English Literature Comparing Poems

What do you have to do?

• In the exam you will be asked to compare four poems from the Anthology.

• You will be assessed on your ability to:• “explore relationships and

comparisons within and between texts, selecting and evaluating relevant material”.

• So, what does this actually mean?

“explore relationships and comparisons within and between texts, selecting and evaluating

relevant material”.

Relationships and comparisons

This means looking for links between the themes and techniques used in each poem.

You will also need to discuss the similarities and differences between themes and techniques.

“explore relationships and comparisons within and between texts, selecting and evaluating

relevant material”.

Selecting and Evaluating Relevant Material

This means that you must use quotes to support your points.

However, you must choose your quotes carefully to ensure they are relevant to the points you are making.

Which quote is best?

In Storm on the Island, Heaney uses powerful detailed descriptions to show us the power of nature.

• ‘Leaves and branches/Can raise a tragic chorus in a gale’.

OR• ‘We are prepared: we build our houses

squat’

In Storm on the Island, Heaney uses powerful detailed descriptions to show us the power of nature; ‘Leaves and branches/Can raise a tragic chorus in a gale’.

This quote is good because:• It is directly relevant to the point• It illustrates Heaney’s clever use of

language• It allows you to show off what you

know about Heaney’s poetry

Find suitable quotes for these points…

• In Digging, Heaney shows admiration for his father’s skill with a spade.

• In A Difficult Birth, Clarke uses the birth of a lamb as an extended metaphor to represent the difficulties involved in the Irish peace deal negotiations.

• In On my First Sonne, Jonson feels guilty for the death of his child.

Find suitable quotes for these points…

• In Digging, Heaney shows admiration for his father’s skill with a spade.

• In A Difficult Birth, Clarke uses the birth of a lamb as an extended metaphor to represent the difficulties involved in the Irish peace deal negotiations.

• In On my First Sonne, Jonson feels guilty for the death of his child.

Relationships between poems

Many of the poems share similar themes and techniques. For example:

ThemesDeath of a Naturalist, The Field-Mouse and John Clare’s Sonnet share the common theme of nature.

TechniquesAt a Potato Digging, Catrin and The Little Boy Lost/The Little Boy Found all use structure to show the passage of time.

So what does it mean to compare?

• Comparing poems involves looking at similarities and differences between the use of themes and techniques.

For example:Death of a Naturalist, The Field-Mouse and John Clare’s Sonnet share the common theme of nature. However, the poets use this theme to create different meanings. For example Heaney uses a natural location to depict a vivid childhood memory, while Clarke uses a harvested field as a metaphor to represent war torn Bosnia.

Have a go at comparing…

• Find two similarities and two differences between Heaney’s Follower and Clarke’s Catrin.

Follower Catrin

Similarities

Differences

Evaluating

• Evaluating means expressing your opinion about the effectiveness of each poem.

• Effectiveness = the impact or force that language has

Evaluating

• Pick out the words or phrases that discuss the effectiveness of the poems in the following paragraph.

Evaluating Technique

At a Potato Digging, Catrin and The Little Boy Lost/The Little Boy Found all use structure to show the passage of time. Heaney’s poem is divided into four sections which move from the present to the past and then back to the present. This is made more effective by his mixing of the present and past tense. Catrin is divided into two stanzas to show the passage of time. It could be said that Heaney’s use of structure is more effective because it is more subtle and intricate.

Evaluating Technique

At a Potato Digging, Catrin and The Little Boy Lost/The Little Boy Found all use structure to show the passage of time. Heaney’s poem is divided into four sections which move from the present to the past and then back to the present. This is made more effective by his mixing of the present and past tense. Catrin is divided into two stanzas to show the passage of time. It could be said that Heaney’s use of structure is more effective because it is more subtle and intricate.

Now you try…

• Explore the theme of parent/child relationships in Follower and Catrin and comment on its effectiveness. (14 marks)

• In your answer, make sure you:– Use relevant quotations– Identify similarities and differences– Use evaluative phrases