Comparison and Contrast Essay

             Imagine a statement that you don’t necessarily believe to be true.  Consider the following:

                                    Women are less intelligent than men.
                                    Blondes have more fun.
                                    Smoking is glamorous.
                                    Men are dogs.
                                    Beauty is only skin deep.

             Write an essay in which you compare this statement to the reality as presented in objective and subjective evidence.  The first paragraph should be in the third person.  How did this stereotype evolve?  For example, the idea that smoking is glamorous evolved from black and white films.  It is a luxury.  Men and women in evening dress are depicted smoking cigarettes.  Today, smoking is still glamorized in video, television, and movies.  In film, having a cigarette and seducing a person of the opposite sex are seen as going hand in hand.  Therefore, smoking and glamour are synonymous and give us the notion that we are supposed to be both at the same time.

             In the second paragraph, you should switch to the first person and become more subjective.  Explain whether or not you believe this statement to be true.  Base your argument on personal experience, reflections, and the like.  Be sure to include a comparison or contrast with the reality of the statement.

             In the third and other paragraphs, as you make your case, you might go into detail about objective examples that prove or disprove the truth of this statement.  (You can use either point-by-point or subject-by-subject strategies.) You may use movies, television, or magazine ads.  For example, you might argue that the lure of smoking is based on the way an actor holds a cigarette, speaks, or gesticulates; the way cigarettes seem to accompany beautiful people; and so on.  Reflect on the reasons people are drawn into believing this statement, or explain some ways that persons close to you have revealed this to be true or untrue.  Relate your friend, relative, or celebrity to the image that is generally reflected in the statement.  The picture you describe should be detailed.  And remember to end up the essay reasserting your point.