Poetry

Poetry Essay 1 instructions

You should, at this point, be starting a draft of essay 1.

Analyzing poetry may be a brand-new endeavor. Continue to read and re-read the assigned poems; use your additional resources in this unit, and help each other out in the discussions. If a poem is worthwhile, it should open up on subsequent readings, not shut down. Read more poems, too, beyond the assignments. If you hit upon an author whose work resonates with you, see what else is available. The more you read, the more versed you become.

While reading the poems and figuring out their moves and strategies, don't lose sight of the fact that this is, fundamentally, a composition course, and that your three major essays comprise the largest component of the final grade: 70%. In that sense, ENGL 1102 truly builds on ENGL 1101; I'm looking for well-composed, organized essays that assert a main point which needs illustration and backup--that is, something debatable.

In your essays, the least interesting thing you can do is simply restate or paraphrase a poem back to me. (In Unit 2, I'll call this plot summary.) Little is gained from having a poem simply re-told to me. This usually leads to surface-level, "drive-by" writing that doesn't analyze anything in depth and says nothing debatable which needs proof; it's like a checklist.

Don't settle for answering the question "What is this poem about?" Aim higher. Ask instead, "What is this poem doing, and how does it do what it does?" This leads you toward consideration of technique, of specific tools a writer uses. (These elements, again, can be found on the Web site The Close Reading of Poetry, which is linked in the poetry reading assignments folder.) It also leads you toward the more relevant, higher-order question of "Why?" Why might a poem spend 10 lines describing an old black-and-white photo? Why might a poem repeat a specific phrase at the beginning of every other line? Why might a poem use an image of a coffin to contrast with an image of a young soldier?

Asking such higher-order questions should also get you to think about what a poem can do that a newspaper article (for example) can't: how it employs language, how it compresses, how it aims at a particular kind of truth.

See the pointers I offer in the essay 1 assignment document, as well as in the document "Writing about literature" in Start Here. Next, read the student essay "New Life, New Day," located in this week's folder (also specified in the assignment calendar). This is a good, helpful example of how to construct poetry analysis. It was written for this same assignment by a former student of mine. As you read, note its well-organized and well-illustrated analysis and how it builds its case surely and steadily.

You will write three essays centered in interpretation and argument; each essay requires

documentation of sources in proper MLA (Modern Language Association) format. Essays are

worth a maximum of 100 points each and are due on the dates listed in the class schedule. You

may submit essays up to 48 hours (two calendar days) after the posted due dates

without penalty and with no questions asked; after this 48-hour period the grade

will automatically be a zero. I give you this extended window as a courtesy; please use it

only in extraordinary, unavoidable circumstances. Course work continues regardless, and

delaying your essay submission may cause you to fall behind in subsequent assignments.

Final drafts must be typed, double-spaced, and formatted properly, and uploaded to the

corresponding Assignments dropboxes in iCollege. No essays will be accepted in hard copy or

via email attachment. Save your work early and often (and preferably in more than one place). I

reserve the right to require rewrites if your essays do not meet bare minimum requirements.

Remember, the pace is accelerated in a short summer semester. Your final draft of essay 1 is due at the conclusion of Week 2, and before then you must post your working draft of essay 1 and offer feedback on others' drafts. Manage your time well and don't fall behind. Feel free to email me with questions or post them to the Q & A forum as you move through this process.

Before you upload your final draft, take a look at these baseline items.

1. Does the essay have a definite and consistent structure?

Does the essay contain a definite introduction, body, and conclusion?

Does the introduction lead gracefully and logically into a clear thesis statement?

Does each paragraph contain a minimum of five to seven sentences?

Does each body paragraph develop one main point each? Is there any wandering, repetition, or drifting?

Is there a clear, consistent, easy-to-follow path throughout the writing?

2. Does the essay contain sufficient development of the main topic?

Does each body paragraph contain specific, appropriate, and relevant supporting details? Is there any wandering, repetition, or drifting?

Is the essay at least three full typed and double-spaced pages (not counting header and title)?

3. Has the essay been edited and proofread for mechanical and grammatical errors?