Question

How do you plan a 5 Paragraph Compare/Contrast essay?

I have to write a 5 paragraph compare/contrast essay on Chillingworth and Dimmsdale from The Scarlett Letter, but I didn't know how to plan out the paragraphs.

I know the first paragraph needs to be the introduction and the last needs to be the conclusion, but if I have a a paragraph for comparison and a paragraph for their contrast, I would just have an extra paragraph.

I thought that I could maybe write the background info, character analysis, etc. in the second paragraph, but I thought that might seem like I am dragging out my essay on getting to the important part.

Does anyone have any good options for how I could plan it out?

Answer 1

The first paragraph needs to be your introduction, with your topic sentence and a brief intro to your topic and main idea.

The next three paragraphs, the body of the essay, needs to state your main idea(s), each paragraph can have a new idea or they can all be on the same thing. These three want to be set up a topic sentence, the next sentence needs to state your claim or idea, and the next few sentences need to back up your claim.

the last paragraph will be your conclusion, it needs to restate your topic sentence and give a brief summary of your body paragraphs.

Hope I helped! :)

Answer 2

Right, but if I compare in one of the 3 body paragraphs and contrast in another, I don't know what would go into the leftover paragraph.

Answer 3

Also I think if you use the first paragraph the way you thought you might use the third and then make the compare/contrast it would be good.

Answer 4

Sorry my computer keeps glitching, make the first body paragraph the character backgrounds and then make the next two the compare/contrast.

Answer 5

That's okay, I think I understand. I will just do that. Thanks for the help!

Answer 6

You're welcome! :)