Poetry Comparison

Narrative Perspective

First person? Dramatic monologue? Who is the voice? Is it present tense about an ongoing event or recalling something past? Does it address the reader directly? Does it address a particular character? Is there only one narrative voice, or does the perspective shift? Is it like a dialogue?

Tone

Bitter? Humorous? Sarcastic? Wistful? Nostalgic? Regretful? Angry? Is this the same throughout the poem, or is there a shift?

Imagery

Extended metaphors? Series of images offering different insights? Are all the senses used? Are there patterns in the imagery? Is there a development? Link between type of imagery and message of poem?

Structure

Is there a volta? Series of different steps in the meaning? Or just one incident? Does it present a logical argument? A chronological description of the event? A series of telling details? A stream of consciousness? A journey?

How many stanzas? Are they regular in length? Why?

Opening - is it abrupt? Does it draw you in?

Ending - is there a resolution? A twist? A sense of new questions? Does the poet bring in a new aspect at the end?

Title

Is this revealing? Descriptive? Playful? A pun? An image in itself? How far does it tell you what the poem is about? IS it oblique? Obvious? Tricky?

Word Choices

Look at the verbs or adjectives or nouns in each poem. What do the differences show? (E.g. active vs passive)

Language of argument

But, so, let… words which tell you where the meaning is moving on/ examples being given

Language of time

References to seasons, years, months, days, dates, times or words like ‘now’, ‘then’, ‘before’ and ‘after’ which give a sense of time passing