Keep the comparison or contrast alive throughout the essayĮxample of a compare-contrast essay question.Narrow your focus be specific about what you are and are not comparing or contrasting.Explain precisely what you are comparing, defining terms as necessary.

Realistically, either type of essay will usually address both similarities and differences.

Have you encountered an essay prompt that directs you to compare or contrast two elements (e.g., two characters in a story, two different political theories, two different religious doctrines or scientific explanations, two different historical events, and so forth)? This is called a compare-contrast essay, and it is a form you are likely to encounter often.Ĭomparison essays tend to focus on similarities, while contrast essays focus on differences. EIL 4.3 Spenser, Gawain, and Arthurian Context.