INTEGRATING COMPARISON AND CONTRAST INTO AN ESSAY

Although you will write some essays using comparison and contrast as the primary pattern of development, in most cases you will integrate comparisons or contrasts into essays that rely on other patterns, such as description, process analysis, or argument. Comparisons or contrasts can be particularly effective in persuasive essays, as “Amusing Ourselves to Depth” shows. (For a reading that uses comparison and contrast as well as other patterns of development, see “Defining a Doctor, with a Tear, a Shrug, and a Schedule.”)

Use the following tips to incorporate comparison or contrast into essays based on other patterns of development.

  1. Determine the purpose of the comparison or contrast. What will it contribute to your essay?
  2. Introduce the comparison or contrast clearly. Use transitional words and expressions to guide readers into the comparison or contrast and then back to the essay’s primary pattern of development, and tell readers how the comparison or contrast supports your main point. Do not leave it to your audience to figure out why you have included the comparison.
  3. Keep the comparison or contrast short and to the point. Avoid distracting readers from your main message.
  4. Organize the points of the comparison or contrast appropriately. Use point-by-point or subject-by-subject organization, even though the comparison or contrast is part of a larger essay.