SE2 Reading and Writing
Exercise: Drafting Compare-Contrast Essay Outline
Identify the components in an essay and draft the outline for the compare-contrast essay
given below.
Japan and the United States: Different but Alike
The culture of a place is an integral part of its society whether that place is a remote
Indian village in Brazil or a highly industrialized city in Western Europe. The culture of Japan
fascinates people in the United States because, at first glance, it seems so different. Everything
that characterizes the United States – newness, racial heterogeneity, vast territory, informality,
and an ethic of individualism – is absent in Japan. There, one finds an ancient and homogeneous
society, an ethic that emphasizes the importance of groups, and a tradition of formal behaviour
governing every aspect of daily living, from drinking tea to saying hello. On the surface at least,
U.S. and Japanese societies seem totally opposite.
One obvious difference is the people. Japan is a homogenous society of one nationality
and a few underrepresented minority groups, such as the ethnic Chinese and Koreans. All areas of
government and society are controlled by the Japanese makority. In contrast, although the United
States is a country with originally European roots, its liberal immigration policies have resulted in
its becoming a heterogeneous society of many ethnicities – Europeans, Africans, Asians, and
Latinos. All are represented in all areas of U.S. society, including business, education, and
politics.
Other areas of difference between Japan and the United States involve issues of group
interaction and sense of space. Whereas people in the United States pride themselves on
individualism and informality, Japanese value groups and formality. People in the United States
admire and reward a person who rises above the crowd; in contrast, a Japanese proverb says,
“The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” In addition, while North Americans’ sense of size
and scale developed out of the vastness of the continent, Japanese genius lies in the diminutive
and miniature. For example, the United States builds airplanes, while Japan produces transistors.
In spite of these differences, these two apparently opposite cultures share several
important experiences. Both, for example, have transplanted cultures. Each nation has a “mother”
SE2 Reading and Writing 1
Compare-Contrast Essay
society – China for Japan and Great Britain for the United States – that has influenced the
daughter in countless ways: in language, religion, art, literature, social customs, and ways of
thinking. Japan, of course, has had more time than the United States to work out its unique
interpretation of the older Chinese culture, but both countries reflect their cultural ancestry.
Both societies, moreover, have developed the art of business and commerce, of buying
and selling, of advertising and mass producing, to the highest levels. Few sights are more
reassuring to people from the United States than the tens of thousands of busy stores in Japan,
especially the beautiful, well-stocked department stores. To U.S. eyes, they seem just like Macy’s
or Neiman Marcus at home. In addition, both Japan and the United States are consumer societies.
The people of both countries love to shop and are enthusiastic consumers of convenience
products and fast foods. Vending machines selling everything from fresh flowers to hot coffee are
as popular in Japan as they are in the United States, and fast-food noodle shops are common in
Japan as McDonald’s restaurants are in the United States.
A final similarity is that both Japanese and people in the United States have always
emphasized the importance of work, and both are paying penalties for their commitment to it:
increasing stress and weakening family bonds. People in the United States, especially those in
business and in the professions, regularly put in twelve or more hours a day at their jobs, just as
many Japanese executives do. Also, while the normal Japanese workweek is six days, many
people in the United States who want to get ahead voluntarily work on Saturday and/or Sunday in
addition to their normal five-day workweek.
Japan and the United States: different, yet alike. Although the two societies differ in many
areas, they share more than one common experience. Furthermore, their differences probably
contribute as much as their similarities toward the mutual interest the two countries have in each
other. It will be interesting to see where this reciprocal fascination leads in the future.
(adapted from Oshima, A & Hogue, A 2006, Writing Academic English, 4th edn, Pearson Education, Inc., NY.)
Essay Outline
Introduction Paragraph
Background and Info
Thesis statement- On the surface at least, U.S. and Japanese societies seem totally opposite.
Body Paragraph 1
Topic sentence- One obvious difference is the people.
Supporting detail 1- All areas of government and society are controlled by the Japanese
makority.
Supporting detail 2- The United States is a country with originally European roots.
- Becoming a heterogeneous society of many ethnicities.
- All ethnicities represented in all areas of U.S. society.
Body Paragraph 2
Topic sentence- Other areas of difference between Japan and the United States involve issues of
group interaction and sense of space.
Supporting detail 1-Interaction United Stated - individualism and informality, Japan- groups and
formality
Supporting detail 2- sense of size for Americans is a big Japan is small. The United States builds
airplanes, while Japan produces transistors.
Body Paragraph 3
Topic sentence- In spite of these differences, these two apparently opposite cultures share
several important experiences.
Supporting detail 1- Mother society- China for Japan, Great Britain for the United States.
Supporting detail 2- Japan has had more time to work out, the United States has had less time to
work out.
Body Paragraph 4
