Comparing Lake Isle of Innisfree and A Dead Harvest In Kensington

 How to write a fandaglistic hyperpolished poetry essay in timed conditions.

Use this frame to help you!

Explore the different ways in which the poets portray nature  in ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’’ and ‘A Dead Harvest in Kensington’

Introduction: where you introduce the poems by explaining BRIEFLY what they are about. Remember you get most marks for COMPARING AND CONTRASTING THE POEMS

In this you COMPARE AND CONTRAST the  SUBJECTS AND THEMES of the poem, by pointing out THEIR SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

• In ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’ Yeats is speaking of himself arising and going to Innisfree as if it is a place of refuge. The poem presents nature as a deeply spiritual and mystical place, where the growing of things has a magical quality. At the end of the poem, Yeats says that nature has such a profound effect upon him that he carries it in his “deep heart’s core”, in other words the experience of being in the natural world has given an inner power to combat the lifeless man-made world exemplified by the “grey” pavements of the city.
• However ‘ADHK’ is about how the city has killed off the natural world, not only by destroying plants and trees but also by destroying the “natural” part of man , Meynell compares this lifeless season to the lifeless town dwellers who lack spirituality.
• They both address the theme of nature, but Meynell is more pessimistic, perceiving the death of the natural world, whereas Keats sees…

Now lead into a detailed paragraph COMPARING AND CONTRASTING the IMAGERY of the poems, by pointing out THEIR SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

• Yeats conveys his positive impression of nature by using several images….PEAL  – whatever you like- “purple glimmer”  
• Meynell uses images of fire to suggest ………PEAL
• These images show different views on nature as one…….and the other….

COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE LANGUAGE, by pointing out THEIR SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES – comment on one or two poetic devices that really stand out to you in the poem

• Yeats uses many poetic devices to show us how much he likes autumn. What particularly stands out is his use of…..PEAL…ATMOSPHERE/MOOD/TONE
• Meynell…PEAL… ATMOSPHERE/MOOD/TONE

COMPARING AND CONTRASTING THE STRUCTURE, by pointing out THEIR SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES – (rhyme, rhyming couplets, rhythm, syllables, punctuation)

It is easy to comment on structure, but you must make it relevant

• The structure of The Lake Isle is that it is written in 3 stanzas. Yeats uses each stanza to show autumn in a different way………They describe the Isle in depth and its beautiful setting.
• Meynell uses a very regular rhyme scheme in her poem of  AA…This perhaps suggests how she feels that in the town there is no room for freedom; Everything is restricted and lifeless and relentless.

So, the fail safe formula for all your poetry essays is to ANSWER THE QUESTION AND COMPARE AND CONTRAST (similarities and differences)

• COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE SUBJECT AND THEME (introduction)
• COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE IMAGERY
• COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE LANGUAGE
• COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE STRUCTURE
• Conclusion.

For each point talk about each poem. Compare and contrast them!