Writing excellent comparative essays on poetry from the Eduqas anthology
I can create a written response which meets a success criteria.
Writing excellent comparative essays on poetry from the Eduqas anthology
I can create a written response which meets a success criteria.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- A good analytical response begins with a clear and concise thesis statement.
- Comparative connectives can be used to link ideas together and explore connections between poems.
- Quotations can be signposted with where they appear in the poem e.g. ‘in the final stanza’.
- Analysis can focus on 'bigger' methods and then the effects of these methods.
- Context should be used to support your argument.
Keywords
Insightful - perceptive - showing a deep and personal understanding of something.
Concise - using as few words as possible to express as much meaning as possible.
Comparative connectives - words that indicate the relationships between things - the patterns in them e.g. whilst, both, however.
Common misconception
Students often think that they need to 'zoom in' on every word when analysing a quotation.
Often, it can be useful to discuss the 'bigger' method that the poet is using e.g. their use of personification. By thinking about bigger methods, the students may be more focused on the themes of the poem and the poet's intentions.
Equipment
A copy of the Eduqas poetry anthology is required for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
an onion is used as an extended metaphor for love
the poet's lover is described as a knight-in-shining-armour
gas is described as an ocean that chokes and drowns its victims
the image of a candle is used to represent lost hope
the story of the 38th Welsh division
an exploration of the impact of war on soldiers' loved ones
a celebration of the resourcefulness/resilience of slum communities
a criticism of institutionalised power that limits individual autonomy
a criticism of misleading propaganda and pre-war optimism