Paper Two

Comparative Analysis

Draft due Monday, October27

Final due Friday, November7

For this 5-6 page paper,choose two or three poems and develop a comparative thesis on one of thefollowing topics. Support yourclaims with specific evidence from the poems’ form and content. Remember that a comparative argumentdoes not simply record similarities and differences between poems, but tells uswhy those similarities matter. What do we get out of reading the poems side by side that we didn’t seebefore?

1) The Ticking Clock: Consider how thepoems you choose deal with time and temporality. What is the relationship between the present, past, andfuture? How do individualsrepresented in the poem (including the speaker) experience time? What events qualify as historical, andwhat role does history play in the present?

2) Object Lessons: How do these poemsengage with the material world? What kinds of objects are the poets most interested in, and why? How do they handle things, and how doestheir hands-on (or hands-off) approach function in the context of the poems asa whole? What is the relationshipbetween poetic language and physical substance?

3) The Work of Mourning: Many of th epoems we’ve studied in the elegaic tradition express grief over the loss ofsomeone or something. Why doesmourning come to seem worthwhile in these poems? What, if anything, does the process of working through lossaccomplish? Is grief something tobe transcended or something to dwell in, and what are the benefits or costs ofthat decision?

4) A Sense of Place: How do these poemsconceive of the environment? Howdo they engage with specific locations or with the idea of nature ingeneral? What parts of theenvironment seem to be most meaningful or relevant to the poems? What goes into making a place?  How would you characterize therelationship between the poetic voice and the landscape?

5) Or, if you’re interested in aparticular topic not covered here, write your own prompt. Clear it with me before you beginworking on your paper.