Maxwell has often stated that he is influenced by the British poet W. H. Auden. Read several of Auden's poems and find one that is very similar to Maxwell's poem “The Nerve” in style, tone, theme, or all three. Analyze both poems. How are they similar? How do they differ? Write a poem of your own in a similar style. Here are three suggestions for a poem by Auden you might pick: “Let History Be My Judge,” “Stop All the Clocks . . .” (“Twelve Songs: IX,” sometimes called “Funeral Blues”), and “The Novelist.”

Complete a study of the circumstances of the life and times of the poet W. H. Auden compared with those that Maxwell must face today. In what environment did Auden live? Since both poets write of ordinary life, how were their lives similar? What were the social concerns in Auden's time...