regions that have
mountains where people can go
and have a great vacation.
Canada is a country located in
North America and contains many
mountain vacation sites where
people can go and have fun.
I’m
going to discuss the beach
second. The three aspects I’m
going to discuss are climate,
types of activities and
location. Warm climate is one of
the most important features that
the beach has. Sun and fun are
two words that describe the
beach. The temperature in those
places is always hot. The sea
and the warm climate determine
the activities that are
available at the beach. People
can swim, play volleyball, play
soccer, and ride water bikes. In
most coastal sites, there are
discos and restaurants where
people can dance or party
throughout the night. Mexico
offers many amazing coastal
sites to visit. Acapulco and
Cancun are two of the most
beautiful and famous beaches in
the word.
It
doesn’t matter what place a
person decides to choose. The
fun is 100% guaranteed. People
often choose one of these two
options to spend their
vacations. Depending on what the
person likes is what he or she
will choose. I like the beach
better than the mountains, but
sometimes it is better to take a
risk and try a different place
to enjoy. (399 words)
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Is the essay above organized using block
or point-by-point arrangement of
details? Note first the essay is four
paragraphs, (1) an introduction, (2) a
paragraph about vacationing in the mountains,
(3) a paragraph about vacationing at the
beach, and (4) a conclusion. This is the
block arrangement, the first block
containing information about mountains and the
second block containing information about the
beach.
The following essay contrasts eating fresh
foods and canned foods. Is its
organization block or point-by-point?
How many paragraphs does it contain? How
many "differences" between fresh foods and
canned foods does the author discuss?
| Consuming Fresh
Foods Instead of Canned Foods |
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Eating
is an activity that we as humans
do at least two times a day. We
live in a world where the
variety of food is immense, and
we are responsible for what we
eat. We decide what we are about
to eat and how it will affect
our bodies. The purpose of this
essay is to compare and contrast
the differences between eating
fresh foods instead of canned
foods. The three main
differences are flavor, health
benefits, and cost.
The
most notable difference between
these two kinds of foods is
their flavor. Fresh foods have
great flavor and taste because
they keep all their natural
conditions. Canned foods
however, lack a lot of its
flavor characteristics because
there are some other chemical
products added to the natural
foods. It is logical that the
fresh foods will have a greater
taste and flavor when consumed
just because of the time in
which they have been prepared.
Comparing
both types of foods we notice
another difference. There is a
health factor that affects both
of them. Canned foods lose some
of the original fresh food
nutrients when stored, and also
it has to be tinned with many
conservatives and chemical
factors that prolong the shelf
life and apparent freshness of
the food but could also become
toxic if consumed too often.
Yet
another difference between these
two types of foods is the cost.
Canned foods are much more
expensive than fresh foods. Here
the benefit of buying tinned
foods is that they are easier to
find, for example, in a
supermarket instead of the
market like the fresh foods, and
they require less work to
prepare than fresh foods, just
open and serve.
Here
are the main three differences
between buying fresh foods and
buying canned foods. As we can
see it comes down to a personal
choice, based on the time each
person has, the money and the
importance he/she gives to
his/her nutrition and health.
Therefore it is important that
you consider your possibilities
and choose the best type of
foods for your convenience and
lifestyle. (347 words)
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The essay above is the "classic" five
paragraph essay that all non-native speakers
of English should learn to write. This
essays also contains the "classic" point-by-point
organization, each point stated and developed
in a single paragraph. The essay
contains five paragraphs that contrast three
differences between fresh and canned
foods. The essay includes (1) an
introduction, (2) the development of the first
difference (flavor), (3) the development of
the second difference (health benefits), (4)
the development of the third difference
(cost), and (5) a conclusion. In the
true classic tradition, the three main
differences in this contrast essay—flavor, health
benefits, and cost—are
stated both in the introduction and the
conclusion as well. My own observation
is this: US kids are taught to organize
and write five paragraph essays like this from
early childhood, but they rarely attain the
degree of perfection of the essay above.
This ends the first part of this page, the
explanation of the differences between the
classic organizational styles of comparison
and contrast essays, (1) block and (2)
point-by-point or alternating
arrangement.
How to Support Your Point of View though
Comparison and Contrast
It was stated in the first part of this paper
that we use comparison or contrast in nearly
everything we do. When deciding what to
eat, for example, we often choose between
fresh foods or canned foods, exactly as the
writer above described. However, do you
know the preference of the previous
author? Did he state it directly?
Why or why not? What other ways could
this essay have ended?
An important point
to remember when writing comparison or
contrast essays is that many times writers
use comparison or contrast to support a
personal point of view. Whenever
possible and appropriate, writers should
support their own views. For example,
the following paragraphs are from the book,
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
by Robert Persig. Note that Persig's
description of the differences between
riding in a car and riding a motorcycle is
not neutral. Instead, Persig uses
comparison and contrast to serve a
persuasive aim: to show the
reader why riding a motorcycle is more
stimulating than driving a car (Persig, by
Heffernan and Lincoln).
| Which do
You Prefer? |
| You see things
vacationing on a motorcycle in a
way that is completely different
from any other. In a car
you're always in a compartment,
and because you're used to it, you
don't realize that through that
car window everything you see is
just more TV. You're a
passive observer, and it is all
moving by you boringly in a frame.
On a cycle the frame is
gone. You're completely in
contact with it all.
You're in the scene, not just
watching it anymore, and the
sense of presence is
overwhelming. That
concrete whizzing by five inches
below your foot is the real
thing, the same stuff you walk
on. It's right there, so
blurred you can't focus on it,
yet you can put your foot down
and touch it anytime, and the
whole thing, the whole
experience, is never removed
from immediate consciousness.
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Persig's choice of travel is
obvious. In a car, you are in a compartment
seeing just more TV, a passing
observer. On a motorcycle,
however, you're in contact with it all,
the real thing, the whole thing,
the whole experience, never
removed from immediate consciousness.
In writing a comparison or contrast essay, use
contrast to show your own preference, to
support your own point of view, to persuade
the reader which option you prefer.
How to Write an Effective Comparison or
Contrast Essay: Summary
1. Know what
organizational style you are using.
Whether you use the block
arrangement or point-by-point arrangement,
you should be able to identify it.
Being able to identify your organization
will not only help you in the organization
of your own writing, but it will also help
your reader follow the points you
make.
2. State your
organization. Remember the "straight
line of development" that was discussed in
the introduction requires that you "tell
your audience what you are going to tell
them; then tell them; then tell them what
you told them." An important objective
in academic writing is clarity, and stating
your organization always contributes to
clarity. Err on the side of clarity!
3. Keep your
audience in mind. Be sure your reader
can relate to your topic. After you
finish writing, read your essay from the
perspective of your audience. How will
they respond to your ideas? Will they
understand what you have written? Will
they agree with your main point? Will
the support appear logical to them?
4. Say what you
want to say. Write like Robert Persig
did in his book, Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance. In your
essay, make your preference clear as Persig
did when he contrasted the difference
between vacationing by car or
motorcycle.
Finally, to
further clarify how it would be possible to
say what you want to say in your writing,
consider which of the following options
would YOU prefer, and why? To support
your point in each essay, what
characteristics would you choose to
contrast, and what support would you
use? Can you think of any other topics
that might be fun to contrast?
A. Vacationing in
Paris or taking a three-week trip down the
Amazon.
B. Growing up in a small town or growing up
in a large city.
C. Working for large company or running your
own business.
D. _______________________________________
E. _______________________________________
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