Description

Topic 1

Essay Instructions

link for the poem https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=23740

From the online collections provided, chose one poem that you enjoyed  to be the subject of a written analysis.You may select any poem, but I request that students not write about Emily Dickenson or Robert Frost. You can appeal this request but you must be able to argue effectively as to why you want to write about one of their poems. You may chose a poem that’s meaningful to you that is not contained in our book, but you must submit it to me for approval.

Instructions and Writing Prompt:

For this assignment, your task is to complete a thematic analysis of a poem of your choice. This means that you will need to make an argument/construct a thesis statement about the poem’s theme or message. You then will demonstrate to readers that your argument is correct by showing how the poetic devices at work in your chosen poem support the thesis. This means that you’ll need to discuss several of the poetic/literary devices at work in the poem (tone, images, word choice, symbols, figurative language, denotative/connotative meanings, sound devices, form, meter, etc.).

For each of these literary devices, make a claim about how that device works within the poem that you are analyzing, and how it relates to the main idea or “theme” of the poem. Remember to use the steps we learned in class to deconstruct your poem. Begin with a full paraphrase of the poem, then use the literacy devices for analysis, finally come to a conclusion about the poems meaning.

The paper should have a clear introduction with a thesis statement stating your specific interpretation of the poem, the body should discuss the poem and the literary devices listed above as they relate to your thesis, and the conclusion should sum up your interpretations and how all of those devices come together to create a interesting poem with a significant theme.

Fee free to use any research/source material in writing this essay; you may want to find out about the author’s biography or background or what other scholars are saying about this poem. However, you need to cite and properly document and information that is not your own.

Your paper will be approximately 900 words, DOUBLE SPACED, MLA FORMAT WITH PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS AND A WORKS CITED PAGE (citing at least the anthology from which your poem is quoted).

Assignment Objectives:

 

Learning objectives are statements that define the expected goal of a curriculum, course, lesson or activity in terms of demonstrable skills or knowledge that will be acquired by a student as a result of instruction. A successful demonstration of skills will show that students are able to:

• Demonstrate critical thinking and reading skills in discussion and writing.
• Understand the role of summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation in supporting thesis and ideas.
• Understand relationships between meaning in literature and language manipulation, including literal and figurative language, denotation, and connotation.
• Analyze and evaluate relationships between meaning and the use of literary forms and strategies, including parody, satire, irony, etc.
• Identify unstated premises and assumptions arising from social, historical, moral, cultural, psychological, or aesthetic contests in which primary texts and applicable criticism exist.
• Explore a line of inquiry and limit the topic appropriately.
• Establish and state clearly a unifying thesis or proposition.
• Select examples, details, and other evidence to support or validate the thesis and other generalizations.
• Use principles of inductive and deductive logic to support and develop ideas.
• Avoid logical fallacies in the presentation of an argument.
• Organize the main parts of an essay and define a sequence that contributes to clarity and coherence.
• Use precise diction to communicate unambiguously.
• Correctly use the systems of documentation and bibliography (MLA).

 

 

 

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