Study Notes: The Comparative Essay

Definition: A comparative essay is a writing assignment that requires the comparison of at least two items, and potentially more depending on the specific prompt.
Fundamental Assumption: Even if an assignment only uses the word "compare," there is a built-in expectation that the writer will consider both similarities and differences. This process is often referred to as comparing and contrasting.
Potential Subjects for Comparison: The types of items to be compared depend on the field of study and the specific assignment. Examples include:
- Positions on an issue: For example, comparing responses to midwifery in Canada and the United States.
- Theories: For example, comparing capitalism and communism.
- Figures: For example, comparing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United States and Britain.
- Texts: For example, comparing William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth.
- Events: For example, comparing the Great Depression and the global financial crisis of $2008–9$ .

Definition: The basis for comparison is the specific theme, concern, device, or attribute that serves as the common ground for the items being analyzed.
Provided by the Essay Question: In some cases, the prompt explicitly states the basis for comparison.
- Example: A question might ask the writer to consider the "figure of the gentleman" in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations and Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.
Developed by the Writer: If the question simply asks to compare two items (e.g., "compare these two novels"), the writer must identify a common element to draw out similarities and differences.
- Critical Thinking Process: After identifying the basis, the writer should compile a list of specific differences and similarities.
- Specific Example: In comparing the "gentleman" figure in the novels mentioned above, a writer might find that in Great Expectations, being a true gentleman is defined by morality rather than manners or social position. Conversely, in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, being a gentleman is defined by hard work and productivity rather than luxury and self-indulgence.

Relative Weight: A comparative thesis should reflect whether the similarities outweigh the differences or vice versa.
Complex Thesis Strategy: A sophisticated thesis statement often acknowledges both similarities and differences.
Case 1: Differences Outweigh Similarities:
- Example: "While Callaghan’s ‘All the Years of Her Life’ and Mistry’s ‘Of White Hairs and Cricket’ both follow the conventions of the coming-of-age narrative, Callaghan’s story adheres more closely to these conventions by allowing its central protagonist to mature. In Mistry’s story, by contrast, no real growth occurs."
Case 2: Similarities Outweigh Differences:
- Example: "Although Darwin and Lamarck came to different conclusions about whether acquired traits can be inherited, they shared the key distinction of recognizing that species evolve over time."

Structure: The writer identifies related points common to both subject A and subject B and alternates between them throughout the body paragraphs (ABABAB…).
Organizational Example (Comparison of French and Russian Revolutions):
- Paragraph 1 in body: New technology and the French Revolution (A).
- Paragraph 2 in body: New technology and the Russian Revolution (B).
- Paragraph 3 in body: Military strategy and the French Revolution (A).
- Paragraph 4 in body: Military strategy and the Russian Revolution (B).
- Paragraph 5 in body: Administrative system and the French Revolution (A).
- Paragraph 6 in body: Administrative system and the Russian Revolution (B).
Key Considerations:
- Subjects A and B do not need to be similar in these areas; they can be dissimilar, provided there is something noteworthy to say about both regarding the specific point.
- The subject matter determines the number of points; writers are not restricted to three pairs.
Advantages of the Alternating Method:
- Preferred by many professors.
- Highlights similarities and differences effectively by juxtaposing points.
- Produces a more tightly integrated and analytical paper.
- Requirement: Must be able to identify clearly related points between A and B, otherwise the method may feel counterproductive.

Structure: The writer discusses all aspects of subject A first, followed by all aspects of subject B (AAABBB).
Organizational Example (Comparison of French and Russian Revolutions):
- Paragraphs 1–3 in body: How the French Revolution encouraged or thwarted innovation.
- Paragraphs 4–6 in body: How the Russian Revolution encouraged or thwarted innovation.
Maintaining Cohesion: To prevent the essay from feeling like two disconnected pieces, the "B block" (the second half) must refer back to the "A block."
- Connective Phrasing: Use transitions such as "Unlike A, B…" or "Like A, B…" to maintain critical engagement and continuity.
When to Use the Block Method:
- If points about A and B are not closely related.
- If ideas regarding B build upon or extend the ideas presented regarding A.
- If the essay is comparing three or more subjects instead of the traditional two.