This is more of a commentary than an essay. Compare “To His Coy Mistress” (“Mistress,” John Donne) with “Donna Julia” (Byron, from Don Juan). I will provide you with both of these poems. Write the same amount for both poems. The word count is 520-550 words. Try not to list points, but rather to analyze them in an integrated fashion. The more coherent your commentary is, the better. I’ll also provide a sample commentary, so I can show you what my instructor wants. Also do not use so many quotes.
1) Make interpretations and arguments — not just summaries and observations. Also, give specific support for your interpretations and arguments. If you say that something occurs in a text, show where, how, and why. Back up your points with specific references to the text. But do not use so many quotes.
2) Express yourself grammatically and in the proper format — coherent paragraphs for the commentaries. Do not say what happens in the text; it merely shows that you’ve read the text and understand the basic points about it.
A commentary doesn’t require an introduction or conclusion, or a clear and integrated relation between a main argument (in the thesis statement) and subsidiary arguments (in topic sentences).