Compare and Contrast Essay Thesis
A common type of essay that students are assigned to write is the compare and contrast essay. A compare and contrast essay discusses the similarities and differences between two things or subjects. To compare means to note the similarities, and to contrast means to note the differences. There are a variety of subjects that can be compared and contrasted in an essay. One could compare two sports, two countries, two animals, or two books.
Every compare and contrast essay must contain a thesis statement. The compare and contrast essay thesis statement is an important component. It narrows down the focus of the essay for the writer, which in turn helps the writer stay on topic throughout the writing process. The thesis statement also helps the reader to understand what the focus of the essay will be.
Compare and Contrast Thesis Statement Definition
The thesis statement is sometimes called the focus statement; it states what the focus or main idea of the essay will be. A compare and contrast thesis statement should state what two subjects are being compared and contrasted in the essay. It should also briefly sum up the similarities and differences between the two subjects without giving away too much information. The thesis statement appears as the last sentence in the essay’s introduction.
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How to Write a Thesis Statement for Compare and Contrast
It is now clear what a thesis statement is, but how to write a thesis statement for a compare and contrast essay must now be explained. When drafting a thesis statement for any essay, be sure that the thesis does two things: name the subject of the essay and make an assertion about it. The compare and contrast essay thesis is no different. First, it should name the two subjects that will be compared and contrasted in the essay. Second, it should make an assertion or declaration about the similarities and differences between the two subjects.
Thesis statements are requirements of essays because they are purposeful. A thesis informs the reader about the focus of the essay. A thesis also helps the writer to stay on topic throughout the essay by controlling the ideas that go into the essay. Every idea that is incorporated into the essay must be related to the essay’s focus or thesis statement. Therefore, the writer should take care when drafting the thesis statement.
The thesis statement should be clear and informative. If one is comparing two characters from books, the books as well as the characters should be named in the thesis statement. If two movies are being compared, the movie titles should be given in the thesis statement. It should also be obvious from the thesis statement that the essay will compare and contrast the two subjects.
Although thesis statements should be informative, they should not give away too much information. It is important to identify the essay’s topic in the thesis statement, but do not reveal the main points about the topic in the thesis. The thesis statement should entice the reader to read the essay, not provide a summary of the essay.
Good thesis statements are also interesting. While not a requirement of thesis statements, presenting an interesting or thought-provoking idea about the essay’s subject in the thesis statement will entice the reader. Try to formulate an interesting point about the two subjects being compared and contrasted in the essay instead of just stating that the subjects have similarities and differences.
A thesis statement should never refer to the writer of the essay or use first-person pronouns. For instance, never write something like, “In this essay I will talk about the similarities and differences between…” or “I think there are similarities and differences between….” Unless otherwise directed, essays should be written from an objective point of view. This means the writer should not use any pronouns such as you, I, me, we, us, or our. It may be helpful to think about writing the essay from an expert’s or a textbook author’s point of view. An expert or textbook author would never write, “I think” or “I am going to.” They would just convey the facts to the reader.
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Compare and Contrast Thesis Examples
Below are some compare and contrast thesis examples. Read each example followed by an analysis of why it is or is not a good thesis statement.
| Compare and Contrast Thesis Statement Example | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Two characters are Brutus and Antony. | There is a lot wrong with this thesis statement. It states the subjects, Brutus and Antony, but it does not make an assertion about their similarities or differences. A reader would have no idea about the central focus of the essay and the topic would be too broad for a writer to follow. Furthermore, it does not mention what book, movie, or play these characters are from. |
| In the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar, Brutus and Antony both give moving orations at Caesar’s funeral, but the final impact of these orations differ due to the characters’ use of rhetoric. | This thesis statement is much better than the one above. It names the play, characters, and provides a specific focus by alluding that the similarities and differences between the characters’ orations affect the orations’ impact. |
| I am going to tell you how Greek and Norse mythology are the same and different. | This thesis statement begins with the pronouns “I” and “you,” which should not be used in essays. It boringly states that the mythologies are the same and different. The focus of the essay, Greek and Norse mythology, may be too broad as well. |
| Although the Greek god, Zeus, and the Norse god, Thor, come from two vastly different cultures, they share many surprising similarities. | This thesis statement does not use the first or second person pronouns which makes it sound more authoritative. This statement also has a clearer focus that the one above; instead of comparing and contrasting all of Greek and Norse mythology, this one compares one god from each mythology. This thesis is also more interesting than the one above by mentioning the similarities and differences in a more creative way. |
Lesson Summary
A compare and contrast essay discusses the similarities and differences between two subjects. To compare means to note similarities, and to contrast means to note differences. A compare and contrast essay must contain a thesis statement. The thesis statement states the focus or main idea of the essay. A compare and contrast essay’s thesis statement should do two things: name the two subjects that will be compared and contrasted and make an assertion about the subjects’ similarities and differences. The thesis statement controls every idea that is put into the essay. Thesis statements should be clear, informative, and interesting. Thesis statements should not give away too many of the essay’s main points or use pronouns such as “I” or “you.” Instead, thesis statements should be authoritative and written from an objective point of view.