Step1Find a basis for comparison or contrast. The two things have to have at least one element in common in order to compare and contrast them. In this case, that element is that both things are poems.
Step2Choose a logical order. you can write the essay by first discussing one poem and then discussing the other poem. Or you can discuss the different points from both poems at the same time, comparing and contrasting each poem throughout.
Step3Use transitional words and phrases to move back and forth from one poem to another. Here are some transitions to use when comparing: in the same way, likewise and similarly. Here are some transitions to use when contrasting: unlike, in contrast, however and but.
Step4Double check your work. Check if you need to include more similarities or differences anywhere. Make sure you followed a logical order and used enough transitional words and phrases.
Writing about poetry:
http://www.teachit.co.uk/attachments/myessay.pdf
Use the above link to show you how to compare two poems.
What is a lyric poem?
Lyric poetry refers to either poetry that has the form and musical quality of a song, or a usually short poem that expresses personal feelings, which may or may not be set to music.
‘Piano’ by D H Lawrence is an example.
‘My Parents kept Me from Children who were Rough’ by Stephen Spender.
The following is from a literary site. What I want to highlight here is that there is no hard and fast interpretation of a poem. You are free to find your own meaning – however, as good students, you will always need to justify your responses using the text.
Not a very good poem, I think, qua poem, but a fascinating expression of a particular emotional perspective. It’s one example from what seems to me a significant nexus of upper-class and upper-middle-class attitude: a combination of voyeur fascination, fear inflected through physical desire (mud throwing tigers, yes, but, oo, look!, their thighs are showing…), plus of course a breathtaking condescension (‘I longed to forgive them , but …’).
Read on:
http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:POc7cVL4CdkJ:www.thevalve.org/go/valve/article/ssentiment_perhaps/+my+parents+kept+me+from+children+who+were+rough&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5
Useful site for poetry exam.
http://www.englishbiz.co.uk/mainguides/poetrythesis.htm
Glossary of poetic terms:
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072405228/student_view0/poetic_glossary.html
PIANO by DH Lawrence.
In the poem, “Piano,” D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930, England) becomes nostalgic—while a
woman sings and plays the piano— and he starts to remember his childhood.
The piano’s melodic sounds would transport him back in time to his childhood years.
Then, as a young child, he used to sit under the piano—accompanied by the strong
vibration of the strings—while his mother played the piano, sang, and smiled. The smile
was probably caused by the fact that the child was playing with her “small, poised feet”
(562).
His childhood memory came suddenly, invading his new life by surprise. The entrapping
piano melody allowed him no choice but to remember the past: “In spite of myself, the
insidious mastery of song/Betrays me back (563). This sudden encounter with his
childhood memories makes the poet long for those Sunday evenings—during
wintertime—when they use to play hymns. The piano was the central element, guiding
them with its tinkling sounds.
Read on…
Click to access ENC2-Piano.pdf
Biography DH Lawrence
http://www.online-literature.com/dh_lawrence/