Are there any Comparative Essay Examples?

Here are two different examples of a comparative essay on different topics.

• Example of Comparative Essay 

The following compare-and-contrast essay example is based on the comparative analysis of two of Edgar Allan Poe's greatest works.

• Block method essay example

Topic: A Comparative Analysis of The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart

Two terrifying and fascinating narratives by Edgar Allan Poe, an expert in Gothic Literature: The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart. Though both stories deal with madness, guilt and obsession, they have dissimilar narrative patterns, character representations, and themes.

The Raven has an internal rhyme, and it consists of eighteen stanzas. The story follows a straightforward linear progression and recounts the narrator's encounter with the enigmatic crow, who constantly utters "Nevermore." The narrator is a depressed, grief-stricken man tormented by memories of Lenore, the love of his life. The poem mostly covers the subjects of grief, loss, non-escape from sad memories, beyond normal, macabre and vulnerability of humanity's mentality in front of the unexpected.

However, the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" is narrated in the first-person perspective by an anonymous main character trying to demonstrate his sound judgment and rational state of mind. The narrative structure is non-linear, following the events preceding and following the murder by the 'vulture eye' old man. The protagonist is an unreliable narrator who is obsessed and finally kills the older man. The man becomes a figure through which the narrator's guilt and suspicion are translated into a sense of impending doom. The central themes of The Tell-Tale Heart revolve around guilt, paranoia, and the gloomy regions of the human subconscious. The power

of a guilty conscience is so weighty that it outstrips the narrow borderline between mental health and madness.

The works of Edgar Allan Poe include The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart, which demonstrate his depth in knowing the human mentality. The Raven is a narrative poem that embodies grief, loss, and the supernatural; it contrasts with The Tell-tale Heart, a short story which features an unreliable narrator, guilt, paranoia, and uncertain boundaries of sanity. Although the two works are different in structure and theme, they attract readers' attention with a revelation into the very depth of humanity's nature.

• Another Example 

Here's another comparative essay example showcasing essay writing with contrast and comparison of subjects.

Title: "The Dance of Time: A Comparative Exploration of Clocks and SunDials"

The sundial and the clock are two remarkable devices symbolising human intelligence in time measurement. Though they aim to track time's persistence, this is done with a unique perspective. In this comparative writing essay, I will explore some of the complexities of these time-keeping masterpieces and expose some of the features that make them what they are and how we see time.

Mathematical clocks divide each second into fractions and never cease to swing. On the other hand, as with all things celestial, sundials depend on the dance of the sun and shadow and, thus, reflect a balance with the universe itself. Time passes differently for the two clocks; the first relies on a mechanical heartbeat, contrasting the second's dance with the sun, representing a tension between human precision and cosmological choreography.

The clocks are now cultural metaphors for industrial progress and inexorable modernity. The thumping beats of the clock sound like the beating hearts of schedule-based, deadline-oriented societies. Indeed, there is another side to this. Sundials create an image of being linked to ancient civilisations, where the sun's position measured time. 

Clocks and sundials dance together in time and exhibit different measures and beats. The clock- a fruit of human creativity and technological advancement symbolises our pursuit of accuracy and dominance. However, the sundial reflects the antique wisdom, is tuned into the cosmic rhythm, and is therefore more integrated with nature. Collectively, they weave a fine picture revealing how humans conceive and measure the immutable stream of time.