Compare Essay Samples

Sample 1

The Happiest Holidays

Christmas and Eid are two very important holidays in Christianity and Islam. Christmas
falls on December 25th every year and celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, the
date for Eid changes every year, following the Islamic lunar calendar. There are also two Eids—
Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. While they appear to be different on the surface, underneath they
are actually quite similar. Both holidays bring people together, have signature customs and
traditions, and involve giving gifts or charity to family, loved ones and the community.
At their respective cores, both Eid and Christmas are about bringing people together. On
Christmas day, everyone is encouraged to be with their families. The streets in big cities are
usually empty because everyone is either at their apartments or have left to go back to their
hometowns. Similarly, on Eid day, Muslims are also encouraged to be with their loved ones.
Visiting relatives is a staple of Eid day and sharing a meal with your closest family is also
practically a requirement. The spirit of both these holidays is ‘togetherness’.
Secondly, these holidays also have customs and traditions that are inseparable from these
holidays. Christmas is closely associated with snow and Santa Claus. Even in countries where it
does not snow, you will see people creating false snow to go along with the Christmas spirit.
Similarly, Eid also has its own unique customs, like salami on Eid-ul-Fitr or beef on Eid-ul-
Adha, that are so closely tied to these holidays that it doesn’t even feel like Eid without them.
Thirdly, both Christmas and Eid also ask their believers to be generous. It is not
uncommon to see Christians volunteering at soup kitchens or making donations to charitable
causes during Christmas holidays. In the same way, Eid is also about being generous. On Eid-ul-
Adha, those Muslim families who can afford it sometimes share their sacrifice with the poor
people in the community, feeding them lunch or dinner.
Therefore, at first glance, it might seem as though Christmas and Eid are as different as
can be. However, when you get to the heart of the matter, the spirit of togetherness, the unique
customs and traditions and the generous or charitable practices, are common between both
holidays. Christmas and Eid are more similar than you might think!
(398 Words)

Sample 2

Dark Knight vs. Armored Avenger

Some superheroes do not have superpowers. Two of the most famous heroes in all of
fiction are Batman and Iron Man and neither of them have any superhuman abilities. At a glance,
they are very different. However, they also have important similarities such as their tragic lives,
their use of technology and their need to do save everyone.
Firstly, Batman and Iron Man are both fuelled by tragedy. Bruce Wayne is a billionaire
playboy who lost both his parents when he was a little boy. The death of his parents is the reason
why he becomes Batman. The only person in his life he seems to trust is Alfred, his butler and
surrogate father-figure. Similar to Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark is a genius, billionaire, playboy and
philanthropist. At a young age, Tony experienced the loss of both his parents and in the comics,
was taken care of by his faithful aide Jarvis (a human, not an A.I. as he is in the films).
Secondly, both superheroes rely on technology. Batman has a high-tech suit as armor in
his one-man crusade against crime and corruption in Gotham City. Additionally, he also
possesses several gadgets, weapons and vehicles, which he built using both his vast wealth and
superior intelligence. Similarly, Tony Stark also has a state-of-the-art technological suit that he
uses to fight crime. First built in a cave somewhere in the desert, the red and gold Iron Man
armor has had multiple iterations and is just as iconic as Batman’s suit.
Thirdly, both Batman and Iron Man are driven to save others. Bruce Wayne blamed
himself for his powerlessness to save his parents on the night of their murder, and thus creates
Batman to atone for this mistake. His father Thomas Wayne was a philanthropist and in his
memory, Bruce also uses his wealth towards several charitable activities in Gotham City. Like
Batman, Iron Man also feels responsible for causing many deaths through his inventions. Out of
guilt, he became a superhero and now works tirelessly to save the world.
Though Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark seem vastly different on the surface, a closer look
reveals that the two are very much alike. In spite of the fact that neither has any superpowers, the
tragedies in their lives, their technological acumen and their stalwart stance against evil, make
them two of the greatest superheroes of all time
(396 Words)

Contrast Essay Samples

Sample 1

My New Home

All people experience changes in their lives as they grow older. Some people are afraid of
those changes and try to keep their lives the same. I recently had to move from my village to
Dhaka to study at North South University. I was surprised to find that many things were different
such as the rules of life, the sounds of the city and even the people.
First, the rules of life were different in my village compared to Dhaka. In my hometown,
I knew almost everyone and trusted almost everyone. Strangers were welcomed without
questions or fears. In Dhaka, by contrast, I soon learned that I was not to trust anyone. Every
door was locked. Nobody trusted strangers. . When I first went walking around Gulshan, I smiled
and said “hello,” to a stranger. People rarely replied and even if they did, they had weird looks
on their faces.
Next, the sounds were different in my village from those in Dhaka.  In my hometown, the
sounds coming from outside my window were few: the barking of dogs, the mooing of the cows,
the whistling of wind in the trees. On the other hand, in Dhaka, my ears were assaulted by the
cacophony of the city:  the honking of cars, yelling of people, and wailing of sirens. I hear the
cars going by incessantly, braking and accelerating with the change of the traffic lights. These
are not the pleasant background sounds of nature; it is intrusive, inescapable man-made noise.
In addition, the people seemed totally different in my village from those in Dhaka.  At
home, people were pretty much the same. People worked, went to the mosque, cooked, ate, and
lived very similar lives, whereas in Dhaka, the people I see on the street are completely different
from one another!  There are people in fashionable clothes, in suits, and even in rags—all kinds
of people. From businessmen and social media influencers, to beggars in filthy clothes, Dhaka
has a diverse group of citizens who call this place home.
Thus, because of its different rules, its new sounds and its diverse population, Dhaka
is very different from my hometown. Even though I miss my hometown, I am sure I will be able
to survive here in the big city.
(377 Words)

Sample 2

Adda with Abir

“It’s so good to see you after all this time,” said my friend Abir. He and I were at a quiet coffee
shop in Banani and it had been ten years since he and I had last met. I examined him closely
wondering who this serious man sitting in front of me was. Abir was completely different in
appearance, in manner and the life he was living, in contrast to the person I remembered.
The Abir of now bore no physical resemblance to the Abir of then. When we were kids in
school, Abir was short and chubby. He also wore pastel-colored T-shirts and a yellow rubber
bracelet. In stark contrast, the Abir I was in front of me was a tall and well-built young man. He
had started working out and regularly cycled to stay in shape. He was also wearing a dark blue
shirt and a black wristwatch, clothes and accessories he would never have worn before.
Another difference I noticed in Abir was his demeanor. The Abir I knew in school was
the class clown, always joking around in class and getting into trouble with our teachers.. But the
Abir who was sitting in front of me was very serious, responding to all my questions in
measured, efficient sentences. He still had a sense of humor; however it was more sarcastic
rather than loud. I could not reconcile the two Abirs, past and present, in my mind.
Finally, the Abir I was having coffee with was living a very different life from the one the
old Abir wanted to live. The old Abir had wanted to be a talk show host. During tiffin, he used to
play a game called “Adda with Abir” where he would ask his friends questions ranging from
personal to gossipy. This Abir was a bank manager. Try as I might, I could not imagine the
person in front of me asking a client, “So, who’s your celebrity crush?” and that actually made
me sad.
Abir Version 2.0 was different in terms of his appearance, manners and personality.
Though he’s much more mature than he used to be, I find myself missing the old Abir more and
more as the years go by.
(370 Words)