CSEC English B: A Guide to Writing Poetry

Essays
Updated: Jun 1, 2021

If you're reading this, chances are, you've been subjected to the unfortunate torture that
is the English B (comparative) poetry essay. That's right- you've been allotted around
30 minutes to write on two of the twenty poems CSEC prescribed for your study over
two years. Fun, right?

All jokes aside, we're all going to face a poetry essay at some point or another, whether
practice assigned at school or the 'real McCoy' on the exam.

Writing poetry essays can seem daunting though- you're presented with a three part
question demanding that you satisfy all necessary requirements to attain your maximum
25 marks. And on top of that, no matter how hard you try to clear your mind, it can be
very difficult to arrange your thoughts well enough to put together an essay that can
convince your teacher that you deserve at least a passing grade.

Well, worry no more! One of the main reasons we make silly slip-ups in our essays is
because we don't necessarily know what it means to write a sufficient essay, and
therefore don't have a small plan in our minds to which we can abide calmly during
those nerve-wracking minutes. Hopefully after giving this guide a quick read, you'll
understand more about how to tackle a question, the parts of an essay, what you want
to try to achieve in each of those parts, and making an essay that stands out.
Step 1: The question

Poetry essay questions come in two varieties:

1) One where the poems you are to write on are named, for example:

“The poems ‘A Stone’s Throw’ and ‘The Woman Speaks to the Man Who has Employed
her Son’ are about how women are treated.” For EACH poem:

(a) Briefly describe what is taking place.

(b) Discuss the speaker’s attitude to the woman.

(c) Discuss ONE device which is used to effectively convey the treatment of women.

2) One where the poems you are to write on are unnamed, and you are to choose two
poems from the syllabus that fit a certain theme provided by the question. For
example:

Choose TWO poems which you have studied that focus on a significant experience or
event. For EACH poem:

(a) Describe the experience or event.

(b) Discuss the speaker’s attitude to this experience or event.

(c) Discuss ONE device that is used to present this experience or event.

(Both questions are taken from the January 2013 English B Paper 2)

In every CSEC poetry question you get, parts one and two of the question will ask you
to describe, discuss or explain some aspect of the poem. The third part of the
question will always ask you to discuss a poetic/literary device used in the poem.

I know that this may be repetitive to you, but you should always read both questions
through very carefully. It would be very unpleasant to begin writing on a question only
to glance back at the paper and realize that you mistook a crucial detail, or even worse-
that you can't fully answer the question you chose (this only applies to the actual exam,
where you will choose between the two types of questions).

The question literally gives you the instructions for your essay, so they should not be
overlooked.

Apart from ensuring that you don't mistake any details, reading the question also gives
you the time to plan your essay mentally. The first sentence of the question will
give you a guide as to what the theme of your essay will be, and what information you
will include in the introductory paragraph. The instant that you read the question, you
will be able to think about answers to each of the three parts of the question on which
you will expound throughout the essay.

Step 2: The Introductory Paragraph (5 sentences)

Depending on the type of writer you are, you may prefer to write a separate plan for
your essay before beginning writing. If you believe that you write better and more
efficiently after planning out your essay, then, by all means, do your prior planning. A
little time spent before arranging your thoughts is worth it, if it helps you.

A good plan can take the form of a few bullet points written loosely on a sheet of
paper, where you note key concepts surrounding each of the parts of the question. For
example, planning a first body paragraph for the question on the treatment of women
could look like this:

a) A Stone's Throw- the woman in question is being abused in the name of justice by a
group of ravenous men, who want to punish her for alleged promiscuity

The Woman Speaks to the Man who Has Employed Her Son- the mother, despite
having cared for her son and placing no limits on his potential, has to accept being
betrayed by this very son, who now seeks a father figure in a man offering him work as
part of a gang

Those are brief summaries, and it would be expected that you go into more detail within
the body paragraph.

While some may prefer to plan their essays, others (such as myself) prefer to just jump
right into the essay and keep themselves in check while writing.

The introductory paragraph is a very important start, and can even help you in planning
the essay overall. Let us first consider the parts of the introductory paragraph of a
poetry essay:
As shown above, the introductory paragraph of a poetry essay will contain five basic
parts: the hook, stating poems, and question parts 1, 2 and 3.
The Hook is one of the best ways to make your essay stand out. It is a statement that
should be based on the theme of the question chosen. So, for question 1 from the past
paper, the theme would be the treatment of women. Question 2's theme would be
significance experience or events.

Making an interesting general statement can seem very difficult at first, but it's really
about either trying to 'sound smart' or expressing your thoughts on the theme (just make
sure that you don't use any personal pronouns like 'I' and 'we.' For example, look at the
following hooks based on question 2:

"The length of the average human’s lifetime encompasses the interwoven intricacies of
several experiences which influence the internal mindscape of the person in question
as well as those around them."

"Each unique experience, whether triggered by disruptive forces such as nature,

contextual obligation and temporal necessity influence momentary revelations
described in most of the poems prescribed by the CSEC syllabus."

(Note that although the hook is important for distinguishing your essay, you should not
take too long to write it, since you still have 4 and a half paragraphs to write afterwards.)

After the hook, you must state the poems you have chosen (or the poems provided by
the question) in a sentence that also compares the two. Maybe a bit complicated? Look
at the following example for question 2:
"The poems “South” by Kamau Brathwaite and “An African Thunderstorm” by David
Rubadiri both include vivid descriptions of significant experiences in the life of each
speaker."

See? In this sentence, you just want to mention both of the poems you will be
comparing. It connects what you said in your hook to the rest of the essay.

Question Parts 1, 2 and 3 simply involve you summarizing how you will answer each
part of the question in the rest of the essay. Maybe in previous grades, you've heard of
the thesis statement, where teachers would expect a simple sentence like "this essay
will..." and then you would restate the question.

However, at this higher level of writing (yes, you are at a higher academic level now,
yay), teachers want something a little less... bland.

For each part of the question, it is suggested that you write at least one sentence
outlining your answer (in relation to BOTH poems). So, part 1 of question 2 asks you to
"Describe the experience or event." So, your sentence would give a brief description
of the experience or event in both poems you chose (in this case, we chose "South" and
"An African Thunderstorm"):

"Brathwaite illustrates the incident of migration in “South” through a homesick islander

while Rubadiri presents a more concrete experience of the destructive force of nature (a
thunderstorm) through a member of an African village."
(Using the last names of the poets can be a good way to refer to the poems during
comparisons)

Notice that only a few words are used to describe the experience in each poem, since
you are only summarizing what you will discuss in a whole paragraph later.

"Brathwaite illustrates the incident of migration in “South” through a homesick

islander while Rubadiri presents a more concrete experience of the destructive force
of nature (a thunderstorm) through a member of an African village."

Comparing the poems like that in the sentence can be useful when you want to write
efficient sentences.

The same thing is done for question parts 2 and 3:

Part 2

"The persona of “South” is averse to his new surroundings after leaving his homeland,

and feels oppressed by a strange and cold environment, while the speaker of “An

African Thunderstorm” along with the members of his village react with fear towards the

cloud of impending doom."

Part 3
"Brathwaite employs personification to convey the impact of migration on the persona.

Rubadiri uses repetition to communicate the effect of the experience of the

thunderstorm."

Aaaand just like that, you've completed your introductory paragraph! The best thing

about introductory paragraphs like this is that they help you plan and think about the

answers to all the questions before actually expounding on each point. Let's look at the

combined introductory paragraph:

"The length of the average human’s lifetime encompasses the interwoven intricacies of

several experiences which influence the internal mindscape of the person in question

as well as those around them. Each unique experience, whether triggered by disruptive

forces such as nature, contextual obligation and temporal necessity influence

momentary revelations described in most of the poems prescribed by the CSEC

syllabus. The poems “South” by Kamau Brathwaite and “An African Thunderstorm” by

David Rubadiri both include vivid descriptions of significant experiences in the life of

each speaker. Brathwaite illustrates the incident of migration in “South” through a

homesick islander while Rubadiri presents a more concrete experience of the

destructive force of nature (a thunderstorm) through a member of an African village.

The persona of “South” is averse to his new surroundings after leaving his homeland,

and feels oppressed by a strange and cold environment, while the speaker of “An

African Thunderstorm” along with the members of his village react with fear towards the
cloud of impending doom. Brathwaite employs personification to convey the impact of

migration on the persona. Rubadiri uses repetition to communicate the effect of the

experience of the thunderstorm."

Step 3: The Body Paragraphs

You are probably already familiar with the three parts of a paragraph: the topic

sentence, body sentences and the concluding sentence. However, in a poetry

essay, you are comparing two poems, and you are doing that while answering a

question in 3 parts. As a result, your paragraphs may be a bit different.

Instead of that model, it may be useful to think of each paragraph as composed of

different chunks of points, examples and explanations for each poem. I like to think of

each paragraph as containing two paragraphs within it, a separate topic sentence for

each poem:
Overall Topic Sentence (Optional)- This sentence gives a general overview of both

poems. This is optional though, as it is more efficient to simply start with the topic

sentence for the first poem.

Look at the following examples for parts 1 and 2 (an overall topic sentence is not very

applicable to question part 3):

Part 1: "The poems both investigate very distinctive experiences in the lives of the

personas, each one important to the speaker in conflicting ways."

Part 2: "Each persona finds himself in the midst of a strange and somewhat threatening
circumstance, and their own reactions as well as those of the people around them
reflect the severity of what is occurring."

Poem Topic Sentences

The poem topic sentence should be a specific connection of the poem to the
question, and can be similar to what was written in the introductory paragraph. Each
poem topic sentence should be the start of what you will write on that particular poem,
so your body paragraph will be like two paragraphs in one.

For example, for question 2 part 1, the topic sentences for the two poems selected

could be:

"Firstly, the persona of “South” explores the experience of migration and the impact of
abandoning his homeland."

and

"On the other hand, the persona of “An African Thunderstorm” finds himself and his
village threatened by an immensely powerful thunderstorm. The poem explores this
terrifying experience by relating in evocative detail the destructive power of the storm."

Note: Using comparative phrases such as 'on the other hand,' 'contrarily,' 'by
comparison,' and 'similar to' can help to better connect the content of your essay.

The topic sentences are only meant to introduce the content (body sentences) of your
paragraph, so your description of South would follow the topic sentence concerning
South, and the same would go for An African Thunderstorm.
Body Sentences (Point, Example, Explanation)

The body sentences of your paragraphs are where you get to contribute the real
content of your essay. When writing your body sentences, you should try to follow the
structure Point, Example, Explanation, abbreviated as P.E.E., (if you're into that, I
guess you can remember it like that).

Point- This is where you state an aspect of your answer to the question. So, for part 1,
you would 'describe the event or experience.'

Example- Use an example (a quote) from the poem to support your point.

Explanation- Explain your point more and show how your example supports your point.

These three parts can be in three separate sentences, in one sentence, or even just
two. You can even mix up the order of the parts to how you see fit. How much you write
is fully dependent on what you find sufficient for answering the question.

Look at the following example of a completed body paragraph (the body sentences are
underlined and colour-coded, red for point, blue for example and green for explanation):

"Firstly, the persona of “South” explores the experience of migration and the impact of

abandoning his homeland. The speaker leaves his island home, a picturesque

landscape of shimmering ocean waves and sand , as shown in “I have travelled: moved

far from the beaches.” He has gone to “stoniest cities,” towns of stony foundations and

even stonier people, contrary to the warm people he remembers from his home. The
northern lands he traversed were plagued with unpleasant weather conditions, like

“slanting sleet and… hail.” Travelling to the “saltless savannas” of Africa, he noticed

they were completely devoid of the salty ocean of his homeland which he misses so

dearly. Now, he lives in a house amongst the trees in the forest “where the shadows

oppress [him]" and the darkness around him reflects the longing for his island home. In

the forest, there is only the rain and the river, which, to him, can never substitute for the

boundless opportunity and joy of the sea. Leaving his home has brought him to several

places in the northern world; each a stark contrast to the one place he feels he belongs.

Now, he settles in a place that lacks the ocean and its distinct character, and the “tepid

taste of the river” cannot satisfy him in its ordinary and saltless nature. On the other

hand, the persona of “An African Thunderstorm” finds himself and his village threatened

by an immensely powerful thunderstorm. The poem explores this terrifying experience

by relating in evocative detail the destructive power of the storm. The clouds are said to

“come hurrying with the wind,” denoting the speed with which the winds propel them

towards the settlement. “Like a madman chasing nothing,” the wind darts and turns,

whirling about with no definite direction or purpose, bound to cause damage to the

things around it. The persona sees the wind tossing things up as it moves by at

breakneck speeds, carrying the “pregnant clouds” (filled with rain and other hallmarks of

meteorological terror) on its back. The “trees bend to let [the wind] pass” as it whistles

by, showing the sheer force of its movement- even forcing the strong, tall-standing trees

to bend as though prostrating themselves before the wind’s undeniable power. Around

the persona in the village, the wind sends the clothes of the people flying off, waving in

the wind like “tattered flags.” Blinding flashes of lightning strike in the distance followed
by the low rumble of thunder, a chaotic image of the imminent tempest. The “ pelting

march of the storm” is continuous and seemingly unstoppable as it approaches the

village, communicating the idea of doom associated with this experience."

Note that in the paragraph above,a separate sentence explanation is not as necessary

since you are simply describing the poems.

Step 4: Concluding Paragraph

Sometimes, writing a concluding paragraph can seem like the most difficult part,

because you don't have a clear path as to what to write. In these cases, for the sake of

efficiency, you can think of the concluding paragraph as having 4 parts:

General Statement on the Theme or the Poems- This can be similar to your hook

Summary Sentence of Body Paragraph 1

Summary Sentence of Body Paragraph 2

Summary Sentence of Body Paragraph 3

For example:
"In conclusion, experiences define both the premise and particularities of human life.

Distinct significant events create both momentary and long-lasting impacts to the person

in question as well as those around them. The poems “South” and “An African

Thunderstorm” both present a significant experience in the lives of the personas. While

the speaker’s reaction to migration in “South” is in phases, beginning with a denial of

oppressive memory followed by acceptance, the people around the speaker in “An

African Thunderstorm” react with both fear and seemingly malapropos joy to the

imminent thunderstorm. Brathwaite implements personification to relay the impact of

external migration on the persona. Rubadiri employs repetition to convey the

thunderstorm’s impact on the environment, and therefore rationalizes the fear of the

members of the village."

(Starting with "In conclusion" is very common, so you can usually omit such clichéd

connectors)

Now, let's take a look at the completed essay:

The length of the average human’s lifetime encompasses the interwoven intricacies of

several experiences which influence the internal mindscape of the person in question as

well as those around them. Each unique experience, whether triggered by disruptive

forces such as nature, contextual obligation and temporal necessity influence

momentary revelations described in most of the poems prescribed by the CSEC

syllabus. The poems “South” by Kamau Brathwaite and “An African Thunderstorm” by

David Rubadiri both include vivid descriptions of significant experiences in the life of

each speaker. Brathwaite illustrates the incident of migration in “South” through a

homesick islander while Rubadiri presents a more concrete experience of the

destructive force of nature (a thunderstorm) through a member of an African village. The

persona of “South” is averse to his new surroundings after leaving his homeland, and

feels oppressed by a strange and cold environment, while the speaker of “An African

Thunderstorm” along with the members of his village react with fear towards the cloud

of impending doom. Brathwaite employs personification to convey the impact of

migration on the persona. Rubadiri uses repetition to communicate the effect of the

experience of the thunderstorm.

Firstly, the persona of “South” explores the experience of migration and the impact of

abandoning his homeland. The speaker leaves his island home, a picturesque

landscape of shimmering ocean waves and sand, as shown in “I have travelled: moved

far from the beaches.” He has gone to “stoniest cities,” towns of stony foundations and

even stonier people, contrary to the warm people he remembers from his home. The

northern lands he traversed were plagued with unpleasant weather conditions, like

“slanting sleet and… hail.” Travelling to the “saltless savannas” of Africa, he noticed
they were completely devoid of the salty ocean of his homeland which he misses so

dearly. Now, he lives in a house amongst the trees in the forest “where the shadows

oppress [him]" and the darkness around him reflects the longing for his island home. In

the forest, there is only the rain and the river, which, to him, can never substitute for the

boundless opportunity and joy of the sea. Leaving his home has brought him to several

places in the northern world; each a stark contrast to the one place he feels he belongs.

Now, he settles in a place that lacks the ocean and its distinct character, and the “tepid

taste of the river” cannot satisfy him in its ordinary and saltless nature. On the other

hand, the persona of “An African Thunderstorm” finds himself and his village threatened

by an immensely powerful thunderstorm. The poem explores this terrifying experience

by relating in evocative detail the destructive power of the storm. The clouds are said to

“come hurrying with the wind,” denoting the speed with which the winds propel them

towards the settlement. “Like a madman chasing nothing,” the wind darts and turns,

whirling about with no definite direction or purpose, bound to cause damage to the

things around it. The persona sees the wind tossing things up as it moves by at

breakneck speeds, carrying the “pregnant clouds” (filled with rain and other hallmarks of

meteorological terror) on its back. The “trees bend to let [the wind] pass” as it whistles

by, showing the sheer force of its movement- even forcing the strong, tall-standing trees

to bend as though prostrating themselves before the wind’s undeniable power. Around

the persona in the village, the wind sends the clothes of the people flying off, waving in

the wind like “tattered flags.” Blinding flashes of lightning strike in the distance followed

by the low rumble of thunder, a chaotic image of the imminent tempest. The “pelting
march of the storm” is continuous and seemingly unstoppable as it approaches the

village, communicating the idea of doom associated with this experience.

Each persona finds himself in the midst of a strange and somewhat threatening

circumstance, and their own reactions as well as those of the people around them

reflect the severity of what is occurring. In “South,” the persona’s reaction to migration

can be divided into two distinct stages as related by the poem. His initial reaction is one

in which he is ‘oppressed’ by the darkness of his surroundings and seems overtaken by

an emotion of inextricable gloom. He is now in a place so unlike his island home, devoid

of the ocean which he so loves and has lacked in all the places he has gone to since

migrating. The only water he finds here is from the rain or the river, whose ‘tepid taste’

is unappealing and bland to him. In this initial reaction, he denies the river. He, who is

“born of the ocean,” cannot “seek solace in rivers.” While the ocean has a characteristic

ebb and flow, the river runs on ad infinitum, without end. Instead of representing

limitless renewal like the ocean, the river instead flows on “like [his] longing” for his

homeland. By denying the river, he also denies himself longing for home- even though it

is the absence of things he cherishes and misses so dearly that creates his sense of

gloom in the first place. His second reaction, shown in the volta of the poem, is when he

accepts the river and decides to join it. The river, though constantly flowing like the

persona’s longing, is both a conduit of humanity’s past events as well as a path to the

sea. In accepting the river and in turn his longing, he also is able to tap into the

historical archive of the river and recall his own childhood. Thus, the persona’s reaction

is an abridged version of the Kubler-Ross Model of Grief- he begins with denial of the

river and what it represents in reaction to being parted with his homeland, and ends with
accepting its repertoire of past events (good and bad) to reminisce happily on visions

from his childhood. He is able to return to the sea. On the other hand, the persona of

“An African Thunderstorm” does not have a reaction illustrated by the poem to the

experience of the thunderstorm. Instead, the poem focuses on the reactions of women

and children in the village. The children are said to scream with delight in the ‘whirling

wind,’ seemingly malapropos given the context of the destructive force of the storm.

However, it makes sense as a puerile reaction to a novel experience. A child, not

understanding the workings of the world as of yet, is most likely going to be delighted

when confronted by something new, like strong winds or the beginnings of rain. The

women and mothers of the village have a completely opposite reaction to the children.

They instead “dart about… madly” showing a frenzied response to an obvious threat.

They seem to be in a panic, either trying to complete preparations for the imminent

storm, or, darting about aimlessly unsure of any way they can mitigate the its effects.

The women’s babies are said to be “clinging on their backs” reflecting a possible fear

which they share with their mothers. The startling nature of the advent of something so

undeniably malignant would be cause for babies to be fearful- and even if they were

unable to comprehend it, they would be inheriting the evident fear displayed by their

frantic mothers.

Finally, Brathwaite employs personification in “South” in order to convey the effect of

migration on the persona. After migrating, the persona comes to live in a house in the

forest. He specifically says “the shadows oppress me,” giving the shadows a human-like

quality in being able to abuse him in some way. The context of this line is based around

his sojourns far away from the beaches of his home and now settling in a forest house.
The shadows cast by trees in the canopy of a forest over the forest floor are likely what

he refers to- so very different from the “bright beaches” full of sunshine from his island

home. However, he may also refer to shadows figuratively, and thus the line may take

on a dual meaning. Shadows could also refer to recurrent memories of his home, in line

with the common association of shadows with memories. So, having left the beaches he

so dearly loves, he is stuck amidst the shadows of trees which only remind him of how

far he has gone from where he belongs. The gloominess of this forest contradicts what

he is used to, so it is as if he is being victimized by his own environment. In the same

way, memories of his past, which only remind him of how incongruous the forest is to

his island, subject him to constant longing and yearning for a return home. On the other

hand, repetition is used in Rubadiri’s “An African Thunderstorm” to convey the impact of

the experience of the thunderstorm on the environment. The line “trees bend to let it

pass” is repeated twice throughout the poem and denotes the motion of the trees in

relation to the wind. The trees lean and bend over when the wind passes by, shifting

from its path due to its violence and strength. However, this also conveys a

subservience in the trees in that they bend to allow the wind to pass. It is as though the

trees are prostrating themselves before a powerful king as he strolls stately by. In the

same way, the trees, tall and robust stalwarts of nature are bent forcefully by the mighty

wind. Thus, the thunderstorm is shown to be immensely powerful, forcing everything

around it to morph and change to accommodate its unhindered passage.

In conclusion, experiences define both the premise and particularities of human life.

Distinct significant events create both momentary and long-lasting impacts to the person

in question as well as those around them. The poems “South” and “An African
Thunderstorm” both present a significant experience in the lives of the personas. While

the speaker’s reaction to migration in “South” is in phases, beginning with a denial of

oppressive memory followed by acceptance, the people around the speaker in “An

African Thunderstorm” react with both fear and seemingly malapropos joy to the

imminent thunderstorm. Brathwaite implements personification to relay the impact of

external migration on the persona. Rubadiri employs repetition to convey the

thunderstorm’s impact on the environment, and therefore rationalizes the fear of the

members of the village.