Resources › For Educators 101 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics Great Ideas for Essays Share Flipboard Email Print ThoughtCo. For Educators Teaching Teaching Resources An Introduction to Teaching Tips & Strategies Policies & Discipline Community Involvement School Administration Technology in the Classroom Teaching Adult Learners Issues In Education Becoming A Teacher Assessments & Tests Elementary Education Secondary Education Special Education Homeschooling By Melissa Kelly Melissa Kelly Education Expert M.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction, University of Florida B.A., History, University of Florida Melissa Kelly, M.Ed., is a secondary school teacher, instructional designer, and the author of "The Everything New Teacher Book: A Survival Guide for the First Year and Beyond." Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on July 13, 2019 Compare and contrast essays are taught in school for many reasons. For one thing, they are relatively easy to teach, understand, and format. Students can typically understand the structure with just a short amount of instruction. In addition, these essays allow students develop critical thinking skills to approach a variety of topics. Brainstorming Tip One fun way to get students started brainstorming their compare and contrast essays is to create a Venn diagram, where the overlapping sections of the circle contain similarities and the non-overlapping areas contain the differing traits. Following is a list of 101 topics for compare and contrast essays that you are welcome to use in your classroom. As you look through the list you will see that some items are academic in nature while others are included for interest-building and fun writing activities. Apple vs. Microsoft Coke vs. Pepsi Renaissance Art vs. Baroque Art Antebellum Era vs. Reconstruction Era in American History Childhood vs. Adulthood Star Wars vs. Star Trek Biology vs. Chemistry Astrology vs. Astronomy American Government vs. British Government (or any world government) Fruits vs. Vegetables Dogs vs. Cats Ego vs. Superego Christianity vs. Judaism (or any world religion) Republican vs. Democrat Monarchy vs. Presidency US President vs. UK Prime Minister Jazz vs. Classical Music Red vs. White (or any two colors) Soccer vs. Football North vs. South Before the Civil War New England Colonies vs. Middle Colonies OR vs. Southern Colonies Cash vs. Credit Cards Sam vs. Frodo Baggins Gandalf vs. Dumbledore Fred vs. Shaggy Rap vs. Pop Articles of Confederation vs. U.S. Constitution Henry VIII vs. King Louis XIV Stocks vs. Bonds Monopolies vs. Oligopolies Communism vs. Capitalism Socialism vs. Capitalism Diesel vs. Petroleum Nuclear Power vs. Solar Power Saltwater Fish vs. Freshwater Fish Squids vs. Octopus Mammals vs. Reptiles Baleen vs. Toothed Whales Seals vs. Sea Lions Crocodiles vs. Alligators Bats vs. Birds Oven vs. Microwave Greek vs. Roman Mythology Chinese vs. Japanese Comedy vs. Drama Renting vs. Owning Mozart vs. Beethoven Online vs. Traditional Education North vs. South Pole Watercolor vs. Oil 1984 vs. Fahrenheit 451 Emily Dickinson vs. Samuel Taylor Coleridge W.E.B. DuBois vs. Booker T. Washington Strawberries vs. Apples Airplanes vs. Helicopters Hitler vs. Napoleon Roman Empire vs. British Empire Paper vs. Plastic Italy vs. Spain Baseball vs. Cricket Jefferson vs. Adams Thoroughbreds vs. Clydesdales Spiders vs. Scorpions Northern Hemisphere vs. Southern Hemisphere Hobbes vs. Locke Friends vs. Family Dried Fruit vs. Fresh Porcelain vs. Glass Modern Dance vs. Ballroom Dancing American Idol vs. The Voice Reality TV vs. Sitcoms Picard vs. Kirk Books vs. Movies Magazines vs. Comic Books Antique vs. New Public vs. Private Transportation Email vs. Letters Facebook vs. Twitter Coffee vs. an Energy Drink Toads vs. Frogs Profit vs. Non-Profit Boys vs. Girls Birds vs. Dinosaurs High School vs. College Chamberlain vs. Churchill Offense vs. Defense Jordan vs. Bryant Harry vs. Draco Roses vs. Carnations Poetry vs. Prose Fiction vs. Nonfiction Lions vs. Tigers Vampires vs. Werewolves Lollipops vs. popsicles Summer vs. Winter Recycling vs. Landfill Motorcycle vs. Bicycle Halogen vs. Incandescent Newton vs. Einstein . Go on vacation vs. Staycation Rock vs. Scissors Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Kelly, Melissa. "101 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/compare-and-contrast-essay-topics-7822. Kelly, Melissa. (2021, February 16). 101 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/compare-and-contrast-essay-topics-7822 Kelly, Melissa. "101 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/compare-and-contrast-essay-topics-7822 (accessed March 31, 2023). copy citation Watch Now: How to Choose Genre, topic, and Scope for an Essay