When assigning this type of essay, a professor usually wants you to analyze two subjects. You will need to state clearly their common points and differences. Not everyone realizes that the importance of your essay lays in what hides behind your work, that is, why you decided to examine these things and what your outcome or judgement is. This is how to proceed.
Choose Your Subject Wisely
If your professor did not assign an exact topic, it is your chance to let creativity flow. The topics of this type of essay may include “Harry Potter: books vs. movies”, “American vs British political systems”, “hardcover vs. paperback”.
The amazing thing is, you can choose to compare two subjects that seem to have nothing in common at all. For example salmon and crocodiles, despite being animals of different species, both lay eggs. In our essay, we will focus on comparing homemade ice cream and ice cream from the store.
Find Your Content
Something that is indispensable for you to write the essay in no time is a list of your comparisons. The circles of a Venn diagram, a table with the listed features side by side, or even the technique of brainstorming are all perfect ways to get started.
Seeing clearly your key words will help you when you start on your essay. If you are unsure on what to write about, you can research the topic or consult with your professor for help. For example:
- Homemade ice cream: natural, time-consuming, fun, cheap, requires equipment;
- Store ice cream: accessible, varied, expensive, uses unknown ingredients.
Mind the Structure
To build your paper cohesively you may choose two of the many types of structuring. The first one includes a comparison based on different criteria. Every part of your work should contain a certain aspect of the comparison. For example:
- Point 1: Ingredients and equipment.
- Point 2: Time-consumption.
- Point 3: Manufacturing process.
Another way to set your arguments in line can be based on the direct comparison of your subjects. Pay attention to these examples:
- Point 1: Similarities. (Both homemade and store-bought ice cream are delicious.);
- Point 2: Differences. (Homemade ice cream is natural, store-bought is accessible.);
- Point 3: Conclusion.
Each organization has its pros and cons and the reader will get a unique impression of your work based on what type of structure you will choose.
Make It Meaningful
Of course, you could compare anything at all, but focus on the point you want to make. Imagine that after your comparison, a person in the non-existent audience raises their hand and asks: “So what?”.
Do not try to be self-explanatory, and rather focus on answering why your work was meaningful. In the case of ice cream, you could provide the argument that homemade ice cream is better, because one takes direct part in the manufacturing process and thus can guarantee that the ingredients will be healthy and safe.
A Great Example of a Comparative Essay
Seems like such a simple and exciting article to write is not it? The problem is, the simpler is a topic of an essay, the harder it is to write on it as you do not want to sound dumb when writing neither cannot you use a scientific language to describe such theme.
Therefore, we have collected you some main points you should definitely mention when writing a comparative essay on homemade and store-bought essay.
- Imagine a cooking process. Take a look into your mom’s kitchen and try to reflect the ice cream making process. If you succeed you need to take all the calculations and provide them in your essay. Nothing is better than a chance to experiment especially when the product of the experiment is so tasty;
- An excursion to an ice cream factory. If you have a possibility, do not pass by and take a look at how an ice cream is being made to depict it later in your essay;
- Children are the best judges! Make a survey inviting young children on an experiment. For it to be truly genuine, do not tell the “judges” where which ice cream is but mark them with figures for you to understand. Thoroughly notate everything they depict when tasting different kinds of ice cream and be very objective with your results.
For example, if you bought a vanilla ice cream for an experiment, make a homemade one also adding extracts of vanilla to the results to be equal;
- Bear in mind the preservation dates. In order that the outcome is totally true you need to state all possible defects and advantages of both types. So, warm them up, freeze them and do everything permanently observing the effect not to watch through any possible difference;
- Write everything down very accurately and do not forget to include some brief history so that the readers dive into an essay at once;
- If you still have time (and strength) create a plan of your own perfect ice cream just for fun and based on a survey you did in class. Treat people with ice cream and let them decide by themselves how good you did your job.
Depict the nearest future of an ice cream: what will be added? How will it look like? How long will it be able to last? Will it be ever not melting? Based on a great research you did already in order to write your comparative essay you will have much more knowledge of what is included and what should be included in a good ice cream. Therefore, do not be afraid and boldly add it to your essay to make it even more fascinating.
We also would recommend you to consult you professor before handing an essay. He or she will definitely give you a few useful tips on how to improve it even more and leave you and all the readers completely satisfied with it!