How do you answer an unseen poetry comparison question?

A common unseen poetry question requires you to compare how a certain theme (e.g. ageing) is presented in two different poems. The first thing to do is to read each poem from beginning to end. Make sure that you have read each line to get an understanding of what each poem is saying. On the second read through try to pick out key literary features of the poems. Focus on the following:
·      Form: Is it a ballad, sonnet or haiku for example? Who is the speaker?
To access higher grades, you need to be able to contextualise the poems.
Look at the dates the poems are written. Does this time period have any significance on the meaning of the poem? Is it likely that this poem would be interpreted differently by a reader in that time and a modern reader?
Is there any significance about the place the poem is written about?
Are there any significant cultural or societal contexts?
·      Structure: How many stanzas does it have? Is there a rhyme scheme? What is the meter?
·      Language: Are there any striking language features? Has the poet used punctuation in an unusual manner? Has the poet used striking imagery?
Highlight these features for each poem and make note of where they are similar and different. As you go through and make this analysis think about the impact the form, structure and language have on the poem. For example, a ballad is composed in couplets and often has refrains. A refrain may signify the idea that the speaker cannot get an idea out of their head or that something is haunting them. It is a good idea in revision to have a list of possible forms, structures and language devices and some ideas of what they could mean. This means that when you identify them in the exam, you already have some ideas. You should then try and organise these thoughts into a structure. There are many ways to structure an unseen poetry question.
One possible structure would be:
·      Introduction: How each poem talks about the theme. Try and come up with a single sentence stating how the poems are similar or different in their presentation of the theme. E.G. “Poem A presents ageing as a positive and peaceful part of life whereas poem B presents it as a depressing end to life.”
·      1^st Paragraph: Explain how the form and theme of each poem compares to the other. Explain how the form of each poem impacts the presentation of the theme. Write a mini conclusion linking this back to the statement in your introduction on how the poems are similar or different.
·      2^nd Paragraph: Explain how the structure of each poem compares to the other. Explain how the structure of each poem impacts the presentation of the theme. Write a mini conclusion linking this back to the statement in your introduction on how the poems are similar or different.
·      3^rd Paragraph: Explain how the language and literary devices in each poem compare to one another. Explain how the language and literary devices impact the presentation of the theme. Write a mini conclusion linking this back to the statement in your introduction on how the poems are similar or different.
·      Conclusion: Summarise the key points of your essay and link it back to the statement you made in your introduction.