200 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

Any time an essay assignment requires a student to examine the relationship between two or more topics, it is called a compare and contrast essay.

This form of essay is most commonly assigned to students in literature, history, and social studies. Typically, when writing a compare and contrast essay, students have the most trouble coming up with a topic that will satisfy both parts of this type of essay.

Fortunately, this guide will cover 200 compare and contrast essay topics and helpful tips on writing this type of essay.

Essential Elements of a Compare and Contrast Essay

Unlike other types of essays that talk about one subject or are designed to convince readers of something, a compare and contrast essay has one specific goal – to show the relationship between two objects or ideas.

To do this, students must choose two topics related to each other to draw comparable and contrasting points of view. For example, a compare and contrast essay that examines the relationship between a political figure and the price of gas won’t be very effective because the two topics are entirely unrelated.

Put simply, if you were to compare and contrast these two items, there wouldn’t be anything to write about. However, it would be more effective if you compared and contrasted something like gasoline prices during a presidential campaign or an election with the cost of gas at another time.

Another essential element of a compare and contrast essay includes specific phrases known as signal words. Signal words allow the reader to understand that the author is shifting from one topic to another as well as the relationship between them. Signal words include:

• additionally
• although
• despite
• likewise
• moreover
• similarly
• as well as
• both
• in common with
• as a result
• nevertheless
• at the same time
• however

These words will help add a fluid transition between thoughts so that the reader isn’t confused by which point you are trying to emphasize.

How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay

When it comes to writing a compare and contrast essay, it is easiest to start with creating an outline using a Venn Diagram. A Venn Diagram is a chart with two or more overlapping circles, one for each topic’s specific qualities. The overlapping section of the diagram is for the similarities between the two topics.

Once a student has outlined the two topics and their similarities, it is time to move on to the actual writing.

Introduction

When writing the introduction to a compare and contrast essay, it is essential to start with a “hook.” A hook is a bold statement or question that gets the reader’s attention and causes them to want to know the answer.

After the hook, the intro should include background info on the two subjects and then follow with a thesis that ties together why these two topics are being compared and contrasted.

Body

Each paragraph should focus on a specific aspect of the topic. The paragraphs aren’t about proving or disproving anything; they are used to highlight the similarities and differences between the two items.

All body paragraphs should start with a topic sentence and then follow with:

• Two sentences that compare
• Two sentences that contrast
• A final sentence that ties the two together

Depending on the length of your essay, you may need to cover similarities in a few paragraphs, then differences in a few paragraphs before writing a final section that ties the two together.

Conclusion

The conclusion of a compare and contrast essay should include final insights and a reiteration of the thesis statement. In addition, the conclusion should reinforce why you chose to compare and contrast two different topics or objects.

For example, if your essay compares a superhero and a sidekick, then the conclusion might talk about how both the hero and the sidekick have strengths and weaknesses that make them strong together as a team.

It is important to note that a conclusion shouldn’t introduce new ideas not previously mentioned in the essay. Doing so will cause the reader to doubt your argument and question why you didn’t include that information earlier if it was so important.

200 Compare and Contrast Essay Topic Ideas

Using the information above with any of these 200 compare and contrast essay topics will ensure that you write an engaging and interesting paper that will impress your instructor and earn you the grade you need to pass your class and earn your degree.

IT & Computer Science Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

1. Typing v. handwriting papers
2. Cellphones v. laptops
3. Computer hackers v. computer security specialists
4. Computer memory chips v. hard drive storage capacity
5. Windows v. Linux
6. JAVA v. C++
7. Online shopping v. in-store shopping
8. Facebook v. Twitter
9. Computer games v. console games
10. Computer viruses v. anti-virus software
11. Software v. hardware
12. Google v. Bing
13. Video editing tools v. photo editing tools
14. Siri v. Google Now
15. 3D printers v. machine manufacturing
16. Netflix v. Hulu Plus
17. Wireless v. Ethernet
18. Routine computer maintenance v. software updates
19. Online courses v. in-person lectures
20. Cyberbullying v. direct bullying

Political Science Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

21. Incumbent president v. presidential challenger
22. U.S. presidential election v. U.S. congressional election
23. Congressional basic salary v House of Representatives salary
24. Legislative branch budget v Executive Branch budget
25. Presidential veto power v Congressional override
26. Unelected government officials v Elected government officials
27. Capitalism v. Communism
28. Communism v. Socialism
29. Democracy v. Monarchy
30. Presidential term length v. Senator term lengths
31. Federalism v. Nationalism
32. Constitutional monarchy v. Republic
33. Freedom of speech and press v. hate speech and libel laws
34. Western Europe countries v. Eastern European countries
35. Affirmative action v. anti-discrimination law
36. The political system of the UK v. The political system of the USA
37. Free trade v. tariffs
38. Voting rights v. campaign finance laws
39. Lobbyists v. special interest groups
40. Capital punishment v. life imprisonment
41. Executive orders v. signed legislation
42. Obstructionism v. bipartisanship
43. The New Deal v. The Great Society programs
44. Political partisanship v. party unity

Philosophy Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

45. Religious beliefs v. spiritual beliefs
46. Nihilism v. nihilistic tendencies
47. Epistemology v. ontology
48. Reductionism v. holism
49. Dualism v. monism
50. Supernatural causation v. natural causation
51. Ethics of belief v. ethics of action
52. Life after death experiences vs. near-death experiences
53. Afterlife consequences v. consequences in the here and now
54. Subjectivity v. objectivity
55. Theism v. deism
56. Atheists and agnostics v. the religious and spiritual
57. Existentialism vs. existential nihilism
58. Philosophical skepticism vs. practical skepticism
59. Ethical relativism v. moral absolutism
60. Philosophical pessimism v. philosophical optimism
61. Ontological idealism vs. ontological realism
62. Epistemological empiricism v. epistemological rationalism
63. Cartesian duality v. Kantian duality
64. Eastern philosophy v. Western philosophy
65. Feminist philosophy v. Feminist epistemology
66. Animal rights v. Human rights
67. Philosophical anarchism vs. philosophical minarchism

Economics Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

68. Supply and demand v. price controls
69. Microeconomics v. Macroeconomics
70. Inflation v. deflation
71. Taxation v. Tax evasion
72. Poverty traps vs. poverty cycles
73. Economic bubbles v. economic depressions
74. Money laundering v. tax havens
75. Debt ceiling limits vs. debt limit increases
76. Keynesian economics v. Monetarism
77. The Federal Reserve System v. The People’s Republic of China currency market
78. Capital accumulation v. capital consumption
79. Market failure vs. government failure
80. Stagflation v. Hyperinflation
81. Economic growth v. economic development
82. Welfare state v. laissez-faire economy
83. Keynesian economics v. radical Keynesianism
84. Capitalist economies v. socialist economies
85. Social market economies vs. social democracies
86. Economic stimulus vs. fiscal austerity
87. Tax-and-transfer policies vs. price floors and ceilings
88. Command and control economy v. planned economy
89. Economic sanctions v. economic warfare
90. Free market capitalism v. progressive capitalism
91. Socialism and welfare v. neoliberalism and globalization

Education Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

92. College v. Trade school
93. Public school v. Private school
94. Montesori method v. Waldorf method
95. Group projects v. individual work
96. Standardized tests v. unique assessments
97. Multiple-choice exams vs. essays and papers
98. Education costs v. education benefits
99. Classroom discipline v. classroom safety
100. Teacher credentialing and certification tests v. transcript-based hiring
101. Homeschooling v. public education
102. Education majors vs. liberal arts majors
103. Athletic scholarships vs. academic scholarships
104. Multi-year scholarships vs. one-year scholarships
105. Special education v. gifted education
106. Curriculum planning and construction v. curriculum implementation
107. Accreditation standards for colleges and universities v. accreditation standards for primary schools and secondary schools
108. Alternative teacher certification programs vs. traditional teacher certification programs
109. School vouchers v. school funding without government intervention

Science Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

110. Scientific method v. pseudoscience
111. Alternative medicine v. pharmaceutical treatment
112. Evolutionary biology vs. creationism
113. Biological determinism vs. free will
114. Gut feelings v. thinking things through
115. The double-blind experimental design in pharmaceutical research v. self-experimentation
116. Astrology v. astronomy
117. Alternative energy sources v. traditional energy sources
118. Global warming v. global cooling
119. Fusion power vs. fission power
120. Aerospace engineering vs. rocketry and space travel
121. Nuclear weapons testing v. nuclear power generation
122. Psychiatric drugs v. psychoanalysis and other forms of therapy for mental disorders
123. Solid, liquid, gas v. plasma
124. Positive reinforcement vs. negative reinforcement
125. Surface tension v. surface energy
126. Covalent bonds v. ionic bonds
127. Newtonian-Einsteinian physics vs. quantum mechanics
128. Nuclear physics v. atomic physics
129. The Big Bang Theory v. The Steady-State Theory
130. Microbiology v. virology
131. Biology vs. biochemistry
132. Organic chemistry v. physical chemistry
133. Classical electromagnetism v. quantum electrodynamics

History Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

134. Prehistoric societies v. ancient civilizations
135. Dark Ages v. Middle Ages
136. Early modern period v. late modern period
137. Middle Eastern history vs. South Asian history
138. History of North America vs. history of Central and South America
139. Economic policies during the Great Depression in Germany, Japan, and the United States v. economic policies during the Great Recession in Europe and North America
140. The collapse of communism v. democratic transition
141. The Industrial Revolution v. The Agricultural Revolution
142. The Northern Renaissance v. European colonialism
143. Nationalism and state-building in China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Turkey, and Russia from 1848-1918 vs. nationalism and state-building in Italy, Japan, Korea, the Ottoman Empire, and Poland from 1923-1939
144. The decline of the Roman Empire v. fall of the Soviet Union
145. The economy of Western Europe vs. newly formed European Union member states after 1992
146. Leaders of the French Revolution v. leaders during World War II in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Soviet Union
147. The Age of Enlightenment v. The Reformation
148. Europe vs. Africa and Asia from 600-1450 CE
149. Church history from 1500-1700 vs. state-building from 1700-1800 in Europe, Africa, and Asia
150. Leaders of major European empires during World War I v. leaders of the victorious and defeated nations after World War I
151. Domestic policy of major European powers during World War II v. foreign policy of major European powers during World War II
152. The independence of India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka from Great Britain v. the collapse of Yugoslavia into smaller states
153. The most famous battles in world history (Waterloo, Trafalgar, Agincourt, etc.) v. the most famous events in world history (Enlightenment, Reformation, Industrial Revolution, French Revolution, etc.)

Health & Medicine Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

154. Medical vs. legal definitions of death
155. Medical malpractice v. government prosecution for criminal negligence
156. Surgery styles (e.g., laparoscopic, open) v. medical procedures (e.g., gastroscopy, colonoscopy)
157. Palliative care and hospice care v. euthanasia and feticide
158. Preventative medicine v. curing disease after the fact
159. Medical screening procedures to detect illnesses early on vs. late-term treatments of diseases that have progressed to advanced stages
160. The use of MRI scans, X-rays, and CT scans in film and television compared to their real-life uses in medical diagnosis and treatment
161. Antibiotic resistance v. viral mutation
162. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in the United States vs. universal health care systems in Canada, Germany, and Taiwan
163. Medical marijuana v. medical treatment with psychedelic drugs
164. Organ donation from living donors vs. organ donation from cadavers

English & Literature Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

165. The epic form in literature vs. the sonnet
166. Parallelism in poetry v. rhyme schemes
167. Rationalism vs. romanticism
168. Leitmotifs in opera and musical theatre
169. Narrative techniques (e.g., cinematography, voiceover) in film vs. novels/short stories
170. Formal and informal writing styles in prose
171. Sensory imagery in poetry compared to sensory language in film or television
172. Metaphor and extended metaphors in the works of William Faulkner and Dylan Thomas vs. symbolism and contrasting images in the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Toni Morrison
173. The use of internal monologue in the works of Virginia Woolf and William Faulkner v. the use of voiceover in film
174. The writing styles of Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Gustave Flaubert, James Joyce, Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, and Stephen King compared to their contemporary authors
175. Isolation as a theme in the works of William Shakespeare and Leo Tolstoy vs. social isolation in contemporary films
176. The narratives of classic British comedy (e.g., Monty Python, Fawlty Towers) v. American sitcoms (e.g., The Simpsons, Friends)
177. Writing styles in British magazines (e.g., New Scientist, The Spectator) compared to American magazines (e.g., Time, Newsweek)
178. Modernism in the works of T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, and Samuel Beckett v. postmodernist literature in the works of David Foster Wallace or Zadie Smith
179. The styles of Charles Dickens, Jonathan Swift, Jane Austen, and George Orwell v. the themes of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, or George R.R. Martin
180. The poetry of William Shakespeare compared to modern spoken word poetry
181. The parallelism of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene compared to the narrative framework in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress
182. The works of J.R.R. Tolkien and George R.R. Martin compared to the epic poetry of Homer, Virgil, Ovid, Dante Alighieri, or William Shakespeare
183. The sonnets of William Shakespeare paired with contemporary love poems (e.g., Pablo Neruda) vs. ancient love poems (e.g., Sappho)
184. The allegories of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress compared to the symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story Young Goodman Brown or The Scarlet Letter
185. Greek tragedies v. Shakespearean tragedies
186. Ancient Greek comedies vs. modern romantic comedies
187. Classical mythology compared to contemporary fantasy

Fine Art Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

188. Superheroes in comic books and graphic novels v. Greek mythology
189. The use of digital art vs. traditional oil paintings
190. Compositions by Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko compared to the Cubist works of Pablo Picasso
191. Architectural styles in Ancient Greece v. modern skyscrapers
192. The art of Pompeii and the architecture of ancient Greece vs. modern Classical revivalist architecture (e.g., neoclassicism, Beaux-Arts)
193. Classic opera v. musical theatre
194. The paintings of Edvard Munch vs. the stop motion animation in The Nightmare Before Christmas
195. Themes in Impressionist art (e.g., waterfront scenes at dusk) v. themes in Fauvist or Expressionist art (e.g., cityscapes during a snowstorm)
196. Watercolor art compared to acrylic paintings
197. The realistic art of Diego Velásquez and Amedeo Modigliani vs. the Cubist, Surrealist, or Expressionist works of Pablo Picasso or Vincent van Gogh
198. Self-portraits by Frida Kahlo in comparison to self-portraits by Andy Warhol
199. Modernism in the works of Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso vs. contemporary postmodernism in the works of Banksy
200. The compositions of Rembrandt van Rijn compared to the digital art in video games

Compare and Contrast Your Way to a Better Grade!

Regardless of what you compare and contrast, remember that you must ensure that each topic is equally represented throughout the writing. Also, don’t forget to organize your thoughts with a Venn Diagram, then provide a thorough analysis in your writing.

Combined with this handy guide, these topics will ensure that you get the grade you need to advance through your studies and earn your diploma.