Description of Assignment: A literary analysis essay pulls apart a piece of writing to examine its technique and understand its themes and ideas. For this assignment, you will choose one selection of two poems from the list on the next page and write an a

Peer Edit for Poetry Analysis Essay

Author:

Peer Editor:

  

1. Examine the thesis carefully.  Has the writer assembled a forceful statement that lends clarity and dimension to the poem’s theme, structure, imagery, voice, etc.?  How might the writer improve the content and the phrasing?

2. Comment on the strength (or weakness) of the comparison between the two poems.  Offer points for improvement.

3. Does the writer offer a convincing explication of the connection between the two poems?

4. Do the points in the body point back to the thesis?  

5. How well does the author explain metaphors, similes, images and symbols in the poems as they relate to the thesis?

6. Is the analysis repetitive in places, or does the body continue to build on new ideas?

7. Is the point-by-point arrangement in the body evident?

8. Does the author quote often enough from the poems? What about outside sources? Are they used in a meaningful way?

9. Does the writer remember to write consistently in present tense, in active voice?

10. Does the writer introduce and cite all quotations?

11. Suggest changes for awkward phrasing, grammar, and mechanics (putting all punctuation inside quotation marks, for example).

12. Point out places for improving transitions within and between paragraphs.

13. Check the writer’s use of MLA in citing, building a Works Cited page, creating a proper heading and title.  Good titles briefly comment on theme and include the title of the literary work:  Familial Demise in John Updike’s “Separating.”