Compare Contrast Poems

1

Survival of the Fittest The image of life we are often presented with in today’s society is a life of fame and fortune, when in reality, the real world is a cruel and competitive place. Most peop le can agree, life in this world is tough, and some of us do just enough to get by in the day-to-day routine. n this essay, !wendolyn "roo#s’ $The "ean %aters& %a ters& and 'atha (ollitt’s (ollitt’s $The )ld *eighbors& will  be compared and contrasted over many content areas. "roo#s’ and (ollitt’s (ollitt’s poems will be sifted through content areas such as setting, symbols and rhythm to determine the similarities and differences between the two. "roo#s’ poem, $The "ean %aters& is the shorter of the two poems but holds just as much meaning as the other. The setting of the poem ta#es place in a small room or apartment where two elderly people reside. The room is not clean, nor is it in good shape, with cluttering things from vintage dolls to cigarette ashes to the floor screeching every time they step on it. "roo#s gives us many symbols to piece together in her poem, one being the significance of beans. +ence the name, this elderly couple seems to live off of beans, which symbolies the poor and povertystric#en situation the partners are living in. To build on this image of messy poverty, "roo#s continuously mentions the different things absorbing space in the room. This poem d oes not have a set rhyming rhythm, but some lines do rhyme li#e the first two, helping the words to flow nicer into the ne/t section of the poem. n $The )ld *eighbors& by 'atha (ollitt, a somewhat enlightened scene of a spea#er observing over people living out their lives. The setting ta#es place in Manhattan, *ew 0or# 0or# as the spea#er observes others performing their everyday tas#s. This poem is much more involved in the characters’ story and meaning rather than objects. 1 main point (ollitt is trying to portray

2

is that each person has his or her own goals, whether it’s a daily or life goal, they wor# through the difficult times. Much li#e the couple does in $The "ean %aters&, fol#s ma#e due with what they have and they engage the struggles ahead. 2i#e $The "ean %aters&, this poem does not have a specific rhyming pattern but it occasionally occurs every other line, which seems to propel the reading into the following sentence anticipating another. "oth poems portray the importance of wor#ing through the struggles of life with what one has with whom one loves. The subject does not have to rhyme or be setting-specific, as long as the determination and perseverance to get through each day is represented, the reader gets the  point the poems represent. f one found him or herself in the situation of the bean eaters, would he3she wor# towards a better life or give up on trying4

5or#s 6ited McMahan, %liabeth. 7(aired (oems for 6omparison.7 Literature and the writing process. 89th ed. "oston: (earson 2ongman, ;98;.