Comparison and Contrast Essay - Examples and Definition

Definition of comparison and contrast essay

A comparison and contrast test compares two similar objects, or contrasts different objects, so that readers are informed about the advantages and disadvantages of both objects. Readers can weigh the pros and cons of the compared objects. and contrasted to select a better product, however, it does not mean that it is only a comparison or contrast of products, it could be a situation after which readers must make a decision, weighing pros and cons. The essay is set up to show both similarities and differences, sometimes it only shows similarities, and other times it only shows differences.

Difference between a division / classification and comparison / contrast essay
A division and classification essay, like a compare and contrast essay, is also an analysis essay whose aim is to break a thing or an idea, or an essay into pieces for your analysis. however, it is intended to point out strengths and weaknesses in things, or to explain the good and bad aspects of a problem. This is done primarily for decision-making purposes.

Literature comparison and contrast essay examples 40a4 Example # 1: A slow walk in the trees (by Toni Morrison)
"His name was John Solomon Willis, and when at age 5 he heard from the elders that" the Emancipation Proclamation was to come, "he crawled under the bed. It was his first memory of what would be his usual response to the white promise: horror and an instinctive longing for security. It was my grandfather, a musician who managed to hold on to his violin but not to his land. He lost the 88 acres of his Indian mother's inheritance to legal predators who built their fortunes on people like him. He was an unreconstructed black pessimist who, despite or because of emancipation, was convinced for 85 years that there was no hope. His grudge was legitimate, for he, John Solomon, was not only an artist, but a carpenter and farmer of the highest order, reduced to sending his family the money he had earned playing the violin because he was not able to to find a job. And this during the years when almost half of the black male population were skilled artisans who lost their jobs to white ex-cons and immigrant farmers. "

This passage compares two types of attitudes about the author's grandfather; one from the black community and the other from the whites' response to this blackness.

Example # 2: Reality TV: A surprising throwback to the past? (by Patricia Cohen)
“For many critics, Cupid and other matchmaking shows that mix money and real-life marital machinations represent a tacky and cynical new genre that is another sign of America's moral decline. But there is something familiar about fortune hunters, status seekers, frustrated loves, nosy friends, public displays, comic book manners, and keen competitiveness all find their counterparts in Jane Austen and Edith Wharton. Only now, the three-minute tryouts to meet you in a television studio replace the three-minute waltzes in a dance. Turns out they're back on TV after all. "

In this passage, Patricia Cohen compares two attitudes: one of materialism and the other of morality. She bemoans the moral decline, but praises literary taste.

Example # 3: Euromail and Amerimail (by Eric Weiner)
" Euromail is stiff and cold, which often begins with a formal 'Dear Mr. X' and ends with a brusque 'Sincerely'. You will not find any mention of children, the weather or jellyfish on Euromail. It's all business. It is also slow. Your correspondent It can take days, even weeks, to respond to a message. Euromail also has a less confrontational tone, rarely filled with the outright nastiness that characterizes American disagreements via email. In other words, Euromail is exactly like the Europeans themselves. (I generalize, of course. The German e-mail style is not exactly the same as the Italian or Greek, but they have more in common than with the American Post.) ”

In this passage, Eric Weiner compares Euromail and Amerimail, um Point out the disadvantages of one and highlight the characteristics of the other.

Functions of a comparative and contrast essay
A comparative and contrast essay helps readers make a critical decision. It could be a comparison and contrast of two products, two objects, two things or two topics. Readers read the essays, weigh all aspects, and then decide whether to make a purchase and decide on one thing or not. This type of essay also makes the reader better informed about the situations or problems discussed.