A Compare and Contrast essay explores the similarities and differences between two or more items, ideas, topics, trends, works, etc. When we compare, we point out the similarities between two items, and when we contrast, we show their differences. In fact, Compare and Contrast is one of the main rhetorical strategies that writers use to develop ideas and support their arguments.
For this assignment, you will write a Compare and Contrast essay in which you will
explore the similarities and differences between two of the following topics:
- Generation Z vs. Millennials
- Generation Z vs. Generation X
- How Generation Z is perceived vs How Generation Z really is according to you
The American Family Then and Now - Compare and Contrast the way and times in which you were raised to that of children today. Do you think that your parent’s were more strict or concerned than today’s parents? Do you think that kids today expect too much? Provide specific examples as to how kids today are being raised similarly and differently than you.
- How has the role of the woman changed in the family? Is this change good for families? How has the emergence of women in the workforce and their becoming "bread winners" affected the family?
- As I look at the male figures in my own family, I can see that the role of the male has changed in two generations. My grandfather, for example, has never changed a diaper or cooked a meal in fifty-two years of marriage, yet I do these two things often. In your own family, how has the role of your gender changed in the last two generations. While the changes are probably many, there are still some things that have probably stayed the same. In considering this topic, be sure to include some of the things that are similar regarding the role of your gender in your family structure.
- More and more couples are choosing not to be married. How and why is this different from the past? Why are people not getting married? How does the affect the family?
- Non-traditional families are becoming the new normal in the United States. Discuss and compare the traditional family and non-traditional families.
Your purpose for this essay will be to simply inform your audience on their similarities and differences, on the relative merits of the items discussed, and establish the significance of this comparison and contrast. This last point will be expressed in the thesis of your essay which will also strengthen your essay and clarify its purpose.