Write essay comparing themes of the given two poems
In this activity you will begin by learning more about two poets and reviewing components of a comparison and contrast essay. You will then have the opportunity to construct a comparison and contrast essay on two selected poems.
Background Information on the poets you will be writing about: (google or bing these videos).
• Listen to the talk: “The Danger of a single story” [Video File] [18 min 46 sec] by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie.
• For some information on the two poets you will be writing about watch the following two video clips:
o “A day with Wole Soyinka” [Video File] [08 min 02 sec]
o “Sharon Olds Speaks at the 2008 Poets Forum” [Video File] [03 min 13 sec]
Preparation for writing your essay:
• Read about Comparison and Contrast Essay at the Excelsior College OWL.
When you have completed all preparations for your essay, continue on to the following:
Read the poems “Telephone Conversation” by Wole Soyinka and “On the Subway” by Sharon Olds.
Write a 500 to 750 word essay comparing and contrasting the themes of these two poems. Remember that you should use the close reading method of Module 5 or the explication method of this module to gather evidence and quotes from the poems to support your thesis.
