Poems Comparison Essay examples - 2477 Words

ICCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE POETRY COURSEWORK In the poems you have studied a recurring theme is that of ‘loss’. This can take many forms: death; identity; hope or loss of innocence Discuss the poets’ treatment of any aspect of the theme of loss in at least 6 of the poems you have studied. A minimum of 3 poems should be taken from the anthology. Poems for discussion: In detail - Prayer Before Birth (Louis MacNeice) - Do not go gentle into that good night (Dylan Thomas) - A mother in a Refugee Camp (Chinua Achebe) Referred to - Poem at Thirty-Nine (Alice Walker) -Death Of A Son (Jon Silkin) -Mid Term Break(Seamus Heaney) Loss is universal. An inevitable condition of life; you cannot have one without the†¦show more content†¦People would not want to hear that their loved ones merely gave up and died passively. This poem in itself is a celebration of life, the poem is not only about death but it is an affirmation of life. To further emphasise the points being made Dylan Thomas utilises a wide range of literary devices. Parallelism is used from lines seven to fifteen to juxtapose the different attitudes of the so called â€Å"genres† of men at their death. This is used to outline that if you continuously lead one set type of lifestyle whether it is as a â€Å"wild man†, a â€Å"grave man† or a â€Å"good man† you will not be satisfied when your time comes to die. The only true way to be satisfied is to live a life of balance; only with a good contrast can you be at peace. The general attitude towards loss in â€Å"Death Of A Son† is the complete opposite. Whereas Thomas reverently encourages the continuation of life, or at least to fight against death, in â€Å"Death of a Son† death is an escape and as a release, it is therefore seen as a relief. The life of this boy has only been a cause of suffering; suffering for his parents having to watch with no hope day after day and also suffering for himself. This is shown as he â€Å"neither sang nor laughed† â€Å"but rather, like a house in mourning kept the eye turned in to watch the silence†. The word â€Å"mourning† here creates a sense of foreboding due to theShow MoreRelatedPoem Comparison1393 Words   |  6 PagesWaking† by Theodore Roethke are two poems that relate directly to the speaker. Although both poems share this similarity, the way in which both works or literature are constructed are vastly different. Plath uses visual imagery and poetical tercets t o show the pain and suffering of the speaker in her poem, while Roethke uses the musical Villanelle and synesthesia to create his picture of the speaker’s inner thoughts and a sense of awakening. When reading the poem â€Å"Lady Lazarus† for the first timeRead MoreComparison of Two Poems1156 Words   |  5 PagesIn two of D.H Lawrence’s works Bat and Man and Bat, both poems portray the author’s encounters with bats and his feeling of disgust towards them. In this essay I will compare the two poems in terms of tone, rhythm, diction and style. Both Bat and Man and bat started with a peaceful tone; the author describes the setting in Florence, Italy and gives a calming tone to the readers. However, as the author proceeds with the poem, and starts to introduce a bat, the tone starts to change. In batRead MorePoem Comparison (Burns and Rossetti)1265 Words   |  6 PagesComparison of Robert Burns A Red, Red Rose and Christina Rosetti s A Birthday Though the subject of both Robert Burns A Red, Red Rose and Christina Rosetti s A Birthday is love, the tone, diction, and form of each underline the different themes. The theme of the Burns poem is the beautiful ardency of the lover saying farewell to his love, while the Rosetti poem focuses on the joyous feelings of lovers being reunited. Both poems convey love as an emotion that transcends the immediateRead MoreComparison of Two Love Poems1628 Words   |  7 PagesComparison of two love poems ‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.’ is a poem written in the 19th century by a poet named Elizabeth Barret Brown. Assuming that this love sonnet was written from the poets point of view this poem is about how a lady loves her lover. The title suggests that this poet will list how she loves a certain person and in how many different ways and the poem does exactly that, Elizabeth also compares her love to things that it is not possible to live without. The languageRead MoreWar Poem Comparison Essay1727 Words   |  7 Pagesof not more than 1,500 words compare and contrast ONE PAIR of the two pairs of poems printed below. Your answer should exhibiy a clear understanding of each poem’s meaning and tone, and you should consider the effect and importance of formal features, such as rhyme scheme, sound patterning, word choice, figurative language and punctuation. Date handed in : 31st January 2011 This essay will compare the poems â€Å"On Passing the New Menin Gate† by Siegfried Sassoon (1927) and â€Å"Anthem For DoomedRead MorePoetry Comparative Essay Guide1500 Words   |  6 Pagescompare two or more poems in your exam. You could be asked to write about the presentation of themes, people or places and the importance of language. A good comparative essay is like a multi-layered sandwich: †¢ BREAD - A new point. †¢ FILLING A - How one of your chosen poems illustrates this point. †¢ FILLING B - How your other chosen poem illustrates this point. †¢ BREAD - Your conclusion about this point. This is what the examiners call cross-referencing - you talk about both poems all the way throughRead More Comparison of the Poems The Tyger and The Lamb Essay1217 Words   |  5 PagesComparison of the Poems The Tyger and The Lamb In William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience we are confronted with a powerful juxtaposition of nature. The innocuous ‘lamb’ and the ferocious ‘Tyger’ are designed to be interpreted in comparison with each other. Both creatures innovatively define childhood, they provide a contrast between youthful innocence and the experience of age contaminating it. ‘The Lamb’ is simplistic in vocabulary and style, Blake uses childish repetitionsRead MoreComparison of Whitman and Dickenson Poems856 Words   |  4 PagesAmerica experienced profound changes during the mid 1800 s. New technologies and ideas helped the nation grow, while the Civil War ripped the nation apart. During this tumultuous period, two great American writers captured their ideas in poetry. Their poems give us insight into the time period, as well as universal insight about life. Although polar opposites in personality, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman created similar poetry. Dickinson s Hope is a Thing with Feathers and Whitman s O CaptainRead MoreNarrative Of A Mother Daughter1061 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"†¦Why is it / just as we begin to go / they begin to arrive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 4-6). Olds takes on the voice of this despondent woman in her poem â€Å"35/10,† using rich, honest language and metaphoric comparisons to communicate observations about the cycle of life and the pattern of replacement . In the main body of her poem, Olds lists a sequence of three key metaphoric comparisons between the woman and her daughter’s changing bodies. Both characters are experiencing small â€Å"previews† of their futures through developmentalRead MoreComparison of Two Poems: the Tyger and the Lamb844 Words   |  4 PagesI chose to do the comparison between ‘The Tyger’ and ‘The Lamb’ because they both have similar themes but are concerned with very different aspects of life. ‘The Tyger’ concentrates on the dangers to be faced in life and nature while ‘The Lamb’ celebrates nature as seen through the innocent eyes of a child. Blake examines different, almost opposite or contradictory ideas about the natural world, its creatures and their Creator. William Blake is the narrator of both poems which emphasizes his