Having an interesting angle is as important as having a hook that captures the reader’s attention. A unique angle will lift an essay above the sea of mediocrity. A unique angle is essential for a writer to win praise for a particular piece. You see angles everyday in what you watch on television or what you read in a magazine. Songs have angles. TV dramas have angles. Why are you interested in one romantic movie but not another? Why is one comedy a boom and another a bust? Usually the reason is the angle separates it from the ordinary.
Finding a unique angle takes additional brainstorming. It may help to narrow the topic and then try to examine the topic in greater depth from a different point of view. Here is an example:
Topic: How is living in the city different than living in the country?
More specific: How is living in Seoul different than living in Chung Ju?
Angle: University life from a student’s point of view
How does attending university in Chung Ju differ from attending university in Seoul?
Note: Variations of this angel could be from a university professor’s point of view or possibly from a parent’s point of view.
The purpose of comparison and contrast writing is to analyze
two or more concepts, aspects, objects,
phenomenon, time periods, animals or people. The writer does this by examining the similarities and/or
differences.
Comparison and
Contrast Essay Patterns
There are two basic organizational patterns for a comparison and contrast essay. The first is a point-by-point pattern. A writer using this pattern will discuss the similarities and differences (or the advantages and disadvantages) of a specific subtopic individually and then proceed to the next sub-topic.
Point-by-PointTopic: Comparing and contrasting San Francisco with Los Angles Angle: From a bicyclist’s view |
||
|
Subtopic |
Similarities |
Differences |
|
#1: Clothes and gear that a rider needs |
Safety gear, thick or tubeless tires to avoid flats, sunscreen |
Warmer clothes in SF, rain gear in SF, and low gear ratio for hills |
|
#2: dealing with traffic |
Both cities have a lot of traffic. Some city streets have potholes or train tracks |
SF drivers are more tolerant of cyclists; SF has more bike paths. LA has some dangerous neighborhoods |
|
#3:Riding outside of the city |
Both cities have beautiful coastal roads nearby. Both cities have inter-city train systems that permit bikes |
SF has a few ferries that go to several islands. The SF Bay area is more compact he the LA urban sprawl |
The second common pattern is block organization. A writer using this pattern will discuss all the similarities (or advantages) of the subtopics and then discuss all the differences (or disadvantages) of the subtopics—or vice versa.
Block
Topic: Comparing and contrasting living in the country to living in the city. Angle: What people do on Sunday afternoons |
|
Similarities |
Movies, shopping, relaxing with family, going to a park, going to a sports center to exercise |
Differences |
Country: Hiking, fishing, driving, natural hot springs, lake side restaurant, City: Opera, theatre, dining in a fancy hotel, professional sports event, mega-concert |
Before writing your essay fill out the following out line
template:
|
Topic:________________________________________________________________ Angle:________________________________________________________________ Pattern:____________________ Thesis statement:__________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Body Paragraph 1 Topic Sentence:
:__________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Support: 1) 2) 4) Paragraph 2 Topic
Sentence:________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Support: 1) 2) 4) Paragraph 3 Topic Sentence: _______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Support: 1) 2) 4) |
1. Red Flag # 2 Avoid Using First or Second Person in Academic Writing
There is a debate over how appropriate the
use of “I” and “You” are in academic writing. However, especially for less experienced writers, these pronouns
tend to reduce the level of formality in academic writing. Often personal pronouns make a paper or
an essay much like a letter to “Mom” rather than academic prose. There are several solutions to using
personal pronouns. First, it is
not necessary to make statements such as, “I think,” “In my opinion.” The reader understands that the
opinions expressed in academic writing are those of the author.
Example: I think that language acquisition involves learning
how to communicate.
appropriately in a new culture
Revision: Language acquisition involves learning how to
communicate appropriately in a new culture.
A second solution is to change personal
pronouns to third person nouns.
Example: It is more important for you to learn how to revise
your own writing than to have your teacher edit what you write.
Revision: It is
more important for students to learn how to revise their own writing than to
have teachers edit what students write.
Example: In my
country, we teach vocabulary by telling our students to memorize lists of new
words related to a specific topic.
Revision: In Japan, English teachers require students to memorize lists of new words related to a specific topic.
Topics for Essay #2
Choose one of the
following topics and write a 500 – 750 word comparative/contrastive essay.
1) Compare and contrast how life in the 20th century was to what you think life in the 21st century will be. You may consider how recent inventions, developments in medicine and access to health care all affect the quality of life. You may also consider how environmental problems, economic instabilities and threats to peace may have an impact on living conditions. Will the current resources be able to satisfy the demands of the growing world population?
2) Compare and contrast life in South Korea to life in North Korea. Consider how the two countries have developed differently under different political systems. What similarities remain?
3) Compare and contrast life for affluent people with life for economically disadvantaged people. Does having money ensure happiness? How do the problems of the rich differ from those of the poor? How may life be similar for each group?
Requirements:
l
Turn in your
outline with your essay.
l
Use paragraphs
with an introduction, body and conclusion.
l
Use a famous
quote, shocking statistic or anecdote for an opening hook.
l
Have a specific
thesis statement that clearly expresses an opinion.
l
Restate the
thesis in the first sentence of the conclusion.
l
Use at least one
metaphor or simile.
l
Use at least one
noun clause.
l
Use at least one
sentence with an adverb clause that denotes similarity
l
Use at least one
sentence with an adverb clause that indicates difference
l
Do not use 1st
or 2nd person.
l
Give your essay
a title
l
Do not copy from
the Internet—Use your own words.
l
Do not write use
a translator—Write in English from the start.