100 Ideas for Writing Your Best Compare and Contrast Essay

Not always a topic of an essay is given by a teacher or academic program. Sometimes, you have to decide on it independently. That may sound a bit confusing! However, we offer to think about it as about a great opportunity to express your creativity and to improve your writing and thinking skills!

Compare and Contrast Essay

Sometimes, choosing a topic may look easy. However, it’s almost as important as the rest of the work. Banal or boring topic can’t let you write an excellent essay. Imagine that the topic is a base of the whole essay and the rest of your work will depend on how good, easy and exciting the theme is.

No need to be worried, we have some good news for you! Just like anything else in your academic life, choosing a topic can be a great skill and valuable experience that you can train and develop. For this purpose, we’ve created a short, easy but a very helpful guide that includes some general recommendations and ideas for inspiration!

Main Principles of Writing Your Essay

Are you confused about your new assignment? Don’t worry, most students feel embarrassed when they have to deal with a new type of work! Little knowledge is exactly what can help in your situation!

So, what is a compare and contrast essay? This type of writing work is aimed at comparing two different subjects, people or phenomena. You have to analyze both of them and point on the most logical differences and similarities between them.

Sometimes, you speak more about common features, other times – about the difference between the two discussed objects. You can also write about both common things and differences and then balance these features.

Just like any other essay, compare and contrast essay consists of three major parts:

Introduction (including thesis);
Body paragraph (with subparagraphs);
Final Conclusion.

Sources to Choose a Topic for Your Essay

Choosing a topic starts with careful thinking and searching for some great sources of information. Remember, for a great topic it’s not enough to coincide with the main point of your studied discipline only, it also shall be:

Interesting for you
This is never the main rule, however, experience shows that students feel more motivated to work with the topics that appear interesting to them. More motivation and interest mean faster and better result and more fun while writing. Isn’t it a perfect formula?
Popular and understandable for others
Choosing a topic, you shall be sure that your target auditory is able to understand what you talk about. Moreover, it’s better to choose a topic that is interesting to others, not only to yourself.
Studied enough
If you choose a very innovative or very controversial topic, you may face a lack of information that is needed for your essay. Be sure you are about to work on a theme that is well studied, and there are a lot of free and accessible information sources that can be useful.

Now, when you know ‘what’ to look for, it’s time to think ‘where’ to look for it. Don’t concentrate on academic books only, think about different sources to get inspired:

Newspapers
Many progressive students may think that the paper press is an old fashioned and even outdated way to get information. However, this time you may have an extra reason for buying a fresh newspaper: it’s a great source of getting some ideas for your compare and contrast essay.
Moreover, many journalists like writing articles where they compare different realities, cultures, presidents, celebrities, etc.
News Channel
Who told you that watching TV is a bad idea when you have to write your essay? Put your pen aside and switch your TV on. News channels are great sources of ideas for your future essay!
Magazines
Not always there’s a mood for reading a newspaper or watching a news channel! Have you got your favorite magazine with you? Entertaining articles and bright pictures can also bring some great ideas.
Maybe your topic will be less serious and funnier than those that are often chosen for the political newspaper. Why not?
Internet
The Internet is the biggest source of ideas for any type of essay. Moreover, it can bring you some alternative solutions: forums with millions of tips and advice from the students, lists of samples of the topics, professional writing teams that are ready to write your essay for you.
The only disadvantage is the amount of junk information you can probably find. It can take some extra time and make your choice more difficult.
Things Outside
Can’t find a topic for your essay? Get out of your house! Nowadays there are so many scientific exhibitions, galleries, art-cafes and open seminars that can give you some joy, knowledge, and interesting ideas for writing an essay. Moreover, some fresh air and little activity will stimulate your brain for more effective work!

Some Professional Wisdom

The feeling when you choose a topic, start to work with it, and then get disappointed about your choice is familiar to many students. But you can easily avoid it, thinking in a more organized way about a topic you are about to choose:

Don’t be in a hurry to start writing as soon as you find a topic. It’s better to give your brain some time to relax and then to think about your assignment again. Perhaps, in an hour or in a day your topic won’t appear same interesting to you.
Choose several topics, before picking one up. It’s good if you decided on a topic easily. Now, try to think about two or three topics more. Your topics can have lots in common, there’s no problem with it. Write your topics down and analyze each one.
Make a short plan of your future essay. Making a short plan is a great test for your chosen topic. If you can see the structure and the main concept of your future essay easily – your topic is chosen correctly.

List of Topics for Your Compare and Contrast Essay

Topics on Famous People

There are interesting characters in every field and each profession. You can easily choose two famous people to compare and to speak about.

Moreover, celebrities and outstanding people always cause great interest of society. Choosing a topic about two famous characters you have a great chance to attract the attention of your target audience.

Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla. Compare the two great scientists and their investigation in the development of sciences.
Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Find out the similarities and differences between the two artists.
Celine Dion and Madonna. Speak how different the popular pop singers are and how important both of them are for the development of the modern pop culture.
Batman and Spiderman. Compare two popular characters of comic books and how successful creation of their images was.
Obama and Tramp. Compare the ruling strategies of two leaders of the country, their images, and positions.
Mister Bin and Charlie Chaplin. Compare the characters and their personalities.
Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Show the similarities of the two leaders who represent opposite camps.
Plato and Socrates. Check how important these two philosophers are and what is their place in modern science.
Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin. The two popular characters of the American TV shows have a lot of common features, try to find out how similar the characters are.
Othello and Hamlet. Compare two of the most popular characters created by Shakespeare.

Topics on Religion, History and Culture

Topics that are connected with religion, culture, and history can be very interesting and controversial. However, choosing a topic, you shall be sure it’s not banned for discussion. Often it’s not tolerant to discuss some religious issues or cultural differences.

First World War Vs Second World War. This is quite a common topic for essays and discussion, however, if you are creative you can make it very interesting and informative. There are many aspects to speak about.
Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. These two countries and civilizations are often compared or even mixed. However, if you study the theme deeper, you can easily prove that the countries and cultures were very different and unique.
Catholics and Orthodox. Christianity has several branches that differ from each other. Find out how the two main branches of the religion differ, while still having the same basis.
American Revolution and French Revolution. These two great revolutions took place almost at the same time, they have resembling causes, however, still stay very different.
President Kennedy and President Tramp. How the two presidents of the same country can be compared.
Greek and Roman Mythology. The mythologies are so similar that they have even been mixed and combined. However, if you investigate the topic, you may see and prove that they are different in many aspects.
Communism and Capitalism. Many people believe that there is nothing common about communism and capitalism. However, you can find out a lot of similarities between the two aspects.
Fascism and Nazism. Find out the difference between these two concepts and discover why they are so often used to express the same things.
Life in the 18th century and modern life. What are the main cultural differences between the modern life and life of society in the 18th century?
Role of the religion in modern life and in the life of people 200 years ago. Some of the aspects of religion stay unchanged for many centuries, however, the sphere and level of its influence often change. Compare which role the religion played in the life of people who lived before and those who live in modern times.

Topics on Policy

The policy is an endless source of inspiration when it is about writing an essay and looking for a topic. There are many aspects that can be discussed.

Political regime in China Vs political regime in Korea. Oriental countries often have a lot of common features in their culture, cuisine, mentality of people, and their way of life. However, it’s not necessary that their political regimes are similar too. Compare the policy of China with a political regime in Korea.
Syrian revolution Vs Libyan revolution. A number of great revolutions started in Arabic word approximately at the same time. However, each country had very different consequences of the revolution. Official reasons of the revolutions that happened in Libya and in Syria are quite similar, however, their results are absolutely different. Compare these two revolutions.
The immigrant policy of the USA Vs the immigration policy in the UK. These two countries are often compared. They are also called two of the most popular countries for immigration. However, the immigrant policies of the countries differ greatly. Speak about these differences and their effectiveness.
Al Qaeda Vs ISIS. There are two terroristic organizations that have many common features. Compare them in order to find out which group of terrorists is more dangerous to global peace.
Modern political regime in your country Vs policy of the 50’s. Compare how different the policy was a decade ago.
Civil unions Vs registered marriages. Compare the two possible ways of partnership and its possible influence on the political image of a country.
Credit Cards Vs debit cards. Bank cards often have similar functions and can be used for the same purposes. However, the popularity of credit or debit cards among citizens can influence the banking system and economy of the country greatly.
President of the USA Vs Prime Minister of the UK. Many people tend to think that the meaning of the president in the USA is almost equal to the role of Prime Minister in Britain. Show the difference that only a few people realize.
Canadian Legal System Vs Legal System in The USA. Canada and the USA are often compared in different articles and reports. While having a lot in common, their legal systems have some different core moments that are interesting to discuss.
Life Sentence Vs death penalty. Legal punishment is aimed not only at punishing a criminal but also at preventing other potential criminals from committing crimes. A risk of being punished stops some people from hurting others. What can work better for that?

Topics for Students of the 6th Grade

Students of the 6th grade are often advised to choose simpler topics. In this case, teachers give the task to practice some critical thinking, writing skills and to prepare for more complicated themes in the future.

Being an only child or having siblings: what is better.
Cats Vs dogs: which animal makes a better pet.
Pure water Vs juice: which drinks are healthier.
Christmas Vs birthday: which holiday is better.
Traveling by plane Vs traveling by car: which way of traveling is eco-friendlier.
Living in the city Vs living in a village: what gives more chances to feel happy.
Tennis Vs ping-pong: how the types of sport differ.
Watching a movie or reading a book: what brings more fun.
Cats and lions: similarities and differences.
Summer Vs winter: which season is better and brings more fun.

Topics for Middle School Students

Watching films at cinema Vs watching films at home: what is the best way to realize the message of a movie.
Role models of 90’s Vs modern role models: are there significant changes?
Parents Vs teachers: whose influence on teenagers is more important.
Hurricanes Vs tsunami: what is more dangerous.
Bicycle Vs car: what is more difficult to deal with?
British cuisine Vs American cuisine: which food is healthier.
Office work Vs freelance: what is the best way to earn money.
Having rest in mountains or near to the sea.
Shopping online Vs shopping in malls: what is more comfortable.
Traveling inside your country Vs traveling around the world: what gives more valuable experience.

Topics for High School Students

Novels Vs poetry: what is a better way of sending a message to other people.
Exams at high schools Vs exams in college: what is more difficult and more important.
Traditional education Vs online education: what can be more effective.
Modern beauty standards Vs beauty standards of the previous century.
Educational system in the USA Vs educational system in China: what is better and more effective.
Modern home design Vs home design of 50’s.
Working Vs unemployed students: who chose the correct strategy.
American English and British English: how the two languages differ.
SAT or TOEFL: which test is better for evaluating knowledge of the language.
Human Vs animal: how different we are.

Topics for College Students

Living with parents or living alone. Think about the most comfortable way of living for a young student.
High school Vs college: which educational stage plays the greatest role for young people.
Conventional classes Vs remote study: what is better and more comfortable.
Beginning Vs end of an academic year: what is more stressful for students.
Part-time job Vs a job for a season: what is better to choose for a student.
Learning with books or audio lessons: what is better and more practical.
Living alone Vs living with friends: what is better for a student.
School friendship Vs college friendship: which types of friends are more loyal.
Eating habits of college students Vs eating habits of high school pupils: whose food is healthier.
Choosing the most popular profession Vs choosing a profession that you enjoy: what is the right path to success.

Easy and Popular Topics

Complex topics can give you some extra points and chances to intrigue your readers. However, sometimes there’s simply no mood or no serious reason to spend too much time on working with a difficult theme.

Some simple topics can become a universal solution in a case you are in search of a topic for your essay.

Daytime Vs nighttime: what is the best time for traveling.
Fruit Vs vegetables: what brings more benefit to one’s health.
Madrid or Barcelona: which Spanish city is better to choose.
Taxi Vs bus: what is the best transport mean for travelers.
Healthy sleep vs healthy food: what is more critical for staying healthy.
Female policeman Vs male policeman: is there a difference who works in the police?
Yoga or swimming: what is a better way of staying fit.
Building a career or making a family: what is more important in life.
iPhone or Android: which OS is better.
Textbook Vs electronic devices: what is better for study.

Objects to Compare

Before choosing a topic for your essay, think about simple objects that you’d like to compare. This can inspire you and help you to come up with some additional ideas about your writing work.

Mythology Vs religion.
Business Vs freelance.
Sports Vs dancing.
Classic music Vs pop music.
Europe Vs America.
Communism Vs capitalism.
Books Vs films.
Canada Vs the USA.
Schools Vs colleges.
Poetry Vs prose.

Why Seeing Some Examples of Essays Is a Good Idea

Some students think that seeing some essay samples and borrowing interesting ideas from them is equal to plagiarism. In fact, looking through some samples is a great way to improve your writing skills and to learn how to evaluate your own essay, comparing it to others. It has no relation to copying or plagiarism.
You can easily find some essay samples on the internet or ask your teacher to show you some essays that can inspire you.

When Academic Assistance Is Needed

Sometimes little knowledge helps you to cope with your writing assignment easily. However, there are also cases when you feel that you can’t cope with a task on your own.
If you feel difficulties, choosing a topic for your essay or writing the essay itself, no need to panic. You still have a great chance to get an excellent mark for your writing paper. Our essay writing service can help you to deal with a difficult writing assignment anytime you need!