Comparing poems

How do you tackle a poetry exam question that asks you to compare one poem with another? Learn
about effective ways to explore similarities and differences to enable a better comparative response.

Overview

5 poetic elements (theme, form, structure, language, rhythm) to think about when comparing poems

You can discover a lot about a poem by comparing it to one by another poet that deals with a similar
subject or has a similar theme.

Thinking about two poems and identifying where they differ and are similar can give you a deeper
appreciation and understanding of them. You should not be thinking about whether one poem is better
than another, but about the ways in which the poets have approached their subject matter.

Things to consider

Themes - are both poems about similar issues or themes?

Attitudes - are the poets expressing similar or different attitudes to their themes?

Form - are the poems written in a clearly recognisable form or not?

Structure – how have the poets chosen to set out the poem and its stanza(s) on the page?

Language - are there striking features of language (like phrases or lines that stand out) in each poem?

Rhythm and rhyme - do the poets use rhythm or rhyme schemes in the same way?

When analysing a poem, try to identify more than just what techniques are being used by the poet. Look
at ways in which the use of form, structure and language link to the meaning and effect of the poem/s.
How do you tackle a poetry exam question that asks you to compare one poem with another? Learn
about effective ways to explore similarities and differences to enable a better comparative response.

Packing your analysis of two poems into one essay involves planning. There are different ways you could
approach writing a comparative essay. These are some points to think about:

1. use the introduction to explain which poems you are writing about
2. try to balance out the detail you include for each poem
3. compare the poems throughout the essay
4. comment on content, themes, ideas and attitudes as well as form, structure and language
5. sum up your thoughts on ways in which the poems are similar and different in your conclusion

You may be presented with two poems to compare and in other instances, you may be
presented with one poem but given the option to choose another poem to compare it with. This
will often involve two poems that tackle similar themes which might include:

love / relationships
power / conflict
time / place
youth / age
Comparisons exercise
Here are some questions to help you think about the themes, ideas and attitudes of two poems
when making a comparison:
 Who is the speaker in each poem?
 How are the speaker's views similar or different?
 Does one poem present a more positive view than the other?
 Do they focus on the same aspect of the overall theme?
 Is there a stronger point of view in one poem compared to the other?
 Do they concentrate on one aspect of a theme or explore different areas?
 What about the tone or mood of each poem - are they similar?

EXERCISE

Think about pairs of poems you know whose contexts could be compared with one another using the
following points:
historical contexts - period when poems were written, events in the past they are about

locations - places or types of places that poems are written about

social and cultural contexts - particular ways of life, people's experiences of life that are the focus of the
poems

literary contexts - genres or particular forms that a poem may be written in (eg a sonnet) or literary
movements a poem may relate to (eg Romanticism)

readers’ contexts - ways in which different readers have engaged with the poems throughout time and
in different situations

biographical contexts - how knowledge about poets' lives have affected the way poems are read