Three Text Comparison Paragraph Commentary

Here is the three text comparative analytical paragraph with structure and commentary.

PARAGRAPH	PARAGRAPH CONTENT	COMMENTARY
Topic sentence	Another important way the horses are presented is through the use of settings.	Thesis presented that refers to all three texts
Introduce quotation and add detail	The poets use the settings in their poems to build up a strong impression of the horses. The horses are partly defined by their settings. In MacNeice’s poem the setting is a circus. The horses are trained performers for the audiences’ entertainment.  MacNeice describes,	More detailed information given about the point and information given about the first of the three texts
Quotation	"The horses amble on a disc of dreams".
Comments	This man made environment is described as otherworldly and magical in this ‘disc of dreams’ emphasised by the alliteration. This ‘disc’ maybe suggests fantasy to those watching. MacNeice uses the circus setting and the rhythm of the line suggesting the movement of the horse - as a way of addressing the children he has written for. Within this setting the horses ‘amble’ this verb denotes the horses plodding slowly at an easy pace. This suggests a lack of vitality or energy. It may also present the horses as trained.	This series of comments includes references to the broader context of the poem.  This includes a reference to the readership. Four literary techniques are referred to and one reference to grammar. The readers response is implied rather than explicit.
Comparative link and topic sentence	In contrast to this controlled environment Hughes presents the horses in a natural environment. It is Hughes giving ‘a voice to the landscape of England.’	This statement concludes the previous poem and introduces the next poem. The second poem is a contrast to the first. A quotation about Hughes’s animal poetry is taken from an external source.
Introduces quotation	as he stumbles upon them before sunrise. He writes	Context of the quotation is given
Quotation	‘I climbed through woods in the hour before dawn dark’
Comments	Hughes describes the setting as remote and isolated – beyond the ‘woods’. The remoteness is emphasised by the verb ‘climbed’ that suggests physical struggle and work. And the alliterative ‘dawn dark’ is used to create a strong visual image. The predawn walk is also used to emphasise Hughes’s isolation. But also highlights Hughes's love for the wildlife of the natural world. The horses in this setting are independent. They are wild and there is no relationship between people and horses. In fact Hughes enters the world of the horses.	This comment picks up word classes and poetic device. I’ve also included a statement showing Hughes’s overall context – his environmental and conservation interests.
Comparative link and topic sentence	Muir presents a different setting to both MacNeice and Hughes. Here is a futuristic dystopian vision of the future	The third poem is introduced a contrasting comment is made to the previous poems.
Introduces quotation	when he begins his poem	Brief introduction to the quotation
Quotation	Barely a twelvemonth after /The seven days war that put the world to sleep’
Comments	This is an alien and unfamiliar setting. However the horses that inhabit this future are a symbol of the past. They are comforting and familiar in the context of a world tragedy. ‘The seven days war’ reflects the story of the seven days it took to create the world. This biblical reference reflects the epic nature of the poem. Muir uses the noun ‘sleep’ as a euphemism for death. The news that the whole world has been destroyed is so painful the narrator resorts to figurative language.	A broader range of analytical features included.