Comparing Poetry

Comparing Poetry

1. content

   • What is the poem about?
     • themes
     • emotions
     • speaker
     • setting

2. message

   • What does the poet want you to think about?
     • highlight an issue
     • view something differently
     • change behaviour

3. Language

   • How does the poet use language to create images and convey the message of the poem?
     • words
       • verbs
       • adjectives
       • pronouns
     • devices
       • personification
       • alliteration
       • metaphors
       • oxymoron

4. structure

   • Where are we at the start of the poem and at the end?
     • Does the number of stanzas reflect the content?
     • Look at the first word and the last word of every stanza, how are they connected?
     • Are words or ideas repeated?

5. Response

   • What is your personal response to the poem?
     • How does the poem make you feel?
     • Has it made you see something differently?
     • Is there a phrase or sentence that you found very effective?