Good evening :)
I suggest you begin with a rough outline. List all of the main topics you absolutely want to discuss in the paper, followed by one interesting fact, detail, or other supporting information for each point. Once you have the content you want, then you can write a rough conclusion reiterating the main points you discussed in the body.
In a compare/contrast essay, there is usually one comparison for every contrast. For instance, what is one thing both poems have in common? Think about themes, characters, names, melody, cadence, word usage, punctuation patterns. Then, what do they have that is different along the same lines. Even though both poems share the same topic (hope), do they discuss it in the same manner? Probably not; therefore, how is hope discussed or illustrated differently in the two pieces?
I hope this helps you get started.
Best of luck!
Regards,
Gloria
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