How to contrast in an essay
NESA defines it as: “Show how things are different or opposite.”
Contrast is the sharper cousin of compare: here the focus is the differences. You set two things against each other so the gap between them stands out, then show what that gap means.
New here first? Start with breaking down the whole question, then come back for this.
Set the difference, name the meaning
A contrast only earns its place when the difference reveals something.
- 1
Pick a sharp opposition
Choose two things that genuinely differ on one axis, so the contrast is real.
- 2
Put them close
Let the gap be visible inside the paragraph, one against the other.
- 3
Name what the gap reveals
Turn the difference into meaning, rather than leaving a list of opposites.
The shape of the paragraph
The paragraph names an opposition, gives each side its evidence, then draws the meaning of the difference.
Topic sentence (the opposition)
Open by naming the two things you are setting against each other and the axis they differ on.
Watch out:Make the opposition specific, rather than a vague 'these are different'.
One side
Give the first side its evidence and quick analysis.
Watch out:Frame it already as one pole of the contrast, not a standalone point.
The opposite side
Give the opposing side its evidence, using a strong 'against this' connective.
Watch out:Keep the two on the same axis, so they truly oppose rather than merely differ.
Return line (the meaning)
State what the difference reveals about the question's idea.
Watch out:The difference is the setup; the meaning is the point. Do not stop at the setup.
A model paragraph, labelled sentence by sentence
Here is the structure at work. Read the paragraph straight through first: it should sound like one continuous argument, not a checklist. Then read the label beside each sentence to see the job it is doing. It is written to support this thesis:
The thesis
Miller contrasts private truth with public power to expose Salem's moral inversion: the honest confession destroys the one who makes it, while the official lie is rewarded with authority.
The paragraph, read straight through
The play draws a sharp line between what is true and what is powerful, and Miller makes the two point in opposite directions. Proctor's honesty ruins him; his halting admission, “I have known her, sir. I have known her.”, sacrifices his name to speak a truth the court will not hear, the pained repetition measuring the cost of honesty. Against this, the court's falsehood flourishes, since Danforth's certainty that “there be no road between” loyalty and treason turns a lie into law. The contrast reveals Salem's inversion complete: truth-telling is punished while the official untruth is enthroned, Miller's sharpest indictment of a society that has confused power with righteousness.
The play draws a sharp line between what is true and what is powerful, and Miller makes the two point in opposite directions.
Proctor's honesty ruins him; his halting admission, “I have known her, sir. I have known her.”, sacrifices his name to speak a truth the court will not hear,
the pained repetition measuring the cost of honesty.
Against this, the court's falsehood flourishes, since Danforth's certainty that “there be no road between” loyalty and treason turns a lie into law.
The contrast reveals Salem's inversion complete: truth-telling is punished while the official untruth is enthroned, Miller's sharpest indictment of a society that has confused power with righteousness.
Every quotation above is verbatim from The Crucible (Arthur Miller) and verified against the source text.
See it done on your own paragraph
Paste your essay and we will show you, sentence by sentence, where your writing stops short, and rewrite your own lines toward Band 6. Free, about a minute.
Mark my essay — free →The other key words
Back to all the key words, or learn the techniques that give you something to write about.
The definition is quoted from NESA's Glossary of Key Words. The structure, teaching and model paragraph are our own, aligned to the 2017 English Advanced syllabus (2019–2026 prescriptions).