Siblings Compare and Contrast Essay Example

At first glance, is it easy to see the relationship between two siblings? Do they all look or act the same? The similarity rules do not always apply with my brother,  A., and I. While some siblings are alike, my brother and I are not. In order to answer these questions,  A. and I need to compare multiple topics. Our interests, personalities, and appearance are different, but are they similar enough to fit the mold? Appearance is relatively similar, but we are not completely the same. Our interests are both wide apart, but is there common ground? Personalities are very different A. and I are considered similar to each other, but there are large differences to be discussed.

Genetics play a role in how everybody looks, but do siblings all look the same? Some will have more similarities while others will have more differences, but do my older brother,  A., and I fit the mold? Standing at 5’8” and weighing 132 pounds,  A. is considered small and thin for his age. On the other hand, I weigh 180 pounds and stand at 5’6”. I am considered the bigger of the two and usually my brother’s height is a running joke in my family. Builds are another noticeable difference in our appearances. While both of us have rectangle shaped bodies,  A. is much thinner and has broad shoulders while I am more muscular.  A.’s muscles are most noticeable in his legs due to many years of daily running. However, though I also run, I lift weights and play different sports. 

The similarity we obviously share is our faces. Most can tell at a glance that we are siblings because we have the same head shape, nose, eye shape, and mouths. However,  A. does have facial hair which can affect people’s views. While we have the same eye shape, my eyes have more skin underneath and I typically look like I have not slept in days unlike  A.’s full-of-life expression. Hair is another difference present with our appearances. My hair, much to my dismay, is lighter and straighter than my brothers. His brown hair can sometimes be confused with black and has natural waves. Strangely, his facial hair has red in the mix while no hair of mine has any red. His hair is also much shorter than mine which reaches down to my lower back.  A. can be recognized a mile away with his outfits. He wears shorts, sweatpants, and sweatshirts exclusively and usually has the same sweatshirts each week. As much as I also love to wear similar outfits to his, although not the same ones each day, my mother has me wear shirts and jeans to school and gets upset when I “dress like a slob.”

Interests are another point to draw a line at. While my brother and I share some interests, there are plenty which we do not. Although we both love to play video games, I cannot hold a candle to the time he spends playing. His time is full of games while I have more to do before I can play. He also has a larger variety of games compared to me. Another interest we share is our love for running. He has been running daily since he first joined cross country in seventh grade and it has continued even through adulthood. I have tried to run consistently since I joined track in seventh grade, but his skills vastly overpower mine. We love to talk to each other about courses and possible street races which has brought us closer together. As much as I love running, it is not the only athletic activity I enjoy. I have played softball since I was in Kindergarten while  A. quit his baseball career during fifth grade. When he did play, he was third base and shortstop while I have always played outfield, mainly center field. Another sport difference is our basketball experience. He never played basketball because my parents wanted him to focus on school so they never pushed him to join. I started playing basketball during fourth grade and I continued playing until recently which I am not happy about. The only basketball experience my brother has is through Physical Education and assisting me when our father forced him to. Sadly, while helping me, he realized that he wishes that our parents pushed him to do these sports like me. I am glad that they at least encouraged him to join cross country and track. As far as other physical activities go, the only other difference is weightlifting.  A. has never lifted outside of his weights class in senior year. On the other hand, I have lifted consistently throughout high school. This has caused some physical differences between us with my arms and legs having thicker muscles. As much as I love how much I can lift, I do wish I was thinner like  A. and wish I had less fat on my body.

Our different interests are not completely in the athletic category, but they also include different arts. Although we both produce art, we specialize in different areas. My brother enjoys drawing pieces and comics while I do more general art. I do not excel in anything, but I like to draw, paint, and sculpt. He also prefers more monotone color patterns while I love vibrant colors. Another art form we vary in is music. Whether it is listening, playing, or singing, we are different in this regard.  A.’s taste in music usually stems from video games he plays. On the other hand, my taste is typically varied in genre. I also enjoy singing more than my brother so my music is less in the instrumental range compared to his. Also, he stopped playing his instrument while I still play mine. He played alto saxophone until his sophomore year of high school and I am currently playing the flute. 

The main difference in our art activities is our involvement in extracurriculars.  A. prefers working alone and prefers less socializing. However, I hate being alone and have thrown myself into art club and band. Sadly, this has not always been fun and games.  A. and I are expected to get certain grades, do certain activities, and act a certain way. My father has always preferred focusing on  A.’s athletic abilities while pressuring me in education. My mother pushes both of us in grades, but she and my father hold me to a different standard. In this way, I feel that  A. is better than me because “he can reach his goal,” “he is not the failure,” and “he is not the depressed one” while  A. feels that I have in advantage in my “good grades,” “ability to be social,” and “strength.” 

Personality is a quality that most people know each other through.  A. is generally the calmer, slower person of the two of us. On the other hand, I am quite the opposite. With anger problems and a quick fuse, most arguments of mine get out of hand rather quickly. However, argument preferences are not the only difference in our personalities. Although I have social anxiety, I despise being alone and can be talkative around those I know.  A., however, is very antisocial. He will refuse to go out anywhere and his friendships are mostly through online games. Even though he is antisocial, he is easier to be around to most because he is not a loud pessimist. I hate silence as it has sent me into the hospital many times, but I am not the best at talking. What is the solution that I came up with? I need to talk even if it is repeating the same thing or negative things about myself. I need to talk.  A. has social skills that I can only dream of, but he does not go out much. I try to go out, but most avoid depressed pessimists for obvious reasons.  A. is calmer when he needs to be, but energetic in his interests. While I feel like I am alive for once, I still act like I have not slept in days. We can both be unapproachable at times, but I think I take the cake in everything but school.  A. has a more mild and manageable personality, but I have a more emotional personality. While neither is right or wrong, I prefer my brother’s to my own.

After comparing the two siblings, we can now come to a conclusion. I believe that, even though we have many similarities, we are very different. Our appearances are a key factor in how people can tell us apart, but we are not completely alike. Although our interests have some common ground, we have different interests overall. Personality differences are also a nail in the coffin about our differences. Some siblings are copies of each other and others are exact opposites. My brother and I follow a middle line like we follow the line at a cross country meet.