Crafting An 800-Word Compare And Contrast Essay On Greece And Rome

Crafting an 800-word compare and contrast essay may seem like a daunting task at first glance, but when you write about two similar subjects such as Greece and Rome you should have more than enough content to write a great paper. Here are some simple pointers on how to craft a great paper on these subjects:

Find the similarities and differences in the two civilizations.

Start the assignment by simply creating lists of similarities and differences between Greece and Rome. It should be pretty easy to come up with a dozen or so. Use these lists to form the basis for your paper. Some items might not apply so just stick with the things that would make for an interesting essay.

Decide what about Greece and Rome on which to focus.

After the above exercise you should have accumulated large lists of similarities and differences. You won’t be able to focus on everything, so you should pick three related points to discuss in your 800-word essay. Consider a few questions before selecting your points to help you decide on what are the most relevant to your assignment.

Draft a thesis statement to help guide your paper.

Like in other types of written assignments you will have an easier time composing your first draft if you give your ideas some direction. Draft a thesis statement that presents your main argument. You can always come back to revise this sentence to better fit your content if you find that it doesn’t speak to evidence provided at a later draft.

Craft an outline to fit your argument and express ideas.

Creating an outline before you start writing your first draft will help you organize your argument. With this kind of assignment you should consider one of two ways to efficiently express your ideas: use either the topic by topic method or the subject by subject method. In the first method you will discuss a single topic in context of both Greece and Rome in a single body paragraph. In the second method you will discuss every topic for either Rome or Greece followed by every topic for the other.

Use cue words to help convey your ideas accurately.

You never want your reader to lose track of where you are in making your comparisons and contrasts. Transition sentences help between paragraphs, but using cue words such as “like,” “despite differences” or “compared to” can also work great when you need to show relationships within body paragraphs. Vary your cue words so that your writing remains lively and interesting throughout.