Essays are of different types. You have the descriptive essay, comparative, analytical, or example essay. Each of them has its distinct requirement and style determined by its nature. The comparison essay essentially requires you to compare and/ or contrast two things-places, persons, ideas, books, characters, et al. Whether you want to discuss similarities, differences, or both, would depend on the essay requirement. For example, your instructor could ask you to compare two places you visited, in which case you would only look at the similarities between the two. Or, s/he could ask you to contrast, in which case, you would consider the differences between the two places. S/He could also ask you to compare and contrast, and then you would have to discuss both the similarities and differences between the two places. The comparison essay requires the writer to focus keenly on the various aspects of the subjects to clearly present the similarities and differences inherent to them.
A good way to begin writing the essay would be to list the various points relevant to the subjects. This helps attain clarity while writing and keeps the writer on track. For example, if you were to write a comparison essay on two places you visited, you could think of a beach town X and a hill station Y. What you write by way of similarities and differences would depend on what you noticed about the places, their weather, culture, demographics, food, entertainment, recreation, and such other things that may be integral aspects of these places. So it would help to note down details about these aspects or facets and try to look for the similarities and differences among them.
Once you have jotted these points, it is time to get them organized into distinct paragraphs. Arrangement of the paragraphs is important and requires focused thought process. Here are some points to remember as you go about arranging the paragraphs of this essay type.
• How many similarities and differences would you like to discuss and in what order?
NOTE: Usually, you would discuss the similarities before you move on to the differences.
• Determine the focus of each paragraph and write a topic sentence to reflect this focus. This helps you maintain the focus through the paragraph’s length.
• The similarities and differences should be related to one another. For example, you would not discuss the weather of X in the same breath as the entertainment factor of Y. Each has its importance, but in relevant and separate paragraphs.
• Use the “points” or “block” pattern for paragraph arrangement. The “points” pattern helps you to discuss each point in separate paragraphs while the “block” pattern requires you to compare/contrast one of the elements completely-in a block-before moving on to the next. For example, you could discuss all the relevant aspects of X before you proceed to do the same with Y. According to the “points” pattern, you would discuss the weather of X Vs. Y, then their entertainment facilities, and so on in specific paragraphs.
The comparison essay thus provides you with interesting variations and ensures that the writer looks into all relevant matters pertaining to the topic. The view is wholesome, and the writing interesting.