Writing a response
When you have settled on a suitable poem, you should note down a variety of links between the poems. The key thing to do when comparing poems is to note the points where they are similar and the points where they differ.
When writing an essay comparing your two poems you should consider the points below.
Essay-writing tips
A good approach to begin with is to highlight any key terms which stand out for you.
In the sample question the key term you must think about is 鈥榯he futility of war鈥.
Make sure you use the key term frequently throughout your essay.
Begin by introducing both poems. Give a brief overview of their main subject or message. Explain the relevant contextThe time and place a text was produced in. of each poem, the feelings the poet expresses and how each poem can be connected to the futility of war.
You MUST refer to the key term in your introduction.
Compare and contrast the poets' use of features such as themeCentral, unifying idea(s) that run through a text., formSome poems adopt specific 'forms'. For example, they could be sonnets or narrative poems. Many don鈥檛 have an identifiable form., structureThe way the poet has organised the poem on the page eg number of stanzas, lines per stanza, breaks in between lines and stanzas., rhythmA strong pattern of words, sounds, musical notes or movement found in poetry, music and dance., language and figure of speech A word or phrase with a meaning other than the literal meaning. For example, 'it's raining cats and dogs'..
End with a conclusion illustrating how each poem finally addresses the futility of war.
Your essay should be peppered with comparing words and phrases such as "similarly...", "in contrast to this鈥" and "this can also be seen in鈥".
For each point you need to provide evidence in the form of a quotation or reference. Attempt to link this - by explaining and analysing - to the key term of the question, the futility of war.
This may mean quoting a full line at times, but could also involve detailed analysis of one significant word.
Remember to include any relevant context on each poem in relation to the futility of war.
You will not get marks for context which is not linked directly to the question. For example, don鈥檛 simply write down everything you know about the poet if it is not relevant to the question.
If you were to compare An Irish Airman foresees his death with Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes for example, you could use some of the following points:
- Both poems are about a nameless soldier in World War One.
- Both poems suggest that the lives lost in war are a waste and that honour and patriotism are not good enough reasons to go to one鈥檚 death.
- Both poems show that not all men who went to war felt heroic and victorious, despite what the propagandaInformation, often biased or misleading, designed to persuade people to adopt a particular point of view. at the time suggested.
- Yeats鈥 poem is a dramatic monologueA poem in which the speaker addresses the reader directly. A dramatic monologue usually involves a fictional speaker who may not necessarily speak the views of the poet. whereas Hughes鈥 poem has a third person speaker who describes the soldier on the battlefield.
- The imageryThe use of language to create images and pictures in the reader's mind. used by Hughes - the "flame" simileA comparison using 'like' or 'as' to create a vivid image. For example, as big as a whale, float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. for example in the grotesque description of the hare - is a lot more horrific than the more measured thoughts of Yeats' airman.
- There is a calm, resigned tone as Yeats鈥 airman begins with "I know that I shall meet my fate/ Somewhere among the clouds above". This contrasts with the confused chaos in the "bewilderment" felt by Hughes' soldier.
- These different tones can be seen in the regular rhyme scheme and rhythm of Yeats鈥 poem and the lack of these in Bayonet Charge.
- The soldier in Bayonet Charge sheds a "patriotic tear" in the first stanza, showing that he initially feels a duty towards his country. This contrasts with Yeats鈥 airman who makes it clear from the beginning "Those that I fight I do not hate,/ Those that I guard I do not love", and that he cares only for "My countrymen Kiltartan鈥檚 poor".
When writing about these similarities and differences, you should discuss the methods used by the poets.
Look at the earlier sections on themes, language, form and structure to get ideas.