How would you approach an unseen poetry comparison question?

Read through the poem at least twice. Understand the themes and basic ideas within each poem and then begin to find links between them.

The titles are one of the most important aspects between the poems. Look carefully at them and ask yourself how each word relates to the themes which run in each poem. Comparison means both similarities and differences so do not forget to point out differences between titles and themes in poems. 

These poems have obviously been selected for a reason, thus you should look at the key themes and write down HOW the writer achieves this (because the writers methods are an essential part of your answer.) Again, look at differences and ask yourself how and why these differences exist. Always think outside the box and follow this mindset: Every word is chosen for a reason. For example in Philip Larkin's poem 'I remember, I remember' he uses the setting of a train- what do trains do/symbolise (journey, leaving something behind, looking towards the future etc).

My final note would be to look at the date in which the writer lived and connect the themes in the poem to the context of that time. Writers commonly use issues in their society within their poems- war poets often write about pre-war peace for example.