2. Comparison essay

Comparison essay

It is one of the most common forms of essay writing. In a comparison essay, the writer discusses two subjects, and these subjects can be anything, including people, objects, places or ideas. 

Writers can focus on only comparison (focusing on similarities), only contrast (focusing in differences), or comparison-contrast (writing about both similarities and differences)

Structure:

Introduction

Hook

Connection information

Thesis statement

Body paragraph 1

Point of comparison 1

Point of comparison 2

Point of comparison 3

Body paragraph 2

Point of comparison 1

Point of comparison 2

Point of comparison 3

Conclusion 

The weather in Chicago and Miami

People usually have very strong opinions about what constitutes good weather, and one person’s idea of good weather may easily be another  person’s weather nightmare. In fact, my cousin and I recently had a discussion about whether his hometown Chicago, or my hometown, Miami, has better weather. Our discussion centered on three differences between the weather in our two hometowns. 

Our first point of discussion was the number of seasons. Chicago is located in the midwestern part of the United States. It is also much faster noth than Miami is. Chicago has four sessions: summer, fall, winter, and spring. These four seasons are clearly marked by distinct weather changes. Miami, on the other hand, is in the southwestern corner of the United States. Because it is much farther south, near the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, Miami is much warmer. Miami has two sessions: a very  mild winter and a long, hot summer. 

We also considered the worst temperature in both cities. The worst weather in Chicago occurs in the winter. On average, the high temperature only reaches around 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and the low each night goes down to about 20 degrees. In addition, frequent high winds drive the perceived temperature down even more. This combination of cold and wind, called the wind chill factor, can make life almost unbearable in Chicago during the winter months. The problem in Miami is not the cold but rather the heat. In the summer, the temperature reaches 95 degrees in the daytime and drops only to 75 or so at night. Combined with a constant humidity of 90 percent or more, the temperature actually feels significantly warmer. 

Finally, our two hometowns have different kinds of severe weather. Chicagoans’ biggest weather fear is a blizzard. Blizzards can occur frequently during the frigid winter months. When a blizzard hits the city, it can dump up to five or six feet of snow in certain areas. The cold and snow paralyze the city, making it impossible for people to go to school or work. While blizzards affect Chicago, the biggest weather problem for people in Miami is a hurricane. These powerful storms are possible from May through November. While hurricanes occur less frequently than blizzards, they can cause much more damage. For instance, Hurricane Andrew destroyed large parts of the city of Miami in 1992. 

In the end, my cousin and I learned that each of our climates has its unique characteristics. Chicagoans have to live with extreme cold and frequent blizzards that can upset their daily routine. Conversely, Miami enjoys warm temperatures while having to deal with the threat of hurricanes. Deciding which city has better weather proved to be more difficult than we anticipated. My cousin does not like hot weather, and I cannot stand the cold. Thus, we believe that the definition of perfect weather depends largely on each person’s preference. 

The urban and rural divide

Imagine life in Tokyo. Now imagine life in a rural Japanese town. Finally, picture life in Cairo, Egypt. Which of these last two places is more different from Tokyo? Many people may mistakenly choose Cairo because it is not found in Japan. However, city dwellers all over the world tend to have similar lifestyles, so the biggest differences are found between Tokyo and its smaller neighbor. Urban people and rural people, regardless of their country, live quite differently. Perhaps some of the most notable differences in the lives of these two groups include the degree of friendliness between residents, the pace of life,  and the variety of available activities. 

One major difference between growing up in the city and in the country is the degree of friendliness. In large cities, residents often live in huge apartment buildings with hundreds of strangers. These urban apartment dwellers tend to be wary of unknown faces and rarely get to know their neighbors well. The situation in a small town is often just the opposite. Small-town people generally grow up together, attend the same schools, and share the same friends. As a result, rural people are much more likely to treat their neighbors like family and invite them into their homes. 

Another difference lies in the way people are able to spend their free time. Although life in the city has its drawbacks, city dwellers have a much wider choice of activities that they can participate in. For example, they can go to museums, eat in exotic restaurants, attend concerts, and shop in hundreds of stores. The activities available to people in rural areas, however, are much more limited. It is rare to find museums or exotic restaurants there. Concert tours almost never include shops in country twins. Dinally, people who enjoy shopping might be disappointed in the small number of stores. 

Life in urban areas and life in rural areas vary in terms of human interactions, pace of life, and daily activities. Other important differences exist, too, but none of these makes one place better than the other. The places are simply different. Only people who have experienced living in both the city and the country can truly appreciate the unique characteristics of each. 

Coaches work outdoors while business managers stay in offices. Coaches train athletes’ bodies, but managers are more focused on detailed-oriented matters. These differences, however, pale in comparison to the similarities shared by the two professions, for the main functions of athletic team coaches and business managers are very closely related. 

One of the most fundamental similarities between athletic team coaches and business managers is the task of leading the team members or employees. Coaches are responsible for training their athletes and focusing on each individual’s strengths and weaknesses. Coaches also give directions to their players to improve their performance and commonly give feedback after a game. Similarly, business managers are responsible for the proper training of their employees. Managers use their people skills to ensure that each worker is put in the job that suits his or her abilities best. In addition, managers typically give periodic reviews of their employees as feedback on their job performance. 

Another important similarity between the two professions is the ability to solve problems between teammates or employees. Athletes tend to be very competitive and often this competitiveness leads to arguments in practice and during games. Coaches know that this behavior is not productive in leading the team to victory, so they often act as intermediaries. They listen to both sides and usually come up with words of wisdom or advice to straighten out the problem. In the same way, a manager is often asked to mediate between two or more employees who might not be getting along in the office. Managers know that teamwork is vital to productivity, so they are trained to make sure that the workplace runs smoothly. 

Finally, both coaches and managers must represent their subordinates to the members of higher management. Many social groups function as hierarchies, and the locker room and office are no different. Coaches are regularly asked to report to the team owners with updates on the season. They write up reports to keep the owners informed about who is doing well, who is injured, and who is not performing up to par. In addition, they serve as the players’ spokesperson. If players have a particular problem related to something other than their athletic performance, it is usually the coaches who end up speaking with the owners on the players’ behalf. Like coaches, business managers are the inks between the CEOs and lover-level employees. The business managers are given the tasks of overseeing employees and serving as go-betweens. Top management wants to remain aware of what is happening in the company, but they usually do not have the time to deal with such details. Business managers, therefore, serve as spokespeople to both ends of the hierarchy. 

On the surface, the two occupations seem completely unrelated. The coach works outdoors and handles the pressures of physical exercise and game strategies while the business manager works in a formal environment surrounded by modern technology. Upon further inspection, however, these two occupations are very closely related. Both coaches and managers are the glue that holds the members of the team together. 

Not as different as one would think

All countries in the world are unique. Obviously, countries are different from one another in location, size, culture, government, climate and lifestyle. However, many countries share some surprising similarities. Some may think that these two nations have nothing in common because Brazil and the United States are in different hemispheres. On the contrary, they share many similarities. 

One important similarity is their size. Both Brazil and the United States are large countries. Brazil covers almost half of the South American continent. Few Brazilians can say that they have traveled extensively within the county’s borders. Because Brazil covers such a large geographical area, its weather varies greatly from one area to another. Like Brazil, the United States takes up a significant portion of its continent (North America), so most Americans have visited only a few of the 50 states. In addition, the United States has a wide range of climates. When the Northeast is experiencing snowstorms, cities like Miami, Florida, can have temperatures over 85 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Another similarity between Brazil and the United States is the diversity of ethnic groups. Brazil was colonized by Europeans, and its culture has been greatly influenced by this fact. However, the identity of the Brazilian people is not solely a product of Western civilization. Brazil is a”melting pot” of many ethnic groups that immigrated there and mixed with the indigenous people. The United States also has a diversity of ethnic groups representing the early colonists from northern Europe as well as groups from Africa, the Mediterranean, Asia, and South America. The mixture of cultures and customs has worked to from ethnically rich cultures in both countries. 

Finally, individualism is an important value for both Brazilians and Aericans. Brazil works hard to defend the concept of freedom of choice. Citizens believe that they have the right to do and be whatever they desire as long as they do not hurt others. Individualism and freedom of choice also exist in the United States, where freedom is perhaps the highest value of the people. Some people may believe that the desire for individual expression is divisive and can make a country weak. However, the ability of people to be whatever they want makes both countries strong. 

Although Brazil and the United States are unique countries, there are remarkable similarities in their size, ethnic diversity, and personal values. Some people tend to believe that their culture and country are without equal. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that people as a whole have more in common than they generally think they do.