Have you spent hours developing a good compare and contrast essay topic? It can seem impossible when there are so many options. However, a compare and contrast essay is a great way to compare two items or topics. These types of essays use direct comparison, using evidence to support your reasons for why you believe an item is comparable. It’s also a great way to point out the differences between them.

Some people are naturally gifted writers, but still, they struggle with finding a topic for their compare and contrast essay, as they always get stuck with the original one their teacher offered them. However, such essays can grab more attention from the reader and make your writing activity look more impressive, consequently leading to a better grade. Here you will find some great topics to use when writing your compare and contrast essay.

What is a Compare and Contrast Essay?

A compare and contrast essay is a model of essay writing in which the writer compares two subjects and distinguishes similarities and differences. Such an essay is designed to evaluate, analyze, and show the differences between two separate objects or ideas. A compare and contrast essay is a form of academic or formal writing that requires you to critique the similarities and differences between two entities. This type of essay can be pretty tricky, especially at times when you’re not yet accustomed to it. This can be attributed mainly to two different writing journeys within one essay. Therefore, you will have to try and write out the similarities of both entities and write about their differences.

How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay

Writing a Compare and Contrast essay is an exciting opportunity to show your analytical thinking. For example, you can compare two nations, contrast two historical periods, or compare two characters from a book.

Writing a compare and contrast essay is easy! A basic template for writing a compare and contrast paper will contain the following parts:

• Introduction

This section of the essay briefly introduces the topic of the essay and states its thesis.

• Body

The body is primarily made up of paragraphs, each addressing one point of comparison or contrast. The first paragraph should introduce the point that is being made, and the second paragraph should support that point by comparing or contrasting two things on that issue. Each subsequent section will address another point of comparison or contrast, and each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that states which thing is being compared/contrasted.

• Conclusion

The conclusion briefly sums up what has been said in the body of this essay and reiterates your thesis statement.

Right Compare And Contrast Essay Structure

When it comes to a compare and contrast essay, it is almost like having two papers condensed into one. You need to explain the differences between two things, and you also need to tell a story when it comes to one of the subjects. There is no right or wrong answer if you’re looking for a standard structure to use when writing your compare and contrast essay. Many teachers and professors will tell you that the key to writing a successful compare and contrast essay is to choose the structure that best suits your topic and situation. Some teachers ask their students to stick closely to a specific format, whereas others allow more freedom. The most common structures are:

1. Compare and contrast essay structure – requires comparing two or more things, such as essays, books, people, or opinions, using several excellent criteria such as appearance or age. You should also be able to show how they differ from each other.
2. Cause and effect essay structure – this type of essay requires you to state what caused something to happen and then explain how it affects things. For example, you could write about how the invention of cars changed society.
3. Narrative essay structure – this type of essay involves telling a story about a particular event or series of events in chronological order. This may include explaining how the event began and ended or what happened during it.

34 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics for 2022

Trying to compare and contrast two things that you know almost nothing about will just leave you scratching your head, trying to think of ways to tie together two things that don’t go together. So to help you out, we have come up with a list of 30 different topics for a compare and contrast essay. Whether in high school or college, these topics should give you plenty of ideas for your next term paper* or college paper.

1. Compare and contrast different types of music from around the world
2. The life span between men and women, explain the differences and similarities
3. Discuss the educational systems of two countries in comparison and contrast
4. Analyze the views on healthcare in two countries
5. Explain how social security differs in two countries
6. Describe and compare the different modes of transportation between one place and another (car, bus, train, plane).
7. Comparing and contrasting two careers (doctor and lawyer).
8. Make a comparison and contrast between people who have been born rich and those who have been born poor.
9. Discuss the importance of leadership in an organization
10. A Star’s Life Cycle and That Of A Galaxy
11. Explain how maternal love has evolved in modern times and contrast it with the history of motherhood in the past
12. What Are The Social Implications Of Entertainment Media In The 21st Century?
13. Identify the differences and similarities between the lives of children from different economic backgrounds
14. Examine the Old Testament in comparison to the New Testament
15. Analyze the differences and similarities between the Spanish Conquistadors and the European Settlers in North America
16. The growth rate of cancerous tumors as compared to that of normal cells
17. How Do Memory And Emotion Become Reciprocal?
18. How did industrialization affect the abolition of slavery in America during the emancipation?
19. Describe how genetic engineering differs from natural selection
20. Compare And Contrast Western Medicine With Chinese Medicine
21. Analyze the differences between masculine and feminine gender roles today; then, now, and in future generations
22. The Comparative Analysis of Judeo-Christian Ethics With Islamic Ethics in Today’s World Population; Then, Now, and In Future Generations.
23. Consider the difference between a nuclear family with a single mother and one with a nuclear family.
24. Compare and contrast three popular sports now with those of one hundred years ago. Include the equipment used, rules, etc.
25. Describe how social media has evolved over the last five years and its impact on individuals, businesses, politics, etc.
26. In what ways do people entertain themselves now compared to a hundred years ago?
27. Analyze how communication has changed in the last ten years and its impact on government, business, and education.
28. In twenty-five years, compare and contrast liberal arts education and vocational training.
29. Consider how entertainment has changed in the last 25 years compared to one hundred years ago (radio to television).
30. Discuss the differences between society today and 100 years ago.
31. Explain how the movie “The Godfather” differs from the book version.
32. Analyze the difference between a great and an average artist.
33. Make a comparison and contrast between a conservative and a liberal woman.
34. Describe and contrast the characteristics of a great man with those of an ordinary man.

20 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics On Education

In the following essay topics about education, the student will be asked to compare two items: person, place, event, or thing. Students may also be asked to provide reasons for selecting the given topic. Below is a list of possible education topics related to compare and contrast essays:

1. The impact of the industrial revolution on American and British education.
2. Evaluate online learning models in comparison with traditional schools.
3. Describe how educational institutions have changed in Britain, America, China, India, and Nigeria.
4. Examine how globalization has affected education systems around the world.
5. Comparatively and contrarily evaluate the educational approaches of various religious groups in their countries or regions.
6. Analyze the differences between socialist and capitalist schooling methods. Which had a more significant impact? Why?
7. Compare and contrast the development of school standards throughout history, from early caveman times to modern times, paying attention to what factors influenced these changes at each stage in history?
8. In what ways has technology changed our approach towards education? Has it been positive or negative? Why do you think so?
9. What do you think about homework? Make a list of pros and cons, then discuss each item in your essay.
10. What are the advantages of going to private school compared to public school?
11. Is there an advantage of homeschooling? Discuss your reasons in your essay.
12. Compare and contrast private and public schools. How do they differ? Are there any similarities between them?
13. Is there a difference between the education system in your country and the one in your host country? Why or why not? You may want to compare them to see how they differ or if they’re the same.
14. Comparing Community College Vs. University
15. The Importance Of Online Education
16. Advantages And Disadvantages Of Distance Learning
17. The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Distance Learning
18. The Role Of A Teacher In The 21st Century
19. The Challenges Faced By Teachers Today
20. The Positive Aspect Of Student-Teacher Relationship In Schools Today: Finding Jobs Is No Longer An Issue For College Grads!

23 Compare and Contrast Topics for Beginners

Trying this with your students can be a great way to get them ready to write an essay. Just make sure that they choose two topics that they know something about before they begin their comparison and contrast essay.

Here are twenty compare and contrast topics:

1. Dogs and cats
2. Boys vs. girls
3. Football vs. soccer
4. Love vs. hate
5. Cats vs. dogs
6. Cars vs. trucks
7. Calm vs. hyper
8. The ocean vs. the mountains
9. Summer vs. winter
10. Video games vs. board games
11. An old building vs. a new building
12. Animals that live in the ocean vs. animals that live on land
13. Books vs. movies
14. Sports cars vs. old cars
15. Amusement parks vs. zoos
16. Photographs vs. paintings
17. Computers and video games
18. Texting vs. face-to-face communication
19. Songs about love vs. songs about breakups
20. Being hot-headed vs. being calm
21. Going to school at night compared with going to school during the day
22. A job where you’re sitting down all day with no physical activity compared to a job where you’re constantly moving around
23. A neighborhood in the city versus one in the suburbs

11 Literature Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

Literature is among the most exciting areas in our lives. It can set an excellent example for us, make us think about our own lives and experiences. It makes us feel better or worse, depending on how we perceive the writing. Literature is also a reflection of the society we live in. We can find popular facts at that time, trends, or even learn about how people thought about things back then. Genuinely excellent writers manage to create their world, their own rules, and sometimes even their history.

Down below, you will find some topics that will help you to write your compare and contrast essay on literature:

1. Compare Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Dracula by Bram Stoker – two classic novels which are very similar in many ways but also have significant differences;
2. Compare and contrast epic poems such as The Odyssey by Homer and Le Morte D’Arthur by Thomas Malory;
3. Compare two novels from the same genre which were published at different times, such as Dracula by Bram Stoker and Dracula by Anne Rice;
4. Compare two books from the same author, written at different times​ – William Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet.
5. The character of Natalie in “Black Swan” and Emma in “Emma.”
6. The character of Marley in “A Christmas Carol” and Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol.”
7. The character of Pip in “Great Expectations” and David Copperfield in “David Copperfield.”
8. The character of Holden Caulfield in “The Catcher In The Rye” and Quentin Compson in “Absalom, Absalom!”
9. The character of Sal Paradise in “On the Road” and Dean Moriarty in “On the Road.”
10. The character of Gatsby in “The Great Gatsby” and Jay Gatsby in “The Great Gatsby.”
11. The character of Tom Sawyer in “Tom Sawyer Abroad” and Tom Sawyer in “The Adventures

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that compare and contrast essay topics have unique value, and they are often thought to be among the most exciting writing pieces. However, learning something new about how to compare and contrast essay topics help us organize our thoughts, save time and effort, and help us make the process of writing more effective is essential for novice writers.