Power and Conflict Poetry — How to Compare
The cluster (AQA Power and Conflict)
Ozymandias · London · Extract from The Prelude · My Last Duchess · The Charge of the Light Brigade · Exposure · Storm on the Island · Bayonet Charge · Remains · Poppies · War Photographer · Tissue · The Émigrée · Checking Out Me History · Kamikaze.
Group the poems by theme
| Theme | Poems |
|---|---|
| Power of humans / tyranny | Ozymandias, My Last Duchess, London, Checking Out Me History |
| Power of nature | Storm on the Island, Exposure, The Prelude, Ozymandias |
| Reality of war | Bayonet Charge, Remains, Charge of the Light Brigade, Exposure |
| Effects of conflict / memory | Poppies, War Photographer, Kamikaze, The Émigrée, Remains |
How to compare (the exam gives one named poem)
1. Pick a clear link (e.g. both show the futility of war).
2. Compare ideas AND methods (form, structure, imagery).
3. Embed short quotations and add context.
Comparison sentence stem
> "Whereas Owen presents nature as the true enemy in Exposure, Heaney portrays it as something to be resisted in Storm on the Island…"
Exam tip
You get one named poem and choose the second — pick the one you can link most clearly. Compare methods throughout, not just content.