a subtle difference in meaning. In our poetry essays we want to look for nuanced differences in the presentation of the same thing (e.g. war).

words that work in pairs to join ideas together (e.g. neither/nor).

words and phrases we use to organise and connect our ideas. They let our reader know where our argument is going.

to make a judgement on something. In English we evaluate a writer’s methods and ideas.

Refining comparative essay writing

English

Revising key themes in the ‘Power and Conflict’ anthology

Understanding the poem 'Checking Out Me History'

Analysing the Poem 'Checking Out Me History'

Understanding the poem 'The Emigree'

Analysing the poem 'The Emigree'

Comparing ‘Checking Out Me History’ and ‘The Émigrée’

Understanding the Poem 'Tissue' by Imtiaz Dharker

Analysing the Poem 'Tissue' by Imtiaz Dharker

Exploring theme, message and intent across the ‘Power and Conflict’ anthology

Comparing 'Tissue' with other poems

‘Power and Conflict’ poetry: writing a sophisticated comparative response

In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry' continued, pupils used a range of reading skills to aid the supported decoding of challenging poems. In 'Unseen Poetry', pupils use these reading skills to decode texts with independence. 

In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems connected by the themes of power and conflict. In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons, focusing on the final three poems: *Checking Out Me History*, *The Emigree* and *Tissue*

In this unit, pupis read and analyse three more poems from the 'Power and Conflict' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. At the end of the unit, pupils analyse themes from across the anthology and write a sophisticated comparative essay,

Poetry anthology: continued study

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

If something has subtle differences in meaning then it can be described as {{}}.

'__________ Armitage __________ Owen shy away from describing the traumatic nature of war on the individual soldier.' Which correlative conjunctions could be added to make this sentence accurate?

What is being described here: 'to make a judgement on something'?

identify a smaller difference within a similarity to show nuanced comparison

link your ideas back to the question focus

compare a modern poem from the anthology with one much older

Andeep writes the following introduction@ 'My Last Duchess' highlights the vanity of powerful leaders. 'Ozymandias' does this too.' What would be a good target for Andeep to improve this?

Which of the following discourse markers would be good for showing a relationship of 'cause/effect'?

'MLD' was written in the reign of Queen Victoria. 'Ozymandias' wasn't.

In 'MLD' power is exerted over an individual, in 'Ozymandias' over a nation.

'MLD' has 56 lines. 'Ozymandias' is a much shorter sonnet of 14.

'MLD' is about artwork, 'Ozymandias' about statues.

What would be a good, nuanced difference to make when analysing 'Ozymandias' and 'My Last Duchess' (MLD)?

have a sharp focus on the writer’s purpose.

Instead of choosing poems based on the time they were written or their style, it's better to compare poems based on their presentation of key...

Which poems from the 'Power and Conflict' anthology best explore the theme of memory?

These poems have been grouped together: 'Ozymandias', 'London' and 'My Last Duchess'. What key theme do they have in common?

'The Charge of the Light Brigade' by Alfred Tennyson

If considering the theme of nature which poem would you choose to compare with 'Kamikaze'?

Starter Quiz