Top 5 Compare and Contrast Essay Examples
The compare and contrast essay is a common assignment in academic writing.
A compare and contrast essay is a format of writing which requires the student to investigate two or more subjects (usually opposite in some way) and describe their points of comparison.
Do you have a compare and contrast essay coming up? If so, do not panic! There are plenty of excellent examples for you to study. Take a look at our top 5!
Compare and Contrast Film
There is no shortage of films that depict two star-crossed lovers who fall in love only to die tragically not long after when it comes to romance. Two such movies are The Princess Bride and Titanic, which each tell the story of two different couples.
The Princess Bride Vs. Titanic
Introduction
The Princess Bride and Titanic are two films that are timeless classics in the romance genre. They also have many differences as well as similarities between them. The Princess Bride takes place in an unspecified period in the fictional country of Florin. Titanic takes place during the early 20th century in the Atlantic Ocean. In The Princess Bride, Westley must fight Count Rugen to save his life and become a pirate. In Titanic, Jack Dawson must work for Caledon Hockley, who forces him onto a plank of wood which he floats on until he dies from hypothermia. In both movies, their backgrounds are integral to understanding why they cannot be together.
The Princess Bride is a comical and lighthearted story about Westley and Buttercup. Titanic is a more serious story that does not shy away from the harsh realities of life during that time.
A striking difference between The Princess Bride and Titanic is that other than the sinking location, The Princess Bride takes place in an unspecified period, whereas Titanic takes place during the early 20th century. Although this difference may seem inconsequential, it plays a significant role in making conclusions on these movies.
Although The Princess Bride is set only vaguely within a period, this does not necessarily mean that the director and screenwriter (William Goldman and Rob Reiner, respectively) intentionally or unintentionally excluded women from making a difference in their story. It is because of the setting’s ambiguity that this movie has become timeless. People can relate to this movie no matter when they were born simply by changing the time period in which it takes place.
The Titanic movie can be classified as a historical drama because of its depiction of life in the 20th century era. Although people viewing the film today may enjoy the romance and tragedy, there were probably many who viewed it when it was initially released in theaters who did not understand or care for it because of its distinct lack of relevancy.
Contrast
The Princess Bride takes place in an unspecified time in the fictional country of Florin, while Titanic takes place during the early 20th century in the Atlantic Ocean.
Count Rugen forces Westley to fight him to save his life and become a pirate, but Caledon Hockley forces Jack onto a plank of wood which he floats on until he dies from hypothermia.
The Princess Bride is a comical and lighthearted story about Westley and Buttercup, while Titanic is a serious movie that does not shy away from the harsh realities of life during that time.
Conclusion
Watch ‘The Princess Bride’ if you are looking for something to watch. It is the perfect blend of action, adventure, romance, comedy, and drama. Titanic is also worth watching for its unique visual effects that are still pretty impressive even by today’s standards.
Compare and Contrast Essay
Traditional Education vs. Remote Learning:
This can make a good compare and contrast topic for high school students.
Introduction
Education is an essential aspect of our lives because it teaches us many valuable things and inculcates the habit of learning in us from a very young age. It provides knowledge about what we are, where we come from, and the purpose of life.
Today, education has been made available to nearly everyone thanks to advancements in technology, making it possible for education to reach every corner of the world. With increasing awareness among people about the importance of education, various traditional and new learning modes are coming up.
Remote Learning
Remote learning is a form of self-learning that uses technology to connect students with educational opportunities wherever they may be. For example, courses are delivered over the Internet instead of requiring students to visit a physical location. Technology enables students who cannot attend classes at a traditional school to learn the same materials in the comfort of their own homes. Students engage in self-paced study that can be monitored by teachers or other learners in their peer group.
Traditional Learning
Traditionally, people used to go to schools and colleges for learning. Their schedules were fixed, and the classes started at a particular time every day. However, as education has become available for everyone now, there are different types of educational institutes which provide different modes of education – some traditional and some that use technology as the means of teaching, such as remote learning.
Comparison
While traditional learning takes place in a physical classroom, remote learning is provided through technology such as video conferencing and online chat services. It is effortless for teachers to teach in traditional schools as they can directly interact with the students, but it becomes difficult if there are many students for each teacher.
Remote learning has solved this problem by providing the students with access to unlimited teachers through technology. Also, in schools and colleges, all students learn together under one teacher, but in remote learning, each student learns about different topics at their own pace, which helps them better understand the concepts.
Moreover, traditional education is more expensive than online education. It requires building infrastructures like classes and furniture. Online education is cheaper as it requires only a computer, Internet connection, and other required software maintained with little or no cost.
Conclusion:
The educational systems in the world today are changing thanks to advancements in technology like remote learning that make education available everywhere at any time by overcoming the limitations of traditional education such as higher costs and less availability. Thus, it can be concluded that online education is certainly better than traditional education.
Compare and Contrast Essay
Employed Vs. Unemployed Students
Introduction
Employment is an integral part of our lives as it helps us sustain ourselves and provides us with knowledge and skills that can help us attain better employment opportunities in the future.
People who do not have jobs feel that they are missing out on something compared to the employed people. They think that if they were working, then their life would be better than it is now. Students, in particular, suffer from pressure due to employment – they cannot concentrate on their studies because of the fear of unemployment after completing their education. It is challenging for unemployed students to maintain their lifestyle or secure jobs.
Unemployed students get more time to focus on their studies and do better in them than employed students. On the other hand, employed students earn enough money, which helps them manage their expenses without any trouble.
 Conclusion:
Unemployed students feel that they are missing out on many opportunities by not being employed. Non-employed students can concentrate more on their studies and make better choices for their future careers. Thus, it can be said that unemployed students have more benefits than the students who are employed.
Compare and Contrast Essay Topics -Sports
Sports are always an excellent topic for an argumentative paper because they can be easily compared and contrasted. This is the best compare and contrast essay topic for college-level students because it is easiest to analyze when two subjects are compared in this way.
Soccer Vs. American Football
Introduction:
Naturally, people get confused when deciding whether they prefer watching hockey or soccer because of many similarities between them, like both are popular, require some ball and involve scoring goals (by either hitting the ball into a goal with your feet or hands).
Both soccer and American football are incredibly popular, but there are some significant differences between the two sports that you might not have realized before.
Soccer is very popular all over the world. It is the most common game played in most countries. It requires no special equipment or places to play. On the other hand, American football needs many resources like huge stadiums and places to practice and train hard.
Soccer is a team sport, and American football is an individual game. Soccer needs eleven players per side, while each American football team has more than an 11-member squad.
American football is played with the foot, and soccer is played with both feet and hands. American football is played on a rectangular-shaped field, and soccer can be played on any flat surface like the town or a football field.
Soccer requires a lot more endurance than American football does, especially since it is longer in duration.
American football requires several types of protective gear, while soccer does not have any protective gear at all.
Conclusion:
Both sports are fun to watch and play, but they both require very different physical skillsets. This is why comparing them can be so interesting!
What is a Compare and Contrast Essay?
A comparison essay is about how two different things are either similar or different. These essays help students develop critical thinking skills as they look at things from many different perspectives to understand the subject better. There are different categories for easy comparison and contrast topics for middle school students and challenging topics for graduate and professional degrees.
The writing process of compare and contrast essays is an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. There are various reasons why you would want to use an academic paper outline.
The comparison-and-contrast structure is handy because writing compare and contrast essays are often assigned as exercises.
When writing a compare and contrast essay, you must make comparisons between two or more items in the first half of your paper, then provide a summary of your points in the conclusion. Compare and contrast is one of the most frequently used patterns for organizing information into meaningful units, covering nearly every subject under the sun.
Compare and Contrast Essay Topics
Topics you can easily compare include historical events, people, movies, songs, foods, paintings, countries, cultures, and cities among many other topics.
Compare and Contrast Essays Writing Process
Brainstorm Ideas
Brainstorm ideas before you start writing. List everything that comes to your mind about the chosen subjects and then choose between them. This will help you narrow down your options, making it easier for you to develop a thesis statement and stick to it in the rest of the paper.
Introduction Section
Start with an interesting quote that summarizes your idea or a statement that captures the reader’s attention. Not only does this make the writing more effective, but it also makes sure that you will not lose your audience right from the start.
Include Evidence
Write the evidence of both primary source and secondary source (if you are using them). This will ensure that your compare and contrast essay does not come across as biased when you explain the details of each topic.
Include a section where you contrast both of the subjects with each other. Have at least one or two “softening” sentences to keep your audience engaged.
Conclusion
A strong conclusion is just as important as an exciting introduction. Tie everything back up together in the end and come up with a final verdict that proves your thesis statement.
Proofreading
Edit your paper. Check for errors in spelling and grammar. Use tools like Grammarly or Copyscape to check for plagiarism. Ensure you submit a document that has zero plagiarism.
Essay Writing Tips
Choose interesting topics from several categories. A properly chosen topic will make a great compare and contrast essay.
- Find similarities and differences between your subjects.
- Choosing words for your essay – Both subjects share equal importance in this type of paper. It is essential to be as balanced as possible when discussing each of them.
Thank you for reading!
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