Choosing a Strong Topic
The topic you choose will have a major impact on the quality of your compare/contrast essay. A strong topic gives you enough complexity to move beyond obvious similarities and differences and develop meaningful ideas about the two subjects.
For this assignment, you will generally compare two people or two systems or institutions. Your comparison should give you an opportunity to examine characteristics, experiences, approaches, effects, or other meaningful aspects of the subjects.
Avoid Overly Simple Topics
Avoid topics in which the similarities and differences are mostly obvious or factual. For example:
❌ An apple vs. a banana
❌ A bicycle vs. a car
It is possible to develop sophisticated comparisons involving subjects like these, but that is not the type of compare/contrast writing we are focusing on for this assignment.
Instead, your subjects should allow you to examine some degree of complexity. For this assignment, choose subjects that allow for a meaningful, complex comparison. Your subjects might involve people, groups or communities, systems or institutions, practices or approaches, experiences or ways of life, ideas or perspectives, or policies and programs. Whatever you choose, your comparison should go beyond obvious facts and allow you to examine similarities or differences that have significance, consequences, or impact.
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Choose Subjects That Belong Together
Your two subjects should have a logical basis for comparison. In other words, there should be a reason it makes sense to examine them together.
Two people might occupy similar roles, share an important experience, come from similar backgrounds, or have taken very different approaches to comparable circumstances. Two institutions or systems might serve similar purposes, affect similar populations, or address the same need in different ways.
The subjects do not have to be extremely similar. They simply need enough of a meaningful connection to make comparing them worthwhile.
Keep the Scope Manageable
Your subjects should be specific enough to examine within the length of the assignment. Very broad subjects can make it difficult to develop a focused comparison. Instead of trying to compare two enormous categories, narrow the subjects or the context of the comparison so that you can discuss them meaningfully within one essay.
Make Sure You Know Enough
Choose subjects you understand well enough to discuss specifically and accurately. If you know very little about one of your subjects, you may struggle to move beyond generalizations.
This is especially important when comparing people. Your essay should be based on what you actually know or can reasonably support—not assumptions about someone’s personality, motives, background, or experiences.
Choose Something That Interests You
You’ll spend a significant amount of time thinking about and developing your comparison, so choose subjects that genuinely interest you. Interest in your topic can make it easier to explore your subjects more deeply, identify meaningful connections, and develop ideas beyond the obvious.
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Look for Potential Significance
Before committing to a topic, ask yourself:
“What might my reader understand better by examining these two subjects together?”
You do not need to know your final thesis yet. However, a promising topic should give you the sense that there is something worth discovering or explaining beyond “these two things are similar and different.”
For example, a comparison might eventually reveal how two people respond differently to similar challenges, how different lifestyles affect priorities, or how two institutions accomplish similar goals in different ways.
When in Doubt, Ask
Choosing an overly simple topic—or treating a potentially complex topic in an overly simple way—may result in a lower grade on the assignment.
If you are unsure whether your topic is appropriate or sufficiently complex, email your instructor for approval before you begin writing. It is much easier to adjust a topic before you have written an entire draft.
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Need Help Choosing a Topic?
Not sure what to write about? Explore 15 topic ideas that are appropriate for this assignment, along with possible directions for developing each comparison.
English 1301: Compare/Contrast Essay 