CHAPTER COMPARISON / 7 CONTRAST ESSAYS CSTs To write academic texts, you need to master certain skills, In this chapter, you will learn to: * Analyze a comparison / contrast essay * Construct a thesis statement for a comparison / contrast essay * Organize a comparison / contrast essay * Use comparison signals to connect similar ideas * Use contrast signals to connect different ideas * Write, revise, and edit a comparison / contrast essay about culture The world is full of diverse cultures,GT Ina comparison / contrast essay, you explain the similarities and differences between two or more items. You can compare and contrast people, objects, ideas, countries, traditions, or just about anything else that makes sense. Comparison and contrast is a very common organizational pattern in most academic fields. It is also a common type of essay test prompt. You might encounter prompts such as these: rotmea science: Compare the forms of government of Great Britain and the United States. ‘ucivcan urenarune Compare the characters of Uncle Melik and his nephew in William Saroyan's short story “The Pomegranate Trees.” ‘suswess Compare and contrast methods for promoting a new business, product, or service. [Link] Compare the methods of childrearing in two different societies. At the end of this chapter, you will write a comparison / contrast essay abouta topic related to culture. ANALYZING THE MODEL ‘The writing model is a comparison / contrast essay that describes some of the similarities and differences between Russia and the United States. Read the model. Then answer the questions. &# Writing Model The United States of America and the United Kingdom: Differences and Similarities 1 The histories of the United States of America (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) are closely linked. In fact, before the American Revolution of the late 18th century, they were part of the same country. Both are English-speaking countries, although the writer George Berard Shaw noted that they are “two countries separated by the same language," a clever remark that indicates both similarity and difference. Indeed, while these two Wester nations have obvious differences, they also resemble each other in ‘some surprising ways. One difference can be found in their governmental structures. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was founded in 1922. However, under different. names, its history extends back into the Middle Ages, when kings and queens ruled with absolute power. Today, the UK is still a kind of monarchy, but the power of the king or queen is strictly limited. Most of the political power is now held by the parliament and other democratic institutions. The US, on the other hand, since its founding in 1776, has never had a king or queen. It was established as a republic, and its constitution established three branches of government, each designed to make sure the other two do not abuse their power.a Although the UK is only 1/40 the size of the US, in some areas, its power is similar or second only to that of the US. For example, both countries have seats on the United Nations Security Council, therefore, either nation has the power to veto any significant action by that organization. Furthermore, New York was recently rated the most important financial center in the world, with London a close second, although London has often been rated number one (Reid). Regarding military influence, both countries have military bases overseas, and in 2019, they were the world’s top two arms exporters (Sabbagh). Significant differences again become apparent when we look at the approach to health care in each country. in the UK, nearly all health services are managed by the government through the National Health Service, whereas the US relies mainly on private companies to provide these services. A further difference is that health services are free in the UK, aside from minor charges, while most Americans must pay for such services, either through private insurance or with their own money. This can get expensive: a recent survey showed that the average total health care costs per person in the US were over $10,000 per person, which is more than twice the average per- person costs in the UK (OECD). With regard to the entertainment industry, there is an evident similarity: both countries are exporters of entertainment products. No daubt, this is partly due to English being an international language. First on the list of all-time best-selling novels is The DaVinci Code by the American Dan Brown, while second place is occupied by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by the British author J. K. Rowling (The Guardian). Furthermore, UK and American artists such as the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Elton John are always near the top of the all-time music sales charts. Finally, although the three most popular movies ever, Avengers: Endgame, Avatar, and Titanic, are all American-made, the fourth-place movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, qualifies as a UK film since it was mostly filmed there and has a mostly British cast (Rotten Tomatoes) In the working world, we again encounter differences between the US and the UK. In the area of work benefits, UK employers are legally required to give their employees 5.6 weeks of paid vacation, whereas there is no law regarding vacation days in the US. If a female employee must leave her job to have a baby, UK law requires that employers pay her 90% of her salary for the first six weeks, while there is currently no law requiring US companies to give new mothers any paid time off. Things look better in the US, however, for senior managers, where their salaries are significantly higher than in the UK. Commuters in the US also have an advantage. The average commute in the US is only 28 minutes, compared to one hour and 38 minutes for commuters in the UK (Ionescu), To conclude, in considering these similarities and differences, it's useful to remember the countries’ historical origins and ties. It is also interesting to note that although the US is many times larger, the UK is still a major player on the world stage that can even challenge the US in certain areas. Indeed, the two countries’ contributions to the world in terms of art and entertainment seem equally impressive. Finally, highlighting the differences in health care, the workplace, and other areas. seems helpful as such comparisons provide the opportunity for countries to assess their practices and could lead to positive change. Sources: 11. Reid, David. New York stretehes level over London as the world’s tap financial eenter. CNBC 2. Sabbagh, Dan. UK reclaims place as world’s second largest arms exparter. The Guardian 3.08CD 4. Best Selliay Books of All Time. The Guardians 5. Highest Grossing Movies of AI Tame. Rotten Tomatoes 6, lonescu, Miruna Eliza. Similarities and Differences of the Work Culture in the United Kingdom es America Foothold America Comparison / Contrast Essays 135Questions about the Mode! 1, Whatis the thesis statement of this article? Underline it, 2, What differences between the countries are discussed in paragraph 2? 3. What are two ather differences between the countries? In which paragraphs are these differences discussed? 4. In which paragraph(s) are similarities discussed? 5. Whatis the function of the first sentence in paragraph 32 Noticing Vocabulary: Antonyms In Chapters 2 and 3, you learned about using synonyms, or words that mean the same thing. In this chapter, you will learn to enrich your vocabulary by using antonyms, or words that have opposite meanings. Just as synonyms can help connect similar ideas, antonyms are particularly useful when describing contrasting ideas. And just as a thesaurus is a useful tool for finding synonyms, it will also point you toward one or more antonyms for words you look up. EEZIELESIN Noticing Antonyms @ Find these words and their antonyms in the model. Write the antonyms. 1. differences (paragraph 1) 2. low (paragraph 3) 3. less (paragraph 4) 4, minority (paragraph 5) 5. reduced (paragraph 6). © These words are also in the model. Write one or two antonyms for each word. Use a dictionary or thesaurus as needed. 1. distant (paragraph 1) 2, rise (paragraph 1) 3. adds (paragraph 3) 4, preceded (paragraph 6) 5. together (paragraph 7) 136 CHAPTER?ORGANIZATION The first key to writing a successful comparison / contrast essay is to organize it carefully. In order to structure your essay, you need to select which things you are going to compare. ‘Then you need to choose the specific points of comparison, or factors, that you will use to explain the similarities and differences you identify. POINTS OF COMPARISON Suppose, for example, that you want to compare family life in two cultures. There are many different aspects of this topic that you could examine. Which points of comparison will be your focus? Before deciding how to organize your essay, you can list the points of comparison that you want to examine in each culture. After listing these points, you can make a chart that shows how they are similar or different in each culture, Comparison / Contrast Chart Le ake en Culture ¥ 56 Point of Comparison Culture X Number of children. oo Living arrangements Each set of parents and smalll children lives separately Financial support Both parents work outside the home Role of grandparents Occasional visits Age of adulthood When they get married Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, children live in separate buildings on the same property Both parents work outside the home Primary childcare provider When they get married ‘Same or Different Different Different Same Different Same Once you have decided on the particular points of comparison you want to use for your essay, you are ready to decide how you want to organize it. There are two methods for organizing a comparison / contrast essay: point-by-point and block. ‘Comparison / Contrast Essays 137POINT-BY-POINT ORGANIZATION In point-by-point organization, each point of comparison becomes the topic of a paragraph. As you discuss individual points, you describe both similarities and differences. You can put the paragraphs in any order you wish—perhaps in order of importance. Point-by-Point Outline If you desided to use point-by-point organization for an essay based on the chart on page 137, your outline might look like this: 1, Introduction Thesis statement: It's possible to better understand Culture X and Culture Y by comparing several important aspects of family life in both cultures. II. Body (Points of Comparison) A. Number of 1. 12inx 25-6inY B. Living arrangements 1. Separately in X 2. Extended families together in Y C. Financial support 1. Parents work in both countries 2. Willing to work outside home D. Role of grandparents in X 2. Primary caregivers in Y E. Age of adulthood 1. At marriage in both cultures 2. Specific ages LL. Conclusion 1. Occasional vis BLOCK ORGANIZATION The other way to organize a comparison / contrast essay is to arrange all the similarities together in one block and all the differences in another. The writing model on pages 134-135 uses this type of organization. In block organization, you can discuss either the similarities first or the differences first. Of course, you could discuss only similarities or only differences. The number of paragraphs in each block depends on the topic. For some topics, you might write about all the similarities in a single paragraph; for other topics, you might need to discuss each similarity in a separate paragraph. The same is true of differences. Of course, some topics may have one paragraph of similarities and several paragraphs of differences, or vice versa. 138 CHAPTERTBlock Outline If you decided to use block organization to write an essay based on the chart on page 137, your outline might look like this: L. Introduction ‘Thesis statement: Family life in Culture X and Culture Y is very similar in some ways, but it also shows several key differences, I. Body A. Similarities 1, Financial support 2. Age of adulthood B. Differences Number of children 1 2. Living arrangements 3. Role of grandparents IL Conclusion Notice that the points of comparison in this outline are the same as the ones in the outline on page 138. However, each point in this outline is used to explain either similarities or differences, instead of being the topic of its own paragraph. Point-by-point is often the best choice when the two things you are comparing have both similarities and differences in all of the areas you are discussing. Block is better if there are only similarities in one area or only differences in anather area, Transitions in Block Organization In block organization, you often insert a transition sentence or short transition paragraph between the two blocks. Its purpase is to conclude one section and introduce another section. You do not always have to write a whole transition paragraph, but it is helpful when your topic is long and complex. Comparison / Contrast Essays 139jing the Model BE oo Look at the writing model on pages 134-135. Then complete the outline of the body paragraphs. A. One key difference between the UK and US is government structure 1. The U.K. has a royal family with limited power, power held by parliament 2. Both have cities that are important financial centers 3. Both have military bases overseas a 1. In UK. government runs health care 2 3. a, Health care is almost free in the U.K. b, Americans pay for health insurance or medical costs D. Similarities in Entertainment 1, Famous books from both countries 2 3. 1. Vacation time is different between the two countries a, In the U.K, employers must give 5.6 weeks of paid vacation b. 2 a. b. 3. American senior managers make more money than managers in the UK. 4, The average commute time is different a. average commute in the US. is 23 minutes b. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST SIGNAL WORDS. Itis important to use comparison and contrast signal words when writing this s essay. These are words that introduce points of comparison and points of contrast. 140 CHAPTERComparison Signal Words The chart lists some of the words and phrases used to discuss similarities. Review the words and how they are used. Transition Words and Phrases similarly likewise also too ‘Subordinators as just as Coordinators and both... and not only ... but also neither... nor Others like (+ noun) just like (+ noun) similar to (+ noun) (be) like (be) similar (to) (be) the same as (be) the same (be) alike: (be) similar (be) compared (to / with) Examples Human workers can detect malfunctions in machinery; similarly, robot can be programmed to detect equipment malfunctions, Human workers can detect malfunctions in machinery; a robot can Human workers can detect malfunctions in machinery; a robot can, too. Examples Robots can detect malfunctions in machinery, just as human workers can. Note: Use a comma when as and just as show comparison even when the dependent clause follows the independent clause as in this example. Examples Robots and human workers can detect malfunctions in machinery. Both robots and human workers can detect malfunctions in machinery. Not only robots but also human workers can detect malfunctions: in machinery. Neither robots nor human workers are infallible’, Examples Robots, like human workers, can detect malfunctions in machinery. Robots are similar to human workers in their ability to detect malfunctions in machinery. In their ability to det human workers Robots and human workers are alike in their ability to detect malfunctions in machinery. malfunctions in machinery, robots and Robots can be compared to human workers in their ability to detect malfunctions in machinery. ;nfallible: always right and never making mistakes Comparison / Contrast Essays 144142 CHAPTER Recognizing Signal Words Look at the words in the chart on page 141 and then see how many of them you can find in the writing model on pages 134-135. Using Comparison Signal Words Write one new sentence to combine the information in each item below. Use a different comparison signal word in each sentence. 1. The United States has a democratic form of government. Great Britain has a democratic form of government. The United States has a democratic form of government, just as Great Britain does. 2. ‘The United States operates under a two-party system, Great Britain operates under a two-party system. 3. The British Parliament has two separate houses, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The United States Congress has two separate houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives, 4. The members of the U.S. House of Representatives are elected by district. The members of the British House of Commons are elected by district. 5. The method of choosing cabinet members in the United State: choosing cabinet members in Great Britain, (Lise the comparison signal the same.) 6, In Great Britain, the prime minister appoints the cabinet. The U.S. president appoints the cabinet. 7. The British monarch has the right to veto any law passed by Parliament. The U.S. president has the right to veto any law passed by Congress.On a separate sheet of paper, write five sentences of your own, comparing two things you are familiar with. Use a different comparison signal word in each sentence, and remember to focus on the things that are the same. Some possible topics include: © The culture of a local high school compared to that of a large university © The culture of a small town compared to a big city © Aspects of culture in two different societies Contrast Signal Words Contrast signal words fall into two main groups according to their meaning. ‘The words in the first group show a relationship that is called concession. the words in the second group show an opposition relationship. Concession (Unexpected Result) Concession signal words indicate that the information in one clause is not the result you expect from the information given in the other clause. UNEXPECTED RESULT > Although | studied all night, | failed the exam. Failing the exam is not the result you might expect from the information in the first clause | studied all night. See Contrast Clauses on pages 235-236 for additional examples of contrast subordinators ‘Transition Words and Phrases Examples however Millions of people go on diets every year; however, very few succeed in losing weight. nevertheless nonetheless still ‘Subordinators Examples although Although most dieters initially lose a few pounds, eho gain them back again within a few weeks. though Coordinators Examples but Doctors say that “fad” diets do not work, yet many oe people still try them, Others, Examples despite (+ noun) ‘Despite ten years of dieting, Lam still overweight. spite of (+ noun) Comparison / Contrast Essays 143GSEs Recognizing Concession Words Look at the words in the chart on page 143 and then see how many of them you can find in the writing model on pages 134-135. Direct Opposition The second group of contrast signal words shows that two things are direct opposites. With direct opposites, the signal word can introduce either piece of information. lam short, whereas my brother is tall. My brother is tall, whereas | am short. Transition Words and Phrases Examples however Rock music used to appeal primarily to younger listeners; some rock today has enthusiastic fans among senior citizens, in contrast in (by) comparison on the other hand on the contrary Jazz is not just one style of music; has many styles such as Chicago jazz, Dixielan swing, bebop, and cool jazz, to name just a few. Note: On the contrary contrasts a truth and an untruth. ‘Subordinators Examples while New Orleans-style jazz features brass marching-band Miers instruments, ragtime is played on a piano. Note: Use a comma with while and whereas even when the dependent clause follows the independent clause. Coordinators Examples but Jazz. music was born in the southern part of the United States, but it now enjoys a worldwide audience. Others Examples differ (from) Present-day rock music differs from early rock musie in several ways. compared (to / with) ae rock music has a harder sound compared early rock. (be) different (from) unk, rap, grunge, and techno styles are very the rock music performed by Elvis Presley 50 years ago, but they have the same roots, 144 CHAPTERRecognizing Direct Opposition Signal Words Look at the words in the chart on page 144 and then see how many of them you can find in the writing madel on pages 134-135. Using Contrast Signal Words Write one new sentence to combine the information in each item. Use a different comparison signal word in each sentence. 1. The chief executive in Great Britain is called the prime minister. The chief executive in the United States is called the president. While the chief executive in Great Britain is called the prime minister, the chief executive in the United States is called the president: 2. In the United States, the president fulfils the functions of both political leader and head of state. These two functions are separate in Great Britain, 3. In other words, Great Britain has both a monarch and a prime minister. The United States has only a president. (continued on next page) Comparison / Contrast Essays 1454. The president of the United States may be of a different political party than the majority of Congress. The British prime minister is the head of the political party that has the most seats in Parliament. 5. ‘The United States has a written constitution. Great Britain has no written constitution. 6. In the United States, elections are held on a regular schedule, no matter how popular or unpopular the government is. In Great Britain, elections are held whenever the prime minister loses a vote of confidence. 7. The members of the U.S. Senate are elected. The members of the British House of Lords are appointed or inherit their positions. 8. As you can see, the two systems of government differ in several major aspects. ‘They are both democraci EEGETson a separate sheet of paper, write five sentences of your own, contrasting two cultures* you are familiar with. Use a different contrast signal in each sentence. ‘Some possible topics include: © ‘The culture of a local high school compared to that of a large university # ‘The culture of a small town compared to a big city # Aspects of culture in two different societies * Culture often refers to the oalues and customs of a country or society, but it can also describe small units, such as a school or a smaller community. 146 CHAPTER® Applying Vocabulary: Using Antonyms. In your writing assignment for this chapter, you are going to write a paragraph about a topic related to culture. You will probably want to use antonyms to connect contrasting ideas. Gaia Using Antonyms © Write antonyms for the words. You may want to use some of these words and their antonyms in your writing assignment. Use a dictionary or a thesaurus as needed. 1. large 2. rural 3. respect: 4, closenes 5. give © Ona separate sheet of paper, write four pairs of sentences. Use the words from Part Ain your sentences. Include one of the words in the first sentence of each pair and then use an antonym in the second sentence. ExaMeLe Classes at a university are often very large, with 100 or more students. The elasses at my high sehool were small, With only about 20 students. GPE RTT Your assignment for this chapter is to write a comparison / contrast essay on a topic related to culture. Choose one of the topics from the list for your essay. (These are the same topics found in ‘Try It Out! on pages 143 and 146. If you used one of these topics before, you may use the same topic again or choose a different one.) Use the writing model on pages 134-135 to help you. lo complete the assignment, follow the steps in the writing process. Tories * The culture of a local high school compared to that of a lange university © The culture of a small town compared toa big city * Aspects of culture in two different societies Comparison / Contrast Essays 147(@Pewite> §—sTEP 1: Brainstorm about the topic. * Collect information and generate ideas about your topic One tool you can use isa Venn diagram. A Venn diagram is a brainstorming tool that uses overlapping circles to show the similarities and differences between two or more ideas. © Draw two circles that are partly overlapping. © Write one thing that you are comparing in one circle and the other thing in the other circle. © ‘Then write the similarities between the two things in the overlapping part of the circle, and the differences between them in the separate areas of the circle. Brainstorm as many ideas as you can. You can decide which ideas to include later. United States 4. Daily homework very important 2. Teacher called by first name sometimes 3. Students expected to ask questions in class Country X 1. Only exam is important—it doesn't matter if you come to class with homework done 2. Students stand when & contribute without professor enters being called on rooms. 4, Eating and drinking 3. Students wear more allowed formal clothes 4. Usually larger classes This Venn diagram could help generate and organize ideas for an essay comparing universify culture in the United Siates with that of another country. (Germatiee> step 2: organize your ideas. * Review the comparison / contrast chart on page 137. Create your ‘own chart, using the most important points from your Venn diagram. Which points of comparison will you examine in your essay? Once you have listed them on your chart, note whether there are more similarities or differences © Use your chart to decide whether you will use point-by-point or block organization. Write a preliminary thesis statement that indicates a comparison / contrast essay. 148 CHAPTERT© You may want to make an outline based on your chart, Follow the type of organization you chose. Put your thesis at the top. Then for letters A, B, and C, write the sentences that will form the topic sentences of your bod y paragraphs. (GME steP 8: write the first draft. * Begin writing your first draft, Remember to use comparison / contrast transitions in your body paragraphs. © Don’t worry if you think of new ideas that are not in your outline as you write. You can add or delete ideas later. Just be sure that your new ideas support your thesis. (QR step 4: Revise the dratt. # Review the content and organization of your draft. Do not try to correct errors in format, mechanics (capitalization, punctuation, and spelling), grammar, and sentence structure at this stage. You will do this in Step 5. # Begin by reading over your paragraph to get a general overview. As you read, check to make sure that © your essay has a thesis statement that is appropriate for a comparison / contrast essay; © you have organized information clearly; © and you have used appropriate comparison / contrast transition signals, # Make notes in the margin about anything you want to improve # Ask a classmate to read and give you feedback on your first draft using the Chapter 7 Peer Review on page 333. © Discuss your to take. (@ Protas STEP 5: Edit and proofread the draft. © Make sure that you have identified all of the changes you want to make in content and organization. Then review your jassmate’s suggestions and decide which ones essay for errors in format, mechanics, grammar, and sentence structure. Use the Chapter 7 Writer’s Self-Check on page 3 to help you. © When you find an error, make a note on your paper using the correction symbols from Appendix D on pages 309-311 (BRED ster 6: write anew dratt. @ In your new drait, include the changes you identified in Steps 4 and 5. © Proofread your new draft again carefully. Make sure itis neat and error free. # Hand in your essay to your teacher. Comparison / Contrast Essays 149In this chapter, you learned to: ) Analyze a comparison / contrast essay Q Construct a thesis statement for a comparison / contrast essay Q Organize a comparison / contrast essay Q Use comparison signals to connect similar ideas O Use contrast signals to connect different ideas O Write, revise, and edit a comparison / contrast essay about culture Which ones can you do well? Mark them Which ones do you need to practice more? Mark them 2 Ee @ Timep writine In this expansion, you will write an essay in class. As you write, focus on using the writing process steps that you followed in this chapter. You will have 50 minutes, To complete the expansion in time, you will need to budget your time accordingly. Follow this procedure. 1. Read the writing prompt (or the prompt your teacher assigns) carefully. Make sure you understand the question or task. You may want to underline the key words in the prompt. (5 minutes) 2. Brainstorm to get ideas, choose a thesis and make a rough outline to organize your ideas. (10 minutes) 3. Write your essay. Be sure to include an introductory paragraph with your thesis, body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. (25 minutes) 4. Check your essay for errors. Correct any mistakes, (100 minutes) 5, Give your paper to your teacher. Prompt: Compare and contrast the relationship between parents and children in two different cultures. You may include your own culture as one of the two you discuss. You may also write about two different subcultures within a larger cultural group. For example, you might look at the parent-child relationship in two different ethnic or religious groups in your local community. 150 CHAPTERT© waite a summary AND RESPONSE In this assignment, you will write a four- to six-paragraph essay in which you summarize and respond to an article called “Marital Exchanges.” he topic of the article is cultural differences in the custom of exchanging gifts at marriage. Your response should compare marital gift giving in your culture to the examples given in the article. Read the article “Marital Exchanges” on page 283 in Appendix A and answer the questions. Then following the steps in the writing process, write your summary essay. Comparison / Contrast Essays 151