Introduction

Identify a SIRV reason for comparing these two poems. What one thing do both poems have to say about the subject?

End the introduction with a thesis statement that identifies both poems by title and author and identifies the SIRV reason for comparing the two poems.

Having children is both a burden and a blessing, as well as an awesome responsibility. Parents can find themselves on an emotional rollercoaster ride as they deal with being parents. Donald Hall's "My Son, My Executioner" and Philip Larkin's "Home is So Sad" reveal some of the emotional burdens parents face in caring for a child.
Poem A
  • Begin with a topic sentence that identifies the poem by title and author and indicates what this poem has to say about the theme common to both poems.
  • Explicate the poem, identifying evidence within the poem supporting the theme being explored.
  • Conclude by reiterating what this poem has to say about the theme under consideration
 In Donald Hall's "My Son, My Executioner," the speaker contemplates his newborn child, joyfully accepting surrendering his own life for the welfare of his child.



The rest of the paragraph provides evidence from the poem to support this topic sentence.
Poem B
  • Begin with a transitional sentence that identifies the poem by title and author and indicates what this poem has to say about the theme common to both poems and indicates the relation between what this poem says and what the previous poem says.
      • Examples:
    • Similarity: "Like Poem A by Author A, Poem B by Author B also . . . "
    • Similarity with expansion: "Not only can (whatever Poem A revealed about the theme), but Poem B by Author B shows (whatever extension of this idea Poem B offers)"
    • Contrast: While Poem A by Author A suggests, Poem B by Author B reveals (a different perspective)"
  • Explicate the second poem, identifying evidence within the poem supporting the theme being explored.
  • Conclude by reiterating what this poem has to say about the theme under consideration
 While parents may feel an awesome weight of responsibility at the birth of a child, this weight does not dissipate when the children are grown. Philip Larkin's "Home is So Sad" reveals the heavy sense of loss some parents feel, having given their lives to their children, when those children leave home.The rest of the paragraph provides evidence from the poem to support the topic sentence (second sentence above).
Conclusion

Restate or draw a conclusion about the theme common to both poems and its SIRV for the reader.

 Parenting can be daunting and emotionally difficult as these poems reveal. Nevertheless, parents willingly endure the sacrifices and pains of parenting, the disappointments about "how things ought to be" (Larkin, line 7) for the joy of children, "our instrument[s] of immortality" (Hall, line 6).

SIRV - Significant, Important, Relevant, or Valuable reason for writing.

Link to "My Son, My Executioner"

Link to "Home is So Sad"