Write a comparison and/or contrast essay using lots of description in which you will compare/contrast two things. The easiest way to approach the assignment is to determine whether you will be doing a point by point or a subject by subject comparison. The first thing will be a place you knew only from images on television, in magazines, and through the internet. You will spend some time explaining what you saw this place to be. The second thing will be the place as it actually appeared when you actually stood looking at the physical reality. The last part of your essay will be to explain how you reconciled these images, what you realized about the place, and/or the insight that the actual image brought you.

Your essay should do the following:
• Explain and describe a place through the images, family discussion, television shows, etc.
• Show the place as it was in reality when you were there.
• Show the discrepancies and how you reconciled the differences in these images.
• Create a picture that the reader can see.
• Find a depth of meaning in the reconciliation that shows an understanding of the actuality of the place which goes beyond the surface.

Thesis: Your thesis will include the place, what you thought, what you experienced, and what you realized about the place.

Criteria:
• Approximately 750 words
• A minimum of five full paragraphs

Requirements for a well written Comparison and Contrast Essay
• Introduction and Thesis–Very well developed introduction and thesis statement. They engage the reader and create interest. They cover both subjects and the author’s point for the comparison or the contrast.
• Main Points/Body Paragraphs–There are topic sentences for each paragraph. Details and a vivid sense language is used. The details fit the author’s point for the comparison/contrast.
• Organization–The details are in a clear effective order and the author sticks to one pattern: subject-by-subject or point-by point. Both subjects are covered vividly and given about the same amount of space.
• Grammar, Spelling, and Mechanics–No errors in punctuation, spelling, grammar, or capitalization.
• Style–Writing is smooth, skillful, and coherent. Sentences are strong and expressive with varied structure. Consistent and appropriate tone and word choice is used throughout the essay. Transitions are appropriate and add to the effectiveness of the essay.

Further Thoughts on the Comparison and Contrast Essay

When given the Comparison and Contrast Essay Assignment Sheet, the following is how one of the Composition Instructors at Allen said she would address the topic.

If I were to write this essay today, I believe I would write about Allen Field House at the University of Kansas. Athletic venues are good for this assignment because many of us have watched hundreds of games on television where our favorite sports teams play. The reason I would choose to write about Allen Field House, is because it is rare that my husband and I miss a KU basketball game on television. We cheered when these historic Jayhawks won the national title in 2008 and we watch when some of these players, larger than life, go off to the NBA every year. These young men and this historic venue are the stuff of legends, particularly in my mind. Others will feel this way about their own teams.

Because my husband is such a fan and received his PhD from the University of Kansas in June of 2009, I gave him tickets to two KU basketball games for Christmas. We enjoyed the games greatly. However, the actuality and the image were different. The entry hall was what I had expected with all of the legendary players and the history, there were thousands of screaming fans (I was nearly deaf before the game even started), and it was the all encompassing experience that I had thought it would be. However, what I noticed was that the building was small and old. It was simply a basketball court and seating to the sky. The one thing that changed the most for me was the players. When watching them on television, they appear to be the Goliath of men who are capable of superhuman feats of dexterity and skill. When I was so close to them, I realized that some of them are 7′ tall, but I have students in my classroom who are just as tall as these players. They are capable of great things, but they also make mistakes, and fall, and throw fits. I also realized that these men are simply 18-24 years old, the same age as all of the students in my classes who I refer to as kids from time to time. I realized that much is expected of these young men at an age when I would not expect nearly that much of my own students and at an age when I would not have been able to handle nearly so much pressure or have been competent to make such decisions. The athletes were what changed the most for me. It made me look at college athletics in a different way.—

Make sure that your essay has the following:

1. An Introduction
2. A Thesis with a specific topic and comment that clearly states exactly what the point of the essay is. The thesis for the Comparison and Contrast essay should clearly state the place, what the original impression was, and what the reality turned out to be.
3. Body paragraphs (generally 3 or more)
4. A Conclusion
5. A Heading
6. A Header
7. Double spacing
8. A Title