A List of Helpful Topics for a Compare and Contrast Essay

Comparing and Contrasting is a great way to do an essay. It opens up a large realm of possibilities and can really expand an argument. Just keep in mind what your similarities and your differences are and you’ll be ok. But of course, to do that, you need to pick a topic. Well, fear not, here’s a helpful list for you to choose from:

• Holidays
• The Arts
• Lifestyle
• Old and young
• Poverty

• Holidays

Try comparing different holidays and how we celebrate them. Take Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, compare and contrast these two events. What’s similar to them, what’s different? Or why not compare how we celebrate Halloween to how other countries do it? Where does it originally come from and how does it differ today?

• The Arts

Why not take a look at how different people absorb art in different mediums. Music is everywhere, but why is Classical music not? Why do some people devour a book a week while others only go through one a year, if even? And where does TV fit in to all this? Is it storytelling, is it propaganda? Who watches TV and who watches movies?

• Lifestyle

Take a look at what it’s like to live in a city, a town, a suburb or a village. What’s the difference between a farmer and an office worker? How does one place of residence affect your health over another? Are cities better? Is the farm better? Are cities dirtier by nature? What about the work benefits of being near like-minded people?

• Old and Young

What it really better back in the day? Take a look at the cost of living then and now, at playing and eating habits, at marriage rates, divorce rates, death rates. Try to get a holistic look at what it meant to grow up sixty years ago and compare and contrast that to what it means to grow up today.

• Poverty

What does poverty mean and how do we define it? You can compare the poverty in America to that of some African nations and then see what the differences are. Or you can compare poverty to that of affluence. What is the lifestyle of the rich like compared to that of the poor? Os poverty endemic, can it really be changed with hard work and determination, or are there forces keeping people down?