Ideas for Choosing a Compare and Contrast Essay Topic

Comparing things is something we do every day. So when you get an assignment to write a compare and contrast essay, don’t feel intimidated – this kind of academic writing is not as challenging as it might sound. All you need to do is to take two objects, events or concepts and compare them focusing on either differences or similarities. To support your views you, of course, need to apply logical arguments backed up with evidence, but that’s something you should be familiar with if you have any experience with academic writing. Choosing a topic for a compare and contrast essay is the first important step of the whole writing process. Here are some ideas for your consideration.

How to Choose a Topic

The fact that you have a free choice and can write about anything that comes to your mind might seem a bit simpler than it actually is. In reality, your potential topic should fulfill a number of requirements to transform into a good essay subject. First of all, it should be practical. Writing about something that doesn’t have any attraction and doesn’t spark any interest is a waste of time for any kind of writing.

Secondly, the topic should be interesting for you personally. If you’re given a chance to choose your own subject, take a full advantage of it and pick something that makes you excited to write about. The more passion you have for the subject, the easier it will be to come up with ideas. Finally, you should write about something you already have some knowledge of instead of investing all your time into starting a research from scratch.

Where to Look

If nothing crosses your mind, do not despair, there are lots of sources where you can find great topics that will grow into interesting essays. Newspapers and news channels are good for picking up topics about politics, current affairs, and financial issues. They usually give enough information to get a good grasp of the subject. Moreover, you can already use them as one of the sources and link some quotes in your essay. Magazines are more suitable for topics about lifestyle. They often already have some elements of comparing concepts but remember to use them only as an inspiration for choosing a topic.

Some Examples

Gadgets vs Paper Textbooks

Both means of studying and presenting information have numerous advantages and disadvantages so you can take your essay in any direction depending on your personal viewpoint.

Apple vs Android

The age-old question – what brand of phones is better? You’ll find passionate supporters of both so this topic has a lot of potential to spark a heated discussion.

American vs Korean Concepts of Beauty

Beauty is an extremely subjective concept so discussing the differences in how people perceive it means that you’ll always come up with a unique essay.

These topics are just some rough examples of what you can write about. Just remember that when given a choice to choose something for your own, make a use of it and write about a topic interesting for you.