Monday 26 June 2017

Poetry PPE Help - Year 10

Hello Lovely Year 10

In preparation for your PPEs, here are some examples of how to compare effectively:
Below is a colour coded example to show you how to integrate context, comparison and language/structural explanation into your question answers:

Compare the ways writers present the power of nature in the “Prelude” and one other poem from the collection.
The power of nature is portrayed as a dominant force that ranks above all men and beings. Nature possesses dominance and it influences man as we are unable to totally control it or comprehend it. In “The Prelude”, William Wordsworth suggests that man attempts to control nature but consequently is taunted by nature itself. In comparison to this in “Ozymandias”, Percy Shelley suggests an exploitation of man’s arrogance that is destroyed by nature- proving both Romantic poets convey nature is a significant force above man.
In “The Prelude”, Wordsworth portrays the power of nature as wanting dominance over man. This is similar to “Ozymandias” by Shelley who mocks the arrogance of man in the face of nature’s power. Interestingly, the natural power to destroy in “Ozymandias” contrasts to the psychological power of nature to haunt humans. Wordsworth powerfully suggests that nature has the power to change and affect man’s mental stability: “no colours or green fields”. The contradiction of “no colours” and “green” suggests nature has the ability to cause confusion and inflict fear into man. Wordsworth has been deliberate in claiming that nature cannot be comprehended by man as his narration conveys difficulty in understanding even the simplicity of nature- even its green colour. The fact that Wordsworth states “no” colours suggests a conclusive rejection of man by nature. This is also conveyed by the anaphora of “no” in the final line that ultimately concludes that nature has abandoned man once and for all. This abandonment of man by nature is a typical trait of a Romantic poet.
Furthermore, man is clearly haunted by nature when the narrator states “Like living men, moved slowly through the mind”. The personification of nature could be purposeful as Wordsworth is suggesting that at nature will always prevail as dominant. Also the comma that isolates “living man” in the line visually conveys the brutality of nature’s abandon. Also, the deliberate use of the adverb “slowly” suggests nature is acting in a sinister manner that lurks and takes over the mind of man- asserting its dominance. In comparison, Shelley presents the power of nature as always overpowering man and destroying human attempts to assert their control. Shelley is deliberate in structuring his poem like a sonnet - a form traditional to a love poem- to suggest the irony of man’s own self-love. In the opening line of the poem: “I met a traveller from an antique land”, the narrator speaks of the man in the past tense shown by the very “met”. In a similar way to “The Prelude”, this could suggest the abandonment of man. Interestingly, the first 6 lines are written in the past tense and remaining 6 in the present tense, highlighting that nature is powerful throughout time. The quotation “nothing besides remains” is the most crucial point in the poem as it suggests that nature’s force is permanent. This is because nature brutally causes “a colossal wreck” and this oxymoronic phrase suggests man will always be destroyed by nature. This magical power given to nature by Shelly is also a typical trait of a Romantic poet. Both Wordsworth and Shelly have conveyed that nature can cause destruction to man psychologically as well as physically.


Key

Umbrella Point / Introduction: introduce your two poems and two poets. Answer the question. This over-arching point will inform the rest of your essay.

Contextual information.

Topic Sentence- bolts your ideas down and returns to the question and the over-arching points you have made in your introduction.

Intentions of the poets / Effect on reader / World view – sort of like mini conclusive statements where you give your opinion on the wider message of the poem (why it was written)


Comparative language

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