Examples of compare and contrast essay

Compare and contrast essays are academic papers in which a student analyses two or more subjects with each other. To compare means to explore similarities between subjects, while to contrast means to look at their differences. Both subjects of the comparison are usually in the same category, although they have their differences.

In most cases, the topics you choose should be closely related. For example if you chose to go with sports, choose two contrasting topics that are in the same category such as soccer vs basketball. You should steer clear of choosing topics that do not have any kind of relationship whatsoever such as pasta vs winter.

Compare and contrast essays means you have to examine the similarities and differences between two or more things. In this example, I have decided to compare and contrast two cities, New York and Los Angeles, in terms of climate, housing, population and transportation.

A student can use one of two approaches when writing a comparative essay. The first one is to pick similar or contrasting aspects of the subject of discussion and comparing them side-by-side. This approach is recommended for lengthy essays, as it ascertains the reader does not lose track of the subject of discussion.