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Compare/Contrast Papers

Outlines, tips, and prewriting skills for compare/contrast paper or assignments.

What is Point by Point?

The most popular form of compare/contrast papers, Point by Point Outlines focus on the topics of similarities or differences and then view each item in comparison. This method can support any number of items to compare as it will be the topics that form the paragraphs.

Outline and Example of Point by Point

1. Introduction
     a. Introduce Items (works/objects)
     b. Thesis Statement
          i.Topic 1
          ii. Topic 2
          iii. Topic 3
          iv. Etc.
2. Topic 1
     a. Summary of Topic
          i. Relation to Item 1
          ii. Relation to Item 2
          iii. Etc.
3. Topic 2
     a. Summary of Topic
          i. Relation to Item 1
          ii. Relation to Item 2
          iii. Etc.
4. Topic 3...4...5...etc.
     a. Summary of Topic
          i. Relation to Item 1
          ii. Relation to Item 2
          iii. Etc.
5. Conclusion
     a. Restate Thesis
     b. Summarize how you proved your argument

1. Introduction
     a. Introduce Items
          i. First Work – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy had ample preparation time, budget, and a generous release schedule but used practical effects to attain greater realism and focused more on story telling rather than “filmable moments” that added little to the plot.
          ii. Second Work – The Hobbit Trilogy did not have the preparation time, budget, or generous release schedule in order to be successful films.
     b. Thesis Statement
          i. When comparing the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Hobbit Trilogy, it is clear that preparation time, budget, special effects, and a well-spaced release schedule can have a tremendous effect on film quality.  
2. Preparation Time
     a. Hobbit Trilogy Examples
     b. Lord of the Rings Examples
3. Budget
     a. Hobbit Trilogy Examples
     b. Lord of the Rings Examples

4. Release Schedule
     a. Hobbit Trilogy Examples
     b. Lord of the Rings Examples
5. 
Practical Effects/CGI
     a. Hobbit Trilogy Examples
     b. Lord of the Rings Examples
6. Conclusion
    a. Restate Thesis
    b. Summarize how you proved your argument