Two or more subjects you&8217;ll describe in an essay should be different yet relate to the same category. In other words, you&8217;d better compare and contrast two musicians than a musician and a politician. Or, it&8217;s better to compare/contrast e-books and textbooks than e-books and movies. A compare and contrast essay showcases your critical thinking ability, showing that you&8217;re able to explore multiple topics from different viewpoints while still drawing your own conclusions. Compare and contrast essays are a common requirement in high school and college continuous writing narrative essay example English and writing classes. Kristie Sweet has been writing professionally since 1982, most recently publishing for various websites on topics like health and wellness, and education. She holds a Master of Arts in English from the University of Northern Colorado.