Comparing two poems by the same poet. Before You Were Mine We ...

Oranges, apples and
Comparing two poems by the same poet.
Compare an orange with an apple
and what do you get Round things,
edible things, fruity things. One
generally bigger, one generally
smaller; one orange, one green or
red. Compare two poems and it’s a
subtler business, but still the same
task of knowing which categories of
“thinginess” to compare.
Instead of shape, purpose, size
and colour you need to be thinking
about themes and issues, speakers
and situations, language and
images. In this article we’ll walk
you through a comparison of two
poems by Carol Ann Duffy. Bonus
if she’s on your revision list, but it’s
the method that’s important and
that applies to whatever clusters of
poems you’re studying.
A frequent question type will ask
you to compare how the poet has
presented a theme in two different
poems. Check last week’s Drama
feature to see a list of common
themes in literature (Issue 1, page
14), but here we’re talking about
things like childhood, love, freedom
or loneliness. Your job is to show
what the poet has to say about this
theme, and also how s/he says it
through the choice of language.
What the examiners want to see is:
■ Lively, knowledgeable and wellorganised
responses to the poems.
■ Evidence that you understand
specific techniques the poet has
used to shape meaning.
■ Quotation of short examples to
back up your points.
■ Intelligent connections between
the poems.
Before You
Were Mine
ISSUES:
■ You can only know secondhand
the glamour and freedom of your
parents’ youth, because they lose
it when they have you.
■ Affectionate and admiring
attitude.
■ Values the excitement, energy
and freedom of her mother’s
youth.
SPEAKERS/SITUATION:
■ Adult reflecting on her dead
mother’s early adulthood.
■ May be looking at an old photo
– very visual.
■ Perspective shifts to memories
of mother’s dancing shoes and
steps.
LANGUAGE/WORDS/IMAGES:
■ Images of “ballrooms” and
“high-heeled red shoes”,
“movie”, “star”, “lights” and
“sparkle”.
■ Reference to film icon Marilyn
Monroe, and classic movie
moment with the billowing dress.
■ Uses “I” and “you” and
conversational tone – “pals”,
“Ma”, “eh” – as if having a
close, friendly conversation with
a living person. It’s affectionate
and also poignant.
We Remember Your
Childhood Well
ISSUES:
■ Parents and children have
different perspectives on
childhood experiences, and
these perspectives do not
always match.
■ Strict insistence on the adult
point of view and denial of child’s.
■ Valuing parental authority and
knowledge.
SPEAKERS/SITUATION:
■ Memory or imagining of a
confrontation, in which a grownup
child tries to accuse parents
of poor parenting and painful
experiences.
■ All we hear is the parents
justifying these experiences.
■ Child’s voice is like a silent
scream behind the poem.
LANGUAGE/WORDS/IMAGES:
■ Images of oppressive authority:
“the whole thing is inside your
head”, “secret police”, “we have
the facts”.
■ Short, fragmented sentences
make speakers seem angry and
defensive – “Anyone’s guess”
– feels like a real, difficult
conversation.
■ List of denials and repetition
of negative words “no” and
“nobody” puts child in their
place. Dark hints at very
traumatic events, like the bad
man on the moors or being
sent away.
WEEK 2 www.gcseresult.co.uk

Carol Ann Duffy
COMPARING TEXTS
Poetry
Venn diagram method
Think about how the poems compare. For revision or planning purposes, you could make a Venn diagram to show
your ideas, but your exam answer should be written out in full sentences.
When You Were Mine
Pleasure of child
discovering mother’s
happy youth.
Glamorous words and
strong visual images.
Relaxed and affectionate
spoken voice.
Child’s point of view at
the centre of the poem.
Difficulty
of different
generations really
knowing each
others’ youth.
Realistic spoken
styles present
experiences in
authentic way.
We Remember Your
Childhood Well
Pain of parents denying
child’s unhappy youth.
Negative words and list
of denials.
Tense and angry spoken voice.
Child’s point of view almost
completely squeezed out of
the poem.
Revision in minutes
7
14
19
●
next
week
Exploring poems in anthologies.
To get inside who the speaker of the poem is, read the poem aloud, trying out
different voices and expressions until your reading fits the language.
Write the names of your set poems on cards, shuffle them, draw two, then figure out
three similarities between the poems and three differences. Make notes in a Venn
diagram if you want.
Pick any two poems on the same theme and create your own Venn diagram to
explore the similarities and differences.
www.gcseresult.co.uk
WEEK 2