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I need help with English Literature

Hi, I'm having trouble with English Literature at the moment and I would like some help on how to actually answer an exam question asking to compare two poems.
I don't have much trouble with interpreting the poem but when it comes to answering a question I just get stuck.
So does anyone have any tips or advice for answering AQA English literature exam questions?

Reply 1

nguyenj

Don't get caught up on looking for similarities between the poems. Look for the differences which tell them apart, but then use small links between the two to show how you acknowledge the fact that it is similar in some ways.

Always remember form, structure and language when comparing poems, and possible the historical significance behind them.

Reply 2

KingHenry

What do you mean by historical significance?

Reply 3

katiedhodgson

Original post by KingHenry

What do you mean by historical significance?

The historical context behind the poem. When was it written and why

Reply 4

PatrickB

Original post by KingHenry

Try, as fast as you can manage whilst still digesting it properly, to read the poem once in full and then read it again but this time underlining anything that seems significant.

Things like
- Where a line ends and what effect it has on splitting a sentence in that specific place;
- The order or choices of specific words which look interesting;
- The very sounds of words, pay attention to how they sound spoken out loud (mouthed in an exam!) like 't' sounds 's' sounds, etc. and what effect that has;
- The rhythm of the words and lines - describe what effect it produces;
- The tone of the poem (the attitude the writer or narrator has to the reader)...

There are loads of things you could look into, it depends how much time you have. I would recommend not trying to talk THAT much about historical context unless your very confident with it. Like saying "this is from the Victorian period and Victorians thought women were a, b, c..." because you'll probably end up making huge generalisation and facile judgements. However I'm not sure if examiners will care about this too much and if your Mark scheme specifically looks for context then go for it.

The main thing to concentrate on is language. The poet has probably scrutinised over every word, even letter, in the poem with every element and creative decision justified as part of their craft. So if you give it the same amount of scrutiny you're examiners will find this more 'juicy' than waffly interpretations where your mind leaves the page behind and goes for a walk. The words on the page are everything you need and use them as much as possible. Don't approach a poem with an idea but let the ideas come through close examination.

Once you've done that you'll have all these wonderful annotations which you can order according to their nature: there will be similarities and differences. Work these through and you'll find yourself reaching a conclusion. The rest is up to your own essay writing skills which takes practice. The best thing to do is read as many new poems as possible doing all this again and again until you can destroy any poetry exam that comes your way.

I should probably practice what I preach and not "waffle", but I hope that helps! :smile:

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iP

Reply 5

Tasleem zahra

first of all, understand the difference between the themes of the poems. when you would understand the theme and central idea, you would be clear then and there about the differences and similarities. now, point out the technical differences, who is the audience of the poem? is the poem contextual? after all the brainstorming, you would be able to write something good.

Reply 6

KingHenry

Sorry for such a late reply but thanks for your help I have taken all your points into consideration and I'm happy to say I'm a lot more ready for the exam than I was when in the original post.