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Comparing Poems Questions

This document provides guidance on comparing poems by focusing on meaning and tone, structure, and language. It suggests examining the main theme, ideas, and emotions in the poems. It also recommends analyzing the structure, including whether it uses dramatic monologue, line and stanza shape, punctuation, and poetic techniques. Language aspects to consider include vocabulary, imagery, repetition, rhyme, and how these reflect the emotions. Examples are given of poems that express frustration and anger through jagged line patterns and archaic versus colloquial language.

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Marcelo Borelli
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208 views

Comparing Poems Questions

This document provides guidance on comparing poems by focusing on meaning and tone, structure, and language. It suggests examining the main theme, ideas, and emotions in the poems. It also recommends analyzing the structure, including whether it uses dramatic monologue, line and stanza shape, punctuation, and poetic techniques. Language aspects to consider include vocabulary, imagery, repetition, rhyme, and how these reflect the emotions. Examples are given of poems that express frustration and anger through jagged line patterns and archaic versus colloquial language.

Uploaded by

Marcelo Borelli
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Comparing Poems: some standard 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”.

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