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It stresses choosing comparable subjects with a critical rationale, forming a thesis statement that answers the “So what?” test, and ensuring each body paragraph supports that thesis. 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Don’t just list details—explain the significance of the similarities or differences and how they support the overall claim.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":121,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":123,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":125,"site_id":56},350691,1790980633,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":128},{"doc_id":125,"user_id":129,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":9,"category_id":45,"category_name":46,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":101,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":79,"language":136,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":140,"read_time":73},13056703020460,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/be000253dac470eee5d?_k=1778207105932848923","LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER 6th Floor room 605, 320 Newbury Street, 617-585-0174, [writingcenter@the-bac.edu](writingcenter@the-bac.edu)  \nWriting Tip Sheet: Writing a Comparison Essay  \nAt its most basic, comparison means to describe the similarities and/or differences between two or more items. However, when you are asked to write a comparison essay, you need to do more than that. Some sort of claim must drive the comparison. You don’t compare for the sake of comparing; you compare because you have a point you wish to make and comparison is the best means to make this point. Comparison works as a means, not an end.  \nAlmost everyone can compare, but fewer people can write a truly effective comparison essay. If you keep in mind the following suggestions, you can include yourself in this more select group.  \n1) The objects you compare must be comparable.  \nSometimes your instructor assigns you the items to be compared. However, a lot of the time you are given freedom to select your own objects of comparison. Here you need to exhibit care. You can’t just pick two objects at random. While theoretically you can compare any two buildings in existence, how many of these comparisons would be relevant? A critical rationale is required and this rationale must be apparent in your essay. Your reader wants to know why you have decided to compare and contrast these objects.  \nTake a comparison between Frank Lloyd Wright’s La Miniatura with Green & Green’s Gamble House. You might have been drawn to these two houses because of your own aesthetic sensibility and/or personal history. But the critical rationale for picking these two houses would be their connections: to the Arts and Craft Movement, their location, and the fact that they are examples of renowned designers’ art.  \nOr consider the student who intended to compare Boston’s Tobin Bridge to the Nike store on Newbury Street. Perhaps there was a reason for this comparison, but it was not made clear. As a result, the comparison was almost nonsensical. (Fortunately, the student ended up comparing the Tobin to the Brooklyn Bridge.)  \n2) You need to have a thesis statement.  \nAs mentioned above, some sort of claim must drive the comparison. Perhaps the biggest single problem with comparison essays is that many writers don’t state a claim. They compare two items, and the comparison may even be relevant, but the comparison is the means and the end. There is no greater point.  \nSo you need to have some sort of thesis statement. This is your statement of purpose for your paper. It tells the reader why you are making your comparison.  \nTo check to see if your paper has a point, identify what you believe to be your thesis, and ask yourself – “So what?” If you can answer this question successfully, then you have a sufficient thesis. Consider the following two statements:  \nWeak: The Brooklyn and Tobin Bridges are both bridges that cross rivers. (Does this really pass the “So what?” litmus test? You are just stating a fact! This is not a thesis.)  \nStronger: By examining the design of the Tobin and Brooklyn Bridges we can see where the Tobin’s builders went wrong and left us with a monstrosity crossing the Mystic River. (Here there is a clear point).  \nAnother thing to keep in mind with your thesis is not to just state your intentions, but to actually make a claim.  \nWeak: I will compare La Miniatura and the Gamble House. (This just tells the reader what you want to do, not why you are doing it.)  \nStronger: Frank Lloyd Wright’s La Miniatura and Green and Green’s Gamble House emphasize the interaction of the family unit. (Here a point is being made. The fact that you are making a comparison is implicit in this claim. Trust that your reader will understand that.)  \nFor more about this topic, please see the tip sheet “Thesis Statements.”  \n3) Make sure the body of the paper supports the thesis.  \nIt can be relatively easy to come up with a claim to serve as your thesis. It can also be easy to come up w","cbCaif7DpliRaKbW","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaif7DpliRaKbW","pdf",131946,"English","# Writing a Comparison Essay\n## Core principle: comparison needs a claim\n## Step 1: choose comparable objects\n## Step 2: include a thesis statement\n## Step 3: make body content support the thesis\n## Step 4: provide clear context\n## Step 5: keep structure parallel","[{\"question\":\"How do you decide what to compare in a comparison essay?\",\"answer\":\"Choose objects that are actually comparable and provide a critical rationale for why they are worth comparing. The reader should understand why these specific items were selected.\"},{\"question\":\"What makes a thesis statement effective in a comparison essay?\",\"answer\":\"A strong thesis states a real claim and goes beyond stating intentions or obvious facts. It should pass the “So what?” test by explaining the bigger point of the comparison.\"},{\"question\":\"How should the body of the essay relate to the thesis?\",\"answer\":\"Each comparison point must connect back to the thesis. Don’t just list details—explain the significance of the similarities or differences and how they support the overall claim.\"}]","Writing a Comparison Essay | PDF",1790090627]