Comparison Skills
Comparison Skills — The Core of Section B Part 1
The Section B Part 1 question on the poetry paper is worth 20 marks and requires you to compare two poems from the Time and Place anthology. One poem is printed in the question paper (the “named poem”); you choose the second from memory. The question will ask how both poets present a specific theme, idea or feature of place. Marks are awarded for AO2 (language, form and structure — 15 marks) and AO3 (context — 5 marks). This lesson teaches you how to structure a comparison that integrates both assessment objectives effectively.
Step 1 — Read the Question Carefully
The question will always specify a focus — for example, “Compare how the poets present feelings about a particular place” or “Compare how the poets use language and structure to present the power of nature.” Everything in your answer must connect to this focus. A common mistake is to write everything you know about both poems without answering the actual question. Underline the key words in the question and refer back to them throughout your response.
You must choose your second poem wisely. Pick the poem that gives you the richest comparison with the named poem — ideally one that shares the theme but uses different methods. For example, if “London” is the named poem and the focus is “social criticism,” choosing “Nothing’s Changed” gives you strong parallels (both expose inequality through place) with clear differences (Blake’s abstract metaphors vs Afrika’s physical, bodily language).
Step 2 — Plan a Thesis
Before writing, decide on a central argument. A thesis is not a summary (“Both poems are about place”); it is an interpretive claim that you will develop through the essay. For example: “Both Blake and Afrika use place to expose inequality, but Blake presents oppression as universal and psychological while Afrika presents it as specific and physical.” A strong thesis gives your answer direction and prevents it from becoming a list of disconnected observations.
“Keats and Wordsworth both celebrate place, but Keats accepts the passing of beauty with calm resignation while Wordsworth captures a single perfect moment before it disappears.”
“Alvi and Nichols both explore displacement, but Nichols resolves her divided identity through the hurricane while Alvi remains permanently caught between two cultures.”
“Hardy and Jennings both use place to explore loss, but Hardy treats the landscape as naturally aligned with his grief while Jennings recognises that her own emotions have impoverished the landscape.”
Step 3 — Structure Your Response
The most effective structure weaves both poems together rather than writing about Poem A and then Poem B. Use integrated comparison — each paragraph discusses a point of comparison and moves between both poems. A typical high-scoring response has 3–4 paragraphs:
Paragraph 1: Introduction — state your thesis and briefly introduce both poems.
Paragraphs 2–3: Comparative analysis. Each paragraph focuses on one point of comparison (e.g. imagery, form, tone). Within each paragraph: analyse the named poem (AO2), then compare with your chosen poem (AO2), then add context for one or both (AO3).
Paragraph 4: Final comparison point or conclusion — draw your argument together and link back to the thesis.
Integrated comparison means every paragraph discusses both poems. Use comparative connectives: “similarly,” “in contrast,” “whereas,” “both poets,” “however,” “unlike.” Avoid the “Poem A then Poem B” structure, which makes it harder to compare and often results in retelling rather than analysis.
Step 4 — Integrate AO2 and AO3
AO2 (15 marks) is worth three times as much as AO3 (5 marks), so language, form and structure analysis should dominate your answer. But context should be woven in naturally, not bolted on as a separate paragraph. The best approach is to use context to explain a method or effect. For example: “Keats personifies Autumn as a human figure, creating a sense of intimate familiarity with the season. Context: writing this in 1819 while aware of his own failing health, this personification suggests Keats was trying to hold onto life’s fleeting beauty.”
“Both Blake and Afrika use place to expose social inequality, but they do so through different registers. Blake’s anaphora — ‘In every cry of every Man, / In every Infant’s cry of fear’ — creates a prophetic, universal voice, suggesting that suffering in London is inescapable and affects everyone. The repetition of ‘every’ hammers home the totality of oppression. In contrast, Afrika’s language is physical and personal: ‘my feet know / and my hands.’ The possessive pronoun ‘my’ makes the injustice bodily and individual — this is not abstract suffering but one person’s lived experience of racial segregation. Blake, writing as a radical in 1794, attacks the institutions of Church and monarchy that permit suffering; Afrika, writing around 1990 as the apartheid laws were falling away, attacks the persistence of inequality despite legal change. Both poets therefore use place not as a setting but as evidence of injustice — though Blake’s evidence is metaphorical (‘mind-forg’d manacles’) while Afrika’s is concrete (the contrasting restaurant and café).”
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Retelling: Don’t summarise what happens in each poem. The reader already knows the poems. Focus on how and why — the methods and their effects.
Feature-spotting: Don’t list techniques without explaining their effect. “Blake uses alliteration” earns almost nothing. “Blake’s alliteration in ‘Marks of weakness, marks of woe’ creates a heavy, mournful rhythm that emphasises the weight of suffering” is analysis.
Context dump: Don’t write a paragraph of pure context. Weave it into your analysis: “Writing during the Industrial Revolution, Blake’s use of ‘charter’d’ reflects his anger at the commercialisation of public spaces.”