Two styles of writing in which I am interested in using in a compare and contrast essay are the "element-based" and the "text-based" styles. For this blog post, I will be typing it with the text-based style in order to compare these two styles. An "element-based" compare and contrast essay consists of body paragraphs that focus on different elements of two pieces of work (i.e. diction, tone, and style). In each body paragraph, the writer focuses on one element from the two works and compares and contrasts their usage or development in each work. I view this style as the much more direct one since the purpose of a compare and contrast essay is to easily demonstrate the comparisons and contrasts of different pieces of work. Even though this style of writing typically has clear organization, the element-based essay is much more difficult to plan.
For a "text-based" essay, the body paragraphs must focus on each of the pieces of works individually. The first body paragraph must focus on the text and elements of the first piece of work, and the second body paragraph must do the same for the second piece of work. In the third body paragraph, unless the writer includes more paragraphs for each text, the writer then combines the elements of two pieces of works he is focusing on and compares and contrasts them. This type of essay structure can be difficult to use effectively since the writer delays the comparison and contrasts of the works for two paragraphs or more. Moreover, the third paragraph may be read as the simple repetition of the ideas found in the body paragraphs before it and thereby would weaken the essay if the writer does not pay attention.
Both of these styles have their advantages and disadvantages for different types of writers. For the person who loves to flush out their ideas and focus on each work individually, the text-based essay would be ideal for her. For the person who loves to be succinct, yet clear in the development of their ideas, the element-based essay would be ideal for her. Yet, these two styles involve the analysis of the basic elements that make up a piece of work and their importance in the piece. For the final comparison and contrast of the two pieces of works, the two styles of writing may be similar. The text-based style may differ from the element-based one if the writer chooses to reference an aforementioned quote in his essay in his third paragraph. Or, the text-based style may be similar to the element-based one if the writer introduces new quotes that still help analyze the elements he is comparing and contrasting between the works.
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