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Comparing Poems Questions
Comparing Poems Questions
· Remember to make comparisons on meaning and tone, structure and
Language.
· Meaning and tone:
What is the main theme of the poem?eg. sexual jealousy, death,
independence from parents.
What are the main ideas in the poem?
What are the main emotions described in the poem? Eg. extreme anger, sadness,
Frustration, loneliness.
What effect does the poem have on the reader?
What is the tone of the poem?: sad, angry, bitter.
· Structure:
Is it a dramatic monologue (use of I)?
How is the poem shaped?: the lines are jagged / the stanzas are regular or irregular /
two lines stand out / the lines weave in and out of the poem.
How does the shape / punctuation reflect the meaning and emotions in the
poem?
Any enjambment (lines running into each other without a break)?
Any questions (they usually involve the reader)?
Any short clauses or sentences for effect? (these can reflect anger or violence)
· Language:
Is the language colloquial (street language) or archaic (old fashioned)
Any imagery: metaphors : “My breath ripped out in rags” _ similes
(using like or as) _
Any repetition ? assonance? (two vowel sounds with the same sound
“slice of ice”. Any alliteration: two words beginning with the same sound? Any
rhyme? These poetic techniques create strong rhythm.
Does any of the language reflect the emotions in the poem? Eg. The verb “ripped
out” expresses the violence experienced by the main character in ‘Stealing’.
Examples of comparisons:
‘Stealing’, ‘Hicher’, ‘The Laboratory’ and ‘My last Duchess’ all express a strong
sense of frustration and extreme anger, although they experience this for different
reasons: sexual jealousy is involved in MLD and The Laboratory whereas frustration
about the meaning of life and identity is involved in ‘Stealing’ and ‘Hitcher’.
In all poems, the lines form a jagged pattern which is a symbol of the characters’
strong anger and frustration, which they try to contain but it pours out.
The language in ‘My Last Duchess’ and ‘The Laboratory’ is archaic: “Pound at thy
powder,”, whereas it is colloquial in ‘Hitcher’ and ‘Stealing’: ‘sick of the world’.
All poems contain strong metaphors to illustrate the immense frustration experienced
by the main characters: “My whole fortune’s fee”.