Edexcel IGCSE English Your notes

Literature
How to Answer the Poetry Anthology Question
Contents
Component 1 : Section B: Pearson Edexcel Poetry Anthology Overview
How to Approach the Poetry Anthology Comparison Question
How to Write a Grade 9 Poetry Comparison Essay
Poetry Comparison Mark Scheme and Model Answers

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 Component 1 : Section B: Pearson Edexcel Poetry
Anthology Overview Your notes

Component 1 : Section B: Pearson Edexcel

Poetry Anthology Overview
Edexcel International GCSE in English Literature (4ET1/01) has a compulsory, examined
component, Component 1, and a choice of an additional examined component or
coursework option. All of your exam papers must be taken at the end of your course of study.
In your Component 1 exam, the exam question in Section B requires you to write a 30-mark
essay question from a choice of two. In either question, you will compare two poems from
Part 3 of the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology.
You must complete Component 1. There are three sections in this exam paper:

Component 1: Poetry and Modern Prose (4ET1/01)

Externally assessed 60% of the total International GCSE

Section Unseen explore how writers create meaning and effects in a range
A Poetry of seen and unseen poetry

Section Anthology develop skills to compare a range of poetry from Part 3

B Poetry of the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English
Anthology

Section Modern explore how writers create meaning and effects in a range
C prose of modern prose texts

In Section B, you will be expected to apply your knowledge of poetic form, content and
meaning to compare two poems from the Poetry Anthology. You must:
demonstrate understanding of how writers create literary effects using, for example,
imagery, descriptive skills, language choice, tone and mood, structure and form
understand and use appropriate literary terminology
make comparisons between poems, including use of language, structure and form
identify and use relevant examples from poems
Find out more about how to answer the Poetry Anthology comparison question here.

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 How to Approach the Poetry Anthology Comparison
Question Your notes

How to Approach the IGCSE Poetry Anthology

Comparison Question
In Section B of your Edexcel IGCSE English Literature (4ET1/01), you need to write about a
poem from Part 3 of the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology and
compare it to another poem from that collection.
You can approach the question in Section B with confidence by learning more about the
exam question:
Section B: Poetry anthology comparison question overview
Understanding the exam question
Understanding the Assessment Objectives

Section B: Poetry anthology comparison

question overview
In Section B you will answer one question on either two set poems or the set poem and one
of your own choice from the anthology.
Here is an overview:

Exam question Poetry anthology comparison question

Time that you should spend on the question 40 minutes

Number of marks 30 marks

You will be given a booklet containing all the English Literature poems in the examination. You
will study all 16 poems from the Poetry Anthology:

‘If’ by Rudyard ‘Prayer Before ‘Blessing’ by Imtiaz ‘Search For My

Kipling Birth’ by Louis Dharker Tongue’ by Sujata
MacNeice Bhatt

‘Half-Past-Two’ ‘Piano’ by D H ‘Hide and Seek’ by ‘Sonnet 116’ by

by U.A. Fanthorpe Lawrence Vernon Scannell William
Shakespeare

‘La Belle Dame ‘Poem at Thirty- ‘War Photographer’ by ‘The Tyger’ by

Sans Merci’ by Nine’ by Alice Carol Ann Duffy William Blake
John Keats Walker

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 ‘My Last Duchess’ ‘Half-caste’ by ‘Do not go gentle into ‘Remember’ by
by Robert John Agard that good night’ by Dylan Christina Rossetti
Your notes
Browning Thomas

Understanding the exam question

Below are some recent examples of exam questions from Edexcel IGCSE English Literature
past papers (4ET1/01). Look at the wording of the questions and the question structure and
themes. Are there any exam questions that you might struggle to answer?

IGCSE Edexcel English Literature Poetry Anthology questions

June 2019 June 2019 January 2020 January 2020 November 2020
(titled June 2020)
(R paper) (R paper)

Compare the Compare the Compare the Compare how Compare how the
ways the ways the ways the writers the writers writers present
writers writers present people present isolation in ‘Hide
present present giving advice to childhood in and Seek’ and ‘War
concerns memories in others in ‘If –‘ ‘Halfpast Two’ Photographer’
about society ‘Search For and ‘Do not go and ‘Hide and
in ‘Prayer My Tongue’ gentle into that Seek’
Before Birth’ and ‘Poem at good night’
and ‘Half- Thirty-nine’
caste’

OR OR OR OR OR

Compare how Compare how Compare how Compare the Compare the ways
the writers the writers the writers ways the the writers present
present a convey present sadness writers present recollections of
moment in personal in ‘Remember’ a woman in ‘La the past in ‘Piano’
time in thoughts in and one other Belle Dame and one other
‘Blessing’ and ‘Sonnet 116’ poem from the sans Merci’ poem from the
one other and one other anthology and one other anthology
poem from poem from poem from the
the anthology the anthology anthology

You can significantly improve your exam performance by paying close attention to the
question and understanding it thoroughly.

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 Your notes

Understanding the Assessment Objectives

In Section B there are two assessment objectives which are both equally weighted. They are:

AO2 Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and
effects

AO3 Explore links and connections between texts

It is important to remember that the question in Section B is a comparison question. 50% of

the marks available for this question are based on your ability to compare the similarities and
differences between the two poems while directly addressing the question.
AO3 is addressed through the command word ‘compare’. You can compare ideas, themes,
literary features, structure, form or any other relevant aspect.
AO2 is assessed through the command words ‘how’ and ‘the ways.’ Analysing language,
structure and form means that you need to consider the deliberate choices the poets have
made.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

When responding to the Poetry Anthology in Section B, you should try to:
Show you are focusing on the question by using the command words and any
other keywords from the question
Compare the form, structure and language of the poems, giving examples and
explaining their effect on the reader

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 Provide a balanced response, giving each poem equal treatment
Include brief quotations from both poems
Remember, context is not assessed in this question though some knowledge of the Your notes
poet is essential for understanding each poem.

FAQs
How many paragraphs should I write for a 30-mark question?
There is no set length for how long a 30-mark essay should be. However, in terms of content,
your answer should include 3 developed paragraphs. Within these paragraphs there should
be a detailed analysis of each point and evidence from the poems to back up every point you
are making.
How should I approach the poetry anthology comparison question?
Try to take a whole-text approach to each of the poems. This could involve commenting on
language. For example, have the poets used repetition or figurative language throughout
their poems? You might also want to comment on structural changes throughout the poem,
with phrases like “at the start”, “this changes when” or “in contrast”. You could comment on a
poet’s choice of form, by thinking about what deliberate choices the poets have made with
their verse form.
Find out more about how you can write a Grade 9 answer.

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 How to Write a Grade 9 Poetry Comparison Essay
Your notes
How to Write a Grade 9 Poetry Anthology
Comparison Essay
To get a Grade 9 in the Poetry Anthology section of the exam, you need to know how to write
an effective comparison essay. Find out how to approach the exam question:
Exam skill 1: Analysing language, form and structure (AO2)
Exam skill 2: Exploring links and connections (AO3)
Top tips for a Grade 9

Exam skill 1: Analysing language, form and

structure (AO2)
In Section B, there are two equally weighted assessment objectives (AO2 and AO3) and
these are the two skills you are being assessed on. AO2 assesses your ability to comment on
the poets’ use of language, structure and form. AO3 assesses your ability to compare both
poems and to explore links and connections between them. We will explore each of these
key skills separately.
Form and structure
When writing about form and structure in poetry, consider why the poet has chosen that
particular form or structure and thе impact of their choices on the poem’s meaning.
Let’s take a look at an example. The following poem is ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’
by Dylan Thomas. In this poem, the speaker implores his father, who is blind and close to
death, to not accept death, despite its inevitability, but to resist it.

‘Do not go gentle into that Form and structure comments

good night’ by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good

night,
Old age should burn and rave at
close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of The poem is a villanelle: it is written in 6 stanzas (the
the light. first 5 are tercets and the final 1 is a quatrain)
Two refrains are repeated throughout the poem
Though wise men at their end It is written in iambic pentameter
know dark is right,
The poem follows a strict villanelle rhyme scheme
Because their words had forked of ABA with the final stanza having ABAA
no lightning they

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 Do not go gentle into that good
night.
Your notes

Good men, the last wave by,

crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have
danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of
the light.

Wild men who caught and sang

the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved
it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good
night.

Grave men, near death, who see

with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like
meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of
the light.

And you, my father, there on the

sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your
fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good
night.
Rage, rage against the dying of
the light.

The examiner expects you to comment on how the poets use form and structure for effect.
Throughout your response, add your own interpretation and ensure that all of your points are
fully developed. Consider this model answer which explores form and structure in one poem:

Question focus Analysis of form and structure (Grade 9)

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 Dylan Thomas exploits the form and structure of his poem to express
the speaker’s powerful emotion and fear of death in his poem. By
Your notes
using the villanelle form, Thomas heightens the emotional intensity of
his poem. The progression from tercets to a concluding quatrain
Compare how symbolises the escalating urgency of the speaker’s plea. As a
the writers villanelle’s structure generally lends itself to an almost relentless
present death in treatment of its subject, his use of this formal structure reinforces the
‘Do not go intensity of the son’s plea and demonstrates the depth of love he has
gentle into that for his father. The repetitive refrains of ‘Do not go gentle into that
good night’ and good night’ and ‘Rage, rage against the dying of the light’ act as
one other poem persistent commands throughout the poem and reinforce the
from the speaker’s insistence on defying the inevitability of death ty. The use of
anthology iambic pentameter and the regularity of this meter creates an element
of stability and control amidst the turbulent emotions expressed in
the poem, creating balance.

Language
Being familiar with key literary terms can help to support your analysis of the poems. You
always need to discuss the effects of the terms the poet uses, so focus on the impact on the
reader.
Analysing language means that you consider the deliberate choices the poets have made to
include specific words or phrases in their poems and why. As an example, we will explore
some specific literary techniques and consider Dylan Thomas’s intentions using the same
poem.

Language Examples Language comments

technique(s)

“that good night", “close of day” motifs allude to the

and “dying of the light” inevitability of death
motif & repetition
repetition adds urgency to
the speaker’s plea

The examiner expects you to comment on how poets use language for effect. Throughout
your response, add your own interpretation and ensure that all of your points are fully
developed. Review this model paragraph to see how to use literary terms in your analysis:

Question focus Analysis of language (Grade 9)

Thomas’ use of language and poetic devices contribute to the

presentation of death in his poem. In his poem, Dylan Thomas uses
Compare how the motifs to allude to the inevitability of death through the phrases:
writers present “that good night", “close of day” and “dying of the light”. He
death in ‘Do not go unusually uses light, typically symbolic of life and vitality, to refer to
gentle into that death and the fading of life. “That good night” and “close of day”
good night’ and have connotations of a peaceful and tranquil departure but Thomas
one other poem infuses these phrases with a sense of urgency and defiance and

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 from the urges resistance to the passive acceptance of death. Moreover, the
anthology poet uses repetition, with refrains echoing throughout the poem,
and these amplify the urgency of the speaker’s plea to defy the Your notes
natural order of death.

Exam skill 2: Exploring links and connections

(AO3)
As you know, the question in Section B is a comparison question so you need to cover both
poems in your answer. While the coverage of your two poems does not need to be equally
weighted in your response, the second poem should have substantial treatment.
If your response is unequal, you will not be able to access Level 3 (required for higher grades),
where an explanation of the poets’ ideas and perspectives is required alongside developed
comparisons between the poems. Remember, although some poems are much longer than
others, the examiner will take this into consideration when marking your response.
As an example, we will explore some comparisons using two poems from the Edexcel Poetry
Anthology: Dylan Thomas’ ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ (above) and ‘If—’ by
Rudyard Kipling.

‘If—’ - Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

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 Or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; Your notes
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run—
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

Once you have identified both poets’ ideas and their use of form, structure and language,
you need to compare them. Below are some similarities and differences which you might
identify using these two poems.

Similarities between both poems Differences between both poems

both poems present people giving one poem considers a future life while the
advice to others other poem considers death
both poems are personal and one poem is from the point of view of the
emotional father to his son while the other is a son to
his father
both poems use repetition and are
written with a regular rhythm and
rhyme
both poems use contrasts

Review this model paragraph to see how to write comparative points and create an
integrated and coherent paragraph:

IGCSE Edexcel English Literature Poetry Anthology

How do the poets convey strong feelings in ‘If –’ and ‘Do not go gentle into that good
night’?

In ‘If –’ and ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ both poets use various poetic
techniques to convey strong feelings, such as determination, resilience and defiance.
Both poets use contrasts throughout their poems in order to convey these strong
emotions. In ‘If-’ the poet presents the speaker’s stoical views about life and offers
guidance and advice from an older speaker to a younger man (a father to his son) through
the use of conditional clauses. The poem works with a series of contrasts to convey
feelings such as trust and doubt, triumph and disaster, kings and common touch. While
hopes and fears are important, Kipling warns against placing too much importance on
either and advises that one should strive for a balanced approach to life. Indeed, ‘Triumph’
and ‘Disaster’ are personified as if to indicate that they can take a human form but are
‘impostors’ and should not be given too much importance. Similarly, in Dylan Thomas’
poem, the son’s love for his father is demonstrated through the use of powerful emotions

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 and he desperately pleads with his father to fight against imminent death. In this poem,
Thomas uses juxtaposition (‘Curse, bless’) and a range of contrasts to underscore his
views: ‘gentle’ and ‘rage’, ‘night’ and ‘day’, ‘light’ and ‘dark’, ‘blind’ and ‘sight’. While the Your notes
word ‘gentle’ suggests a peaceful and calm acceptance and perhaps a quiet surrender to
fate, the word ‘rage’ evokes a powerful defiance and a refusal to yield. This contrast
serves to convey the poem’s central conflict: the tension between accepting death and
passionately fighting against it.

This response explores the links and connections between both poems and integrates
these comparisons throughout.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

The structure of responses will vary. You may prefer to provide a response that
compares like-for-like throughout their essay, or you may find this difficult and prefer
to write about each poem separately and then draw comparisons at the end.
Whichever method you choose to use, the full range of marks can be awarded for
either approach.

Top grade tips for a Grade 9

How to plan a poetry comparison essay
Planning your essay is absolutely vital to achieve the highest marks. Your plan should include
all aspects of your response, covering all of the assessment objectives:
Your overall argument, also known as a thesis
Your topic sentences for all your 3-4 paragraphs
The quotations you will be using from the given poem
The quotations and references you will be using and analysing from your second poem
Comments on why the poets have made the choices they have in terms of language,
structure and form
Similarities and differences between the poems
How you should start a poetry comparison essay
Your introduction should clearly and briefly answer the question. The best way to do this is to
include a thesis statement. You should include the exact words from the question in your
thesis statement. Examiners want to see your own opinion – your interpretation of what the
poets are trying to show – so your thesis statement should also attempt to explain why you
think the poets have presented the idea or theme of the question in the way that they have.
What are they trying to say overall? What are the poets’ messages?
How you should develop a poetry comparison essay
For each paragraph, include a clear introductory sentence (also known as a “topic
sentence”) at the beginning. This topic sentence must make one clear point that is directly

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related to the focus of the question.
Beware of writing an overly structured paragraph that follows a set pattern. While you may Your notes
have learned PEE, PEAL, PEED, or other structures for your paragraphs, examiners often say
that these can be limiting in an exam, especially if you want a top grade.
How to end a poetry comparison essay
It is always a good idea to include a conclusion to your essay so that it reads coherently
throughout. However, there is no need to spend a long time writing it. A conclusion for a
poetry anthology comparison essay should only summarise the proof you have provided for
your thesis. It only needs to be two or three sentences long and should include the words of
the question and your thesis. Remember, you do not get rewarded for including the same
information twice.

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 Poetry Comparison Mark Scheme and Model Answers
Your notes
Poetry Comparison Mark Scheme and Model
Answers
The best way to improve any essay is to know how you are assessed, and what skills you are
being assessed on. Find out what examiners are looking for in a Grade 9 essay:
Mark scheme
Example tasks
Grade 9 model answer

Mark Scheme
In Section B you will be asked to compare a named poem from the Pearson Edexcel
International GCSE English Anthology to another poem from that collection. You will answer
one question on either two set poems or the set poem and one of your own choice from the
anthology.
It is crucial that you have a thorough understanding of the Edexcel IGCSE English Literature
mark scheme because, in doing so, you will know exactly what you are being assessed on
and how to improve.
AO2 and AO3 are assessed in Section B and both are worth 50%, or 15 marks each. AO2 asks
you to analyse the language, form and structure used by each poet to create meanings and
effects. AO3 requires you to explore links and connections between both of the poems.

Example tasks
The following model answers are based on different past papers for the Edexcel IGCSE
English Literature exam (4ET1). The commentary is designed to highlight how to structure
your response and integrate all aspects of the assessment objectives, so these models
could be applied to any of the poems in the examination.
We will now explore some exemplars using examples of examination questions from Section
B. First, let’s read through the question below which is taken from the June 2018 past paper.
Question

IGCSE Edexcel English Literature Poetry Anthology

Re-read ‘Search For My Tongue’ and ‘Half-caste’.

Compare the ways the writers convey feelings about identity in ‘Search For My Tongue’
and ‘Half-caste’.
You should make reference to language, form and structure.
Support your answer with examples from the poems

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 Graded 9 Model Answer Paragraph
Your notes
In ‘Search For My Tongue’ and ‘Half-caste’, both poems convey strong feelings about
identity and cultural heritage. ‘Search For My Tongue’ is a poem explicitly about identity
and speaking and thinking in two languages: English and Gujarati (the speaker’s ‘mother
tongue’). The poem uses an extended metaphor with the “mother” language represented
as a flower in “bud” that “blossoms” in the speaker’s dreams. Here Bhatt uses this to
represent the innate beauty of her language, and contrasts this with the struggle to retain
one’s native language while adapting to a new one. She fears it will “rot and die”, forcing
her to “spit it out”, with the repetition of “spit it out” suggesting the violent nature of her
assimilation to a new language and culture. Similarly, in ‘Half-caste’ the poet writes about
identity and ridicules the outdated phrase “half-caste”. In this poem, the speaker
questions others’ views. Agard uses non-standard, colloquial English and Caribbean
patois to convey the speaker’s thoughts and feelings about their identity. His
manipulation of language reflects the speaker’s defiance and assertion of this identity.
Both poems use a direct address to the reader and have a conversational tone which is
used to prompt the reader to also question their assumptions and preconceptions: ‘You
ask me what I mean’, ‘Explain yuself / wha yu mean’ and both use language from their own
culture to explore their own identities.

Here is another example using an examination question from the November 2020 past
paper (titled June 2020).
Question

IGCSE Edexcel English Literature Poetry Anthology

Re-read ‘Hide and Seek’ and ‘War Photographer’.

Compare how the writers present isolation in ‘Hide and Seek’ and ‘War Photographer’
You should make reference to language, form and structure.
Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Graded 9 Model Answer Paragraph

In both ‘Hide and Seek’ and ‘War Photographer’ the poets powerfully present the theme
of isolation at a point in time. In Scannell’s poem, the speaker describes a child’s initial
excitement at finding a perfect hiding place, “They’ll never find you”, and contrasts this
with disappointment when they are abandoned: “where are they who sought you?” At first,
the fear of discovery makes the child’s isolation exhilarating as the listing of short
imperative sentences convey a childlike desire to win: “Don’t breathe. Don’t move. Stay
Dumb. Hide in your blindness”. However, the child’s isolation in the toolshed is also filled
with menace: “The floor is cold” and ‘the cold bites”. The symbolism, repetition and
personification of “cold” and “bites” illustrate their discomfort. Similarly, in ‘War
Photographer’ the photographer’s isolation leaves the reader feeling ambivalent about its
impact. He is described as being “finally alone”, suggesting that he has been relishing his
isolation to study his “spools of suffering”. However, in his isolation, the photographer

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 relives the affecting images he has seen of pain and suffering. Using listing of places and
caesura, “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh” (all war-torn places at the time the poem was
written), the poet adds gravitas. The description of an injured man, with “A stranger’s Your notes
features”, as a metaphorical “half-formed ghost” adds to the impression of suffering, as if
those affected by war are isolated and alone. The form and structure of each poem also
adds to the presentation of the theme of isolation. While ‘War Photographer’ is written in
four six-line stanzas of isolated, “ordered rows”, reflecting the spools of photographs,
‘Hide and Seek’ is in one stanza of 27 lines which suggests the continuous flow of the
child’s isolating experience.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Although the structure of your response can vary, you must ensure that you compare
and write about both poems. Remember the mark awarded cannot progress beyond
the top of Level 2 if only one poem has been considered in your response.

Model Answer
Below you will find a full-mark Grade 9 model answer for this task. The commentary labelled
in each section of the essay illustrates how and why it would be awarded Grade 9. The
commentary is relevant to any question because it is modelling how to structure an answer
incorporating the relevant assessment objectives.
Question

IGCSE Edexcel English Literature Poetry Anthology

Re-read ‘Piano’ and ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’.

Compare the ways the writers convey feelings about parents in ‘Piano’ and ‘Poem at
Thirty-Nine’.
You should make reference to language, form and structure.
Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Graded 9 Model Answer

Both the ‘Piano’ and ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ convey feelings about parents and recall
memories of times spent with them, both happy and not so happy. As both poems are
autobiographical, the poets have chosen to write them in first person and both speakers
are presented as adults reminiscing on past events.
In both poems, the poets explore strong feelings of longing and regret at their distance
from their parent. Both speakers appear distressed as they consider their loss: “I weep
like a child for the past” and “How I miss my father!” While one speaker suggests a deep
nostalgia for “childish days”, the other expresses a sense of loss and longing for the

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guidance that their father gave. In ‘Piano’ the adult speaker goes “back down the vista of
years” to recall “a mother who smiles as she sings” with the sibilance conveying a deep
tenderness and love. The poem depicts an idealistic family setting “with winter outside / Your notes
And hymns in the cosy parlour”, with the juxtaposition of “winter” and the connotations of
“cosy” conveying perhaps a longing for the security of being a child, as the speaker
“weeps to belong” to that time again. Similarly, in ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ the poet
reminisces about her father and the life skills that he taught her. This poem is
autobiographical and the title specifically refers to Walker’s age when she wrote it. The
use of “I” and free verse conveys the speaker’s personal and nostalgic reflections: it
illustrates the poet’s love for her father while also revealing the impact he has had on her as
a woman: “He would have grown / to admire”. This sense of longing for her father’s
recognition suggests the deep emotional bond between them and serves as a poignant
reminder of his absence. She has mastered “cooking, writing, chopping wood, / staring
into the fire”, reflecting the nurturing support and guidance he once provided, while the
phrase ‘staring into the fire’ suggests she is contemplating her loss.
Both poets use structure, form and language to present profound memories of the past,
conveying the speakers’ longing for a deceased parent. While ‘Piano’ recalls one specific
memory, ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ recalls a variety of different memories and both poems
juxtapose past and present events. In ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ the speaker reminiscences
about her father through memories of her childhood, revealing her admiration for him. The
use of the refrain, “how I miss my father”, conveys a deep sense of regret and loss. ‘Poem
at Thirty-Nine’ is written in free verse, with six stanzas of unequal length, which conveys the
speaker’s emotional, free- flowing stream of thought. In contrast, ‘Piano’ is written in
three quatrains of rhyming couplets, perhaps reflecting the musical theme of the poem,
and this condensed structure heightens the emotional impact of the powerful memories
the speaker shares. Furthermore, Lawrence’s contrasting language choices in the
onomatopoeic description of the “boom” compared with the “the tingling strings” adds
to the sensory impact of this description on the reader – it is a poignant and intimate
recollection that the speaker shares with us, recalling “pressing the small, poised feet” of
his mother.
Both poets use mood and tone to convey the speakers’ deep feelings for their parent. In
‘Piano’ Lawrence reminisces with a nostalgic and melancholic tone as the speaker yearns
for the past, “The glamour / Of childish days”, which is contrasted with his response to the
brash ‘clamour’ of the singer in the present. The poem ends with a shift in tone and mood
as the poet confronts his sad reality, his “manhood is cast/Down”. Here the use of
enjambment reveals the emotional impact of his recollections as the tone becomes more
sombre. The speaker’s emotions are also heightened in the poem’s final statement, “I
weep for the past”, which conveys his overwhelming feeling of sadness. In contrast, in
‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ the speaker presents a more positive mood and hopeful tone. There
is a sense of acceptance and gratitude for the lessons learnt and the memories shared.
Unlike ‘Piano’, the tone is one of reconciliation and closure as the speaker comes to terms
with her past and embraces the person she has become, one who now is “Writing deposit
slips and checks”, “telling the truth” and “sharing / of good food”. These activities
symbolise the speaker’s maturity and independence as an adult. Despite the speaker’s
inevitable sadness at the loss of her father, there is a tone of resilience and optimism.
In conclusion, both poets powerfully convey feelings of love and longing for parents
through a variety of methods, lamenting their loss and yearning to return to the closeness
of their relationship in childhood. While ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ offers closure and
acceptance of the loss of a parent in adulthood, ‘Piano’ is more poignant and

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melancholic, reminding the reader of the simplicity and beauty of a child’s love for their
parent.
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