Comparing two poems
What Question 27.2 asks
Question 27.2 gives you a on a similar idea, and asks you to compare the the two poets use: What are the similarities and/or differences between the ways the poets present the death of a soldier?
- : language, form and structure.
- 8 marks, about 15 minutes.
Exam tip
Only methods earn marks in 27.2. Don't retell what each poem means: compare how each poet creates its effect.
Key terms
The second poem
Hardy wrote this poem during the Boer War in South Africa (1899–1902). A kopje is a small hill, and the veldt and the Karoo are South African landscapes.
Method
- Find to compare, such as the form, the imagery or the ending.
- In each paragraph, write about both poems.
- Use comparative connectives: similarly, whereas, in contrast, both poets.
- Keep it short and precise. Two strong comparisons are enough for 8 marks.
Key terms
Model comparison
Both poets use nature to present the death of a soldier, but in different ways. Owen personifies ‘The kind old sun’, so its failure to wake the soldier feels like a betrayal. Hardy, in contrast, places his drummer under ‘foreign constellations’, and the repeated stars make him seem lost and far from home.
Their forms differ too. Hardy's regular ballad stanzas and rhymes sound calm, almost like a song, whereas Owen's half-rhymes, such as ‘sun’ and ‘unsown’, sound unsettled, matching the speaker's growing despair.