what is a good idea for a compare and contrast essay?
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Compare and contrast the way native-born, tax paying real Americans see illegal immigration to the way those who flee their own country and live here illegally see it.
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When writing, make sure to pay careful attention to:\n\n1.SUBSTANCE\n\nSubstance refers to the content of the essay and the message you send out. It can be very hard to gauge in your own writing. One good way to make sure that you are saying what you think you are saying is to write down, briefly and in your own words, the general idea of your message. Then remove the introduction and conclusion from your essay and have an objective reader review what is left. Ask that person what he thinks is the general idea of your message. Compare the two statements to see how similar they are. This can be especially helpful if you wrote a narrative. It will help to make sure that you are communicating your points in the story. Here are some more questions to ask yourself regarding content.\n\nHave I answered the question asked?\n\nDo I back up each point that I make with an example? Have I used concrete and personal examples?\n\nHave I been specific? (Go on a generalities hunt. Turn the generalities into specifics.)\n\nCould anyone else have written this essay?\n\nWhat does it say about me? After making a list of all the words you have used within the essay -- directly and indirectly -- to describe yourself, ask: Does this list accurately represent me?\n\nDoes the writing sound like me? Is it personal and informal rather than uptight or stiff?\n\nRegarding the introduction, is it personal and written in my own voice? Is it too general? Can the essay get along without it?\n\n\n2.STRUCTURE\n\nTo check the overall structure of your essay, conduct a first-sentence check. Write down the first sentence of every paragraph in order. Read through them one after another and ask the following: \nWould someone who was reading only these sentences still understand exactly what I am trying to say? \nDo the first sentences express all of my main points? \nDo the thoughts flow naturally, or do they seem to skip around or come out of left field? \nNow go back to your essay as a whole and ask these questions: \nDoes each paragraph stick to the thought that was introduced in the first sentence? \nDoes a piece of evidence support each point? How well does the evidence support the point? \nIs each paragraph roughly the same length? Stepping back and squinting at the essay, do the paragraphs look balanced on the page? (If one is significantly longer than the rest, you are probably trying to squeeze more than one thought into it.) \nDoes my conclusion draw naturally from the previous paragraphs? \nHave I varied the length and structure of my sentences? \n\n\n3.INTEREST\n\nMany people think only of mechanics when they revise and rewrite their compositions. As we know, though, the interest factor is crucial in keeping the admissions officers reading and remembering your essay. Look at your essay with the interest equation in mind: personal + specific = interesting. Answer the following:\n\nIs the opening paragraph personal? \nDo I start with action or an image? \nDoes the essay show rather than tell? \nDid I use any words that are not usually a part of my vocabulary? (If so, get rid of them.) \nHave I used the active voice whenever possible? \nHave I overused adjectives and adverbs? \nHave I eliminated clichés? \nHave I deleted redundancies? \nDoes the essay sound interesting to me? (If it bores you, imagine what it will do to others.) \nWill the ending give the reader a sense of completeness? Does the last sentence sound like the last sentence? \n\n4.PROOFREADING\n\nWhen you are satisfied with the structure and content of your essay, it is time to check for grammar, spelling, typos, and the like. You can fix obvious things right away: a misspelled or misused word, a seemingly endless sentence, or improper punctuation. Keep rewriting until your words say what you want them to say. Ask yourself these questions:\n\nDid I punctuate correctly? \nDid I eliminate exclamation points (except in dialogue)? \nDid I use capitalization clearly and consistently? \nDo the sub
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What are your other choices? \n\nBasically, I'm asking "good in comparison to what?"\n\nBecause good in comparison to, say, MIT? No.
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you should write about mob mentality, how people do things they know are wrong or that they disagree with just because everyone else does it.  or something about following tradition despite moral or religious objection.
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TIPS ON WRITING A PHILOSOPHY PAPER \nhttp://www.cofc.edu/~portmord/tips.htm\n\nRacism in America Today\nhttp://elsegundousd.com/eshs/bayeagle/opinion/december/racism.htm\n\nChronology on the History of Slavery and Racism\nhttp://www.innercity.org/holt/slavechron.html
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The link below is a pretty good analyzes of the two with out favoring one or the other.  It was written in a method that even I can understand so you should be fine ;-)
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A ven diagram is a nice touch like ash said.  You can also just draw a vertical line in the middle of a sheet of paper.  On one side, list all the similarities and on the other side, write all the differences.  When writing your paper, you can either start stating the similarities or the differences first. \n\nIf you want to be creative, you can write one similarity and counter that similarity with a difference.  Keep on with that form until the end of your paper.\n\nGood luck
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You mean you want to write one?\n\nTry looking for examples from people who are in a field similar to yours, and imitate the format and style.  You can ask your professors, for example.
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write about what makes the school a great school and why you want to go there.   Include all the educational type stuff you can think of instead of things like "because it's the closest".\n\nWhat's the essay for?  If it is a class placement type thing where they want to see what level English you need, write about whatever you want to.  Double check your spelling, punctuation, run on sentences, etc
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It depends on what class this is for.  It is always best to write about something that interests you or something that you would like to learn more about.  There are a million possible topics to choose from!
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If I were a teacher, I'd like to read an essay about schools. The history of them, how they came about, how they compare to todays schools and tests. Maybe who the first teacher was, what they did to make school what it is today.
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Read the texts that you have to write on. Then read it again. Underline the main points. Take out 3 to 5 ideas that you disagree with and 3-5 points that that you agree with. Thensit down and write. If it is posible, write down how these ideas apply "now and here".
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Well, you say you want to do this yourself and that's great.  Compare means look at things they had in common.  Contrast means look at things they did differently.  Good luck.
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Sounds like an interesting essay\n\nhere is a good outline of stuff to consider\n\nhttp://www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199261246/01student/routes/11agri/
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compare and contrast....usually is a five paragraph essay.  Intro Body Conclusion\nThe body is three paragraphs....first compare (likenesses) then contrast (differences) and then any other point you'd like to address (author's purpose/point of view etc).  Intro is when you tell the reader what they are going to read and Conclusion is you tell the reader what they already read....you don't introduce new ideas in an intro or conclusion.  I hope that helps.
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Whatever you are evaluating (you were not very specific!)should be something you actually know about and care about. Did you truly like and enjoy a poem, essay or book? If so why? Think of something you can be specific about, that is, what you can give details about and about which you can make supportive statements besides saying that you iked it.
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http://www.english.bham.ac.uk/staff/tom/teaching/howto/essay.htm