Essay Question:
Compare the ways in which contrast is used in ‘Blessing’ and ‘Island Man’
Introduction
Outline key similarities and differences between the poems and how each handles contrast (the focus of the question). What is your main point that you are going to argue about contrast?
E.g. each poem is written by different poets from different cultures and uses contrast for a certain reason (be specific) one is set in India, the other in set London/Caribbean – they are concerned with different types of contrast (again, be specific) Grace Nichols concentrates on the contrast between the grey London streets and the sunny Caribbean beaches, whilst Imtiaz Dharker concentrates on the contrast between…
Paragraph 1
Discuss briefly how each poem uses contrast, using embedded quotations. Your aim is to give a brief Overview of the different contrasts in each poem (you will go into detail in Paragraph 2)
e.g. Grace Nichols contrasts the ‘blue surf’ with the ‘dull’ London landscape; she creates this contrast in order to emphasise… whereas Imtiaz Dharker contrasts the dry, hard landscape with the cool, refreshing water.
Contrasts could include:
adult and child reactions
images of money and poverty
London and Caribbean
quiet and noise
colour/light and darkness
Paragraphs 2 and on
This is where you go into detail....
