Compare and Contrast Essay:

Structuring the paper from beginning to end

Thesis

• Statement that you are trying to prove/support

• Suggest organization of your paper

• 2 main components: claim and details to sustain it

• It’s like a bridge: Specific Claim

Supporting Details

Thesis: Claim

• Claim - 1 sentence statement:– Takes a stance/position– Not a fact– It is debatable– Presented in intro and conclusion

• Where?

Claim ExamplesApples and oranges are delicious fruits.

- strong or weak?

- why?

Claim Examples

Though they are fortified with different vitamins, apples and oranges are the best fruits a person can consume.

- strong or weak?

- why?

Thesis: Supporting Details

• Reinforce the claim• Organized into topics/categories (that become the body

of the essay)1. They are are inexpensive compared to other fruits like berries

and other seasonal produce

2. They are easily accessible; able to find them all seasons

3. Compared to the juice versions, they provide more direct sources of vitamins and minerals.

Introduction

• Most general part of the paper

• Roadmap for further discussion

• Simplified formula:– Interesting/catchy opening statement– Identify, define, and/or describe the topic

(What will you be talking about? Make a general similarity and difference statement.)

– Insert the thesis statement

Intro’s Opening Sentence: What grabs attention?

• Unusual detail

• Strong statement

• Quotation

• Anecdote

• Statistic/Fact

• Question

• Exaggeration / Outrageous Statement

Body of Essay• EACH supporting detail is a new paragraph

• Supporting detail = reworded topic sentence–At beginning of paragraph–Back it up with support

• Examples from book AND movie• Synthesize your thoughts

Conclusion

• Summarizing the introduction but in reverse order.

1. Restate the thesis

2. General statement about similarities and differences

3. Closing statement to wrap it up

3 Compare/Contrast Formats

• Whole-to-whole– describe one subject then describe the other subject

• Similarities-to-differences– write about how they are similar and then about how

they are different

• Point-to-point– write about one point for both subjects before moving

to another point

MLA Rules

• Third Person – this is a formal paper, no “I’s” or “you’s”

• Write in present tense

• MLA style: – Title: italics vs. quotation marks– header

Do Not Say…

• This paper is going to tell you…

• In this paper I will discuss you…

• I am going to explain you…

• This paper is about the similarities and differences…

In a nutshell…I. Intro

a. Thesis

II. Supporting Detail 1 (Topic Sentence)- Book and Movie Examples

III. Supporting Detail 2 (Topic Sentence)- Book and Movie Examples

IV. Supporting Detail 3 (Topic Sentence- Book and Movie Examples

V. Conclusion– Thesis