Reference no: EM132341040
Poetry Analysis Essay
For this assignment you should follow one of the three example papers which are listed below: the Bishop "Manners" essay, page 633 (798 in the 10th ed.); the Dickinson "Religious Faith" essay, page 861 (1081 in teh 10th ed.); the Dickinson explication essay, page 1681 (2068 in the 10th ed.). That is, you may choose to analyze a poem's themes--you should review the questions on pages 606-07 (774-75 in the 10th ed.) in order to develop some ideas for this. You many choose to write about two or more short poems by the same author. Or you may choose to explicate a poem--examine it by analyzing it line-by-line. Or you may compare two poems by different authors that address similar topics or have similar themes. Contact me if you choose this option so that I can provide you with a sample essay.
Regardless of which approach you decide to take, Chapter 52 (Ch. 56 in the 10th ed.), "Reading and the Writing Process," will give you information that you need.
Topics covered include:
Reading the work closely
Annotating the text
Choosing a topic
Developing a thesis
Organizing a paper
Writing a draft
Writing the introduction and conclusion
Using quotations
Revising and editing
Your final paper should be 4 pages long.
Now for some points I would like to emphasize.
1. BE SURE TO USE QUOTES FROM THE POEM(S) TO SUPPORT POINTS THAT YOU MAKE IN YOUR ESSAY.
2. WRITE A STRAIGHTFORWARD OPENING PARAGRAPH WHICH CLEARLY OUTLINES YOUR PURPOSE (THESIS).
3. WRITE A BRIEF (EVEN 1 SENTENCE) SUMMARY OF THE POEM.
4. DO NOT WRITE A 3 PAGE SUMMARY OF THE NARRATIVE OF THE POEM.
Questions that may help you develop a working thesis for your Essay:
Who is the speaker? Is the speaker addressing anyone in particular?
What does the title emphasize?
What figures of speech are used and how does the figurative language contribute to the poem?
What is the tone of the poem?
What is the rhyme scheme? How does it contribute to the poem?
Is there a regular meter? It the meter appropriate to the tone of the poem? Are there points where the regular meter is
interrupted?
Where is/are the turning points in the poem?