The document provides guidance on how to compare two poems, including understanding the learning intentions, planning an effective comparison that identifies similarities and differences, using quotations and analysis of language, and writing a comparison that discusses both poems simultaneously through comparative analysis. Key advice includes being precise, using comparative language, and discussing both poems at the same time through a focused analysis. The goal is to skillfully compare how the poets present similar experiences or ideas in the two poems.

1. How to Compare
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2. Learning intentions
• Understand how to compare
TEXTS
• Compare two poems
• S4L: ....
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3. Free Powerpoint Templates
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4. General Feedback
Say a lot about a little – you know
this mantra, but too few of you
are actually doing it.
THIS IS A SKILL THAT WE USE
RIGHT THE WAY THROUGH
ENGLISH – THIS IS ENGLISH!
(It’s actually just going on about stuff in detail)
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5. This is what it looks like Decent
sized quote
The speaker shows her feelings about her son going that I can
off to war with the lines ‘All my words/ flattened, analyse
rolled, turned into felt’. Here, the asyndeton of the Structural
words that are synonymous with crushing show how analysis
the speaker is trying to hold back her feelings. The Taken a
metaphor of ‘turned into felt’ is particularly effective gem from
as the process of making felt requires laborious, my
quotation
extensive crushing that helps the reader realise the for further
extent of the mother’s suppressed feelings. It is also analysis
a domestic reference, of which there are many
Further
But you need more!!!
throughout the poem, that places the experience of analysis
conflict with the woman and shows the effect of
Yikers. that links to
conflict on mothers. It helps the reader realise that conflict
the experience of conflict is not limited to soldiers,
Link to
but also helps you to consider the feelings of their question
mothers and the domestic experience of war.

6. General Feedback
Comparison. You need to have
detailed and sustained analysis
that is comparative...
How do we merge this together?
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7. Firstly,
Plan.
Look at the question. This must
be your guide.
Find a point of difference and
similarity.
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8. Compare how poets
present the experience
of soldiers in Bayonet
Charge and one other
poem.
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9. Experience of Soldiers
Right, first thing I am thinking is
which poem? I need one that isn’t
too similar and is the soldier’s
experience.
I’m going to chose Come on
Come Back.
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10. Plan
Don’t forget: In my intro summarise the poems
PRECISION – and how they link (remember, a blend of
you’re not the story and comparison, if you don’t know
going to go this, look at the exam skills PPt on the blog)
through both
the poems in
detail, but Similarities Differences
pick out
small points
Experience of Female and future
that you can soldiers painful war – but both
say a lot and confusing suggest futility
about Why are they of war
there?
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11. The soldiers’ experiences are similar as war seems to make them
question their existence as well as the nature of conflict itself. In
Bayonet Charge the second stanza slows and shows how the soldier
almost stops and asks ‘In what cold clockwork of the stars and the
nations/ Was he the hand pointing that second?’ his experience has
made him question his place in the ‘cold clockwork’ and Hughes
skilfully makes him seem small and separate both from the universe
and the nation he is fighting for, the harsh alliterative ‘c’ emphasising
the brutality and ‘cold(ness)’of war. Similarly, the experience of
Vaudevue in Come on Come Back shares this confusion with ‘She
fears and cries, me why am I here?’ here, the questioning is more
direct and shows the soldier frightened and crying, the interjection
‘ah’ creates a personal appeal to the reader and shows the turmoil of
her ‘black’ mind. The use of questioning in both poems shows the
personal mental anguish caused by the soldiers’ experiences, both in
the heat of the battle and post battle. Furthermore, the questioning
from the soldiers as they experience conflict shows the futility of war;
an answer is not given to their questions and the personal
experiences make this seem more harrowing to the reader. This
questioning could be seen as a rhetorical cry against war and
conflict.

12. The soldiers’ experiences are similar as war seems to make them
question their existence as well as the nature of conflict itself. In
Bayonet Charge the second stanza slows and shows how the soldier
almost stops and asks ‘In what cold clockwork of the stars and the
nations/ Was he the hand pointing that second?’ his experience has
made him question his place in the ‘cold clockwork’ and Hughes
Look at your
skilfully makes him seem small and separate both from the universe
and the nation he is fighting for, the harsh alliterative ‘c’ emphasising
copy of this
the brutality and ‘cold(ness)’of war. Similarly, the experience of
Vaudevue in Come on paragraph. What confusion with ‘She
Come Back shares this
does it do that
fears and cries, me why am I here?’ here, the questioning is more
direct and shows the soldier frightened and crying, the interjection
makes it
‘ah’ creates a personal appeal to the reader and shows the turmoil of
successful?
her ‘black’ mind. The use of questioning in both poems shows the
personal mental anguish caused by the soldiers’ experiences, both in
the heat of the battle and post battle. Furthermore, the questioning
from the soldiers as they experience conflict shows the futility of war;
an answer is not given to their questions and the personal
experiences make this seem more harrowing to the reader. This
questioning could be seen as a rhetorical cry against war and
conflict.

13. The soldiers’ experiences are similar as war seems to make them
question their existence as well as the nature of conflict itself. In
Bayonet Charge the second stanza slows and shows how the soldier
almost stops and asks ‘In what cold clockwork of the stars and the
nations/ Was he the hand pointing that second?’ his experience has
made him question his place in the ‘cold clockwork’ and Hughes
skilfully makes him seem small and separate both from the universe
and the nation he is fighting for, the harsh alliterative ‘c’ emphasising
the brutality and ‘cold(ness)’of war. Similarly, the experience of
Vaudevue in Come on Come Back shares this confusion with ‘She
fears and cries, me why am I here?’ here, the questioning is more
direct and shows the soldier frightened and crying, the interjection
‘ah’ creates a personal appeal to the reader and shows the turmoil of
her ‘black’ mind. The use of questioning in both poems shows the
personal mental anguish caused by the soldiers’ experiences, both in
the heat of the battle and post battle. Furthermore, the questioning
from the soldiers as they experience conflict shows the futility of war;
an answer is not given to their questions and the personal
experiences make this seem more harrowing to the reader. This
questioning could be seen as a rhetorical cry against war and
conflict. Quotations

14. The soldiers’ experiences are similar as war seems to make them
question their existence as well as the nature of conflict itself. In
Bayonet Charge the second stanza slows and shows how the soldier
almost stops and asks ‘In what cold clockwork of the stars and the
nations/ Was he the hand pointing that second?’ his experience has
made him question his place in the ‘cold clockwork’ and Hughes
skilfully makes him seem small and separate both from the universe
and the nation he is fighting for, the harsh alliterative ‘c’ emphasising
the brutality and ‘cold(ness)’of war. Similarly, the experience of
Vaudevue in Come on Come Back shares this confusion with ‘She
fears and cries, me why am I here?’ here, the questioning is more
direct and shows the soldier frightened and crying, the interjection
‘ah’ creates a personal appeal to the reader and shows the turmoil of
her ‘black’ mind. The use of questioning in both poems shows the
Be precise! Your quotes
personal mental anguish caused by the soldiers’ experiences, both in
shouldn’t be too long or so
the heat of the battle and post battle. Furthermore, the questioning
short that you haven’t got
from the soldiers as they experience conflict shows the futility of war;
enough to say.
an answer is not given to their questions and the personal
experiences make this seem more harrowing to the reader. This
questioning could be seen as a rhetorical cry against war and
conflict. Quotations

15. The soldiers’ experiences are similar as war seems to make them
question their existence as well as the nature of conflict itself. In
Bayonet Charge the second stanza slows and shows how the soldier
almost stops and asks ‘In what cold clockwork of the stars and the
nations/ Was he the hand pointing that second?’ his experience has
made him question his place in the ‘cold clockwork’ and Hughes
skilfully makes him seem small and separate both from the universe
and the nation he is fighting for, the harsh alliterative ‘c’ emphasising
the brutality and ‘cold(ness)’of war. Similarly, the experience of
Vaudevue in Come on Come Back shares this confusion with ‘She
fears and cries, me why am I here?’ here, the questioning is more
direct and shows the soldier frightened and crying, the interjection
‘ah’ creates a personal appeal to the reader and shows the turmoil of
her ‘black’ mind. The use of questioning in both poems shows the
personal mental anguish caused by the soldiers’ experiences, both in
the heat of the battle and post battle. Furthermore, the questioning
from the soldiers as they experience conflict shows the futility of war;
an answer is not given to their questions and the personal
experiences make this seem more harrowing to the reader. This
questioning could be seen as a rhetorical cry against war and
conflict. Separate Analysis

16. The soldiers’ experiences are similar as war seems to make them
question their existence as well as the nature of conflict itself. In
Bayonet Charge the second stanza slows and shows how the soldier
almost stops and asks ‘In what cold clockwork of the stars and the
nations/ Was he the hand pointing that second?’ his experience has
made him question his place in the ‘cold clockwork’ and Hughes
skilfully makes him seem small and separate both from the universe
and the nation he is fighting for, the harsh alliterative ‘c’ emphasising
the brutality and ‘cold(ness)’of war. Similarly, the experience of
Vaudevue in Come on Come Back shares this confusion with ‘She
fears and cries, me why am I here?’ here, the questioning is more
direct and shows the soldier frightened and crying, the interjection
‘ah’ creates a personal appeal to the reader and shows the turmoil of
her ‘black’ mind. The use of questioning in both poems shows the
personal mental anguish caused by the soldiers’ experiences, both in
the heat of the battle and post battle. Furthermore, the questioning
from the soldiers as they experience conflict shows the futility of war;
an answer is not given to their questions and the personal
experiences make this seem more harrowing to the reader. This
questioning could be seen as a rhetorical cry against war and
conflict. Comparison

17. The soldiers’ experiences are similar as war seems to make them
question their existence as well as the nature of conflict itself. In
Bayonet Charge the second stanza slows and shows how the
soldier almost stops and asks ‘In what cold clockwork of the stars
and the nations/ Was he the hand pointing that second?’ his
experience has made him question his place in the ‘cold
clockwork’ and Hughes skilfully makes him seem small and
separate both from the universe and the nation he is fighting for,
the harsh alliterative ‘c’ emphasising the brutality and
‘cold(ness)’of war. Similarly, the experience of Vaudevue in
Come on Come Back shares this confusion with ‘She fears and
cries, me why am I here?’ here, the questioning is more direct
and shows the soldier frightened and crying, the interjection ‘ah’ basically
You can do this! It’s
creates a personal appeal to the reader and shows the turmoil of
PEE+ with a difference!
her ‘black’ mind. The use of questioning in both poems shows the
personal mental anguish caused by the soldiers’Linked point
experiences,
both in the heat of the battle and post Evidence and explanation
battle. Furthermore, the
questioning from the soldiers as they experience conflict shows
the futility of war; an answer is not given to their questions and thephrase
Then a linking
personal experiences make this seem Evidence and explanation
more harrowing to the
reader. This questioning could be seen as a rhetorical cry against
war and conflict. +
Further analysis of both texts

18. A PEE sandwich!
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19. The use of questioning in both poems shows the
personal mental anguish caused by the soldiers’
experiences, both in the heat of the battle and
post battle. Furthermore, the questioning from the
soldiers as they experience conflict shows the
futility of war; an answer is not given to their
questions and the personal experiences make this
seem more harrowing to the reader. This
questioning could be seen as a rhetorical cry
against war and conflict.
This is the skill - write about two texts at the same
time. Because I am being really precise, focusing
on a small aspect of the poem, it’s easier to
discuss both at the same time.

20. This skill is necessary for both poetry
and Q4 of the language paper. So
it’s ESSENTIAL to get it right.
This is the skill - write about two texts at the same
time. Because I am being really precise, focusing
on a small aspect of the text, it’s easier to discuss
both at the same time.

21. What do you need?
To compare in the topic sentence.
To use comparative words:
Similarly, conversely, likewise, on the
other hand, in contrast etc.
Discuss both poems at the same
time.
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22. Compare how poets present the experience of soldiers
in Bayonet Charge and one other poem.
Skilled Writing 1. Identify and comment on the poets’ use
will of language to show the experience of
conflict with explanation of layers of
meaning.
2. Have some comparison between poems
in use of language and structure
Excellent • Have a perceptive, detailed explanation,
Writing with appropriate terminology, of how
language and structure are used to show
will
the experience of soldiers
• Commentary simultaneously explores the
meaning/ideas created in both texts with
increasingly sophisticated comparisons

23. Homework
For tomorrow – do Q4 in this exam paper.
DO NOT lose it. You’ll have completed this
by the end of the week and I want you to
have detailed feedback ready for your
exam.
Remember your 10 mark challenge!