5 compare and contrast essay topics to stay away from


Student are always assigned compare and contrast essays, it’s one of the easiest ways for a teacher to determine if a student understand the material they have been assigned.  However, sometimes the compare and contrast essay can become redundant and stale.  Students can avoid this by never using the following essay topics ideas.

Topics to Avoid


  • Personal Experiences: Students should avoid using a personal experience in contrast with a topic that has been a taught, is a bad idea. One a student adds in personal experience with a topic of discussion, the paper loses its academic or professional voice. This voice must be in a paper of academia to express the amount of knowledge a person has.
  • Dissimilar topics: If the student picks a two subjects that are so vastly similar, they will be grasping at straws to make them connect in the comparison. This will then make the paper very weak and result in a bad grade.
  • Too Similar Topics: If topics are too similar, then there will be no contrast. The key to a good compare and contrast essay is two subjects that balance each other. Topics that are too similar, will lead to a boring paper. If a student is comparing two restaurants, they should not both be fast food plates.
  • Value Judgments: Avoid all topics that require a value judgment, because these have no place in an academic paper. Value judgment should not be made in academic paper. Also value judgment take away strength of the paper. The student should be able to show both sides of the topics, so that the value judgment can be made by the reader.
  • Easy Topics: The student, who doesn't take the time to find a deeper comparison and contrast topic but goes for the easy one, is a student who won’t do well. The student can’t take the obvious answer. If the assignment is two books, one should not just compare and contrast the characters, but take a deeper tactic with the theme of the stories.

Avoiding these five compare and contrast essay topics will allow students to have a better chance to create a compare and contrast that will impress their teacher or professor. The students essay will be a better and more rounded paper. Having these topics not addressed in a student's paper, will make sure that the student keeps a professional and formal sounding voice. It will also aid the student with a strong point of view.