At first it can seem really daunting, and it does take a while to get into the swing of comparing very embellished and verbose poetry, often containing key poetic tools such as metaphor, enjabment or similie, to the kinds of text you would find in a novel. What we can look for to find comparison between the two is similar themes- What're the writers talking about? What messages are they trying to convay? Another way we can relate the two pieces is by singling out key words that are similar. Remember, why would the exam board give you two pieces of writing that don't have much to compare, direct word comparisons are often the easiest to make marks in the exam as you'll be able to remember short, one-word quotes easier than you will large passages. Finally, you must not foget that contrast is, in fact, another way to compare the two. By singling out differences between the two pieces you are demonstrating how you have considered the texts, but find them to not be so similar. Lots of students don't realise this and lose out on easy marks, so remember to always find one difference between the two, even if it's just a quick paragraph at the end of your essay, before the conclusion.
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