Rough draft

Directions: In a well-developed, well-supported, response analyze and respond to each of the claims made by a former English 1B student on the topic of reading and responding to poetry:

How do I read a poem? How do I know what a poem "means"? Well, the nice thing about poetry is that you don't have to be an expert to write it and you sure don't have to be an expert to read it. Reading poetry is a completely subjective process, and what it "means" it all depends on what the reader sees in the poem. I mean, we are all entitled to our opinions, and all of our opinions are equally valid, so I always stick with my first impressions and interpret a poem accordingly. When I read a poem, I just let my feelings take over, and that lets me understand what the poet is trying to convey. And I also like poetry because unlike other kinds of writing, there aren't any rules to follow for writing it or for reading it. If I have to write about what the poem means, I just write about the way it makes me feel. That is how I know what a poem means.

Your essay should be written so that it presents your ideas in a coherent, logically structured and organized manner. In other words, it should still be composed of distinct paragraphs and should flow logically. Remember to provide background and context for the discussion in your introductory paragraph and construct a clear, well-focused thesis statement that responds to the prompt. Your reader doesn't know who the student is, what her arguments are, or where the arguments came from, so provide this context for the reader in your opening paragraph.

Be sure to follow all the directions in the bulleted list below when writing your response.

● In your essay, discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of the student’s argument. (Although the student will remain unnamed, you may refer to her as Susan in your response, for ease of writing.)

● When responding to her argument, draw upon what you've learned about critical thinking and about analyzing poetry from Kennedy and Gioia's instructions and explanations in Backpack Literature, from Ruggiero’s advice on critical thinking in Beyond Feelings, and from Charles Darling's article, “Discerning Right and Wrong in the Garden of Literature.”

● All three sources listed above must be cited. Be sure to select relevant, aptly chosen quotations to support and illustrate your claims.

Must Do's

1. Analyze the student's argument carefully and respond to each of her claims. 2. Provide at least 2-3 relevant, aptly chosen citations from all three of these

sources in order for your response to be considered complete.

○ When you cite Charles Darling’s essay, cite his claims about poetry, not his examples.

○ In other words, do not use his analysis of the poems. Those are his examples, not his claims.

3. Provide examples of the two poems “Bilingual/Bilingüe” by Rhina P. Espaillat and poem “The minefield” by Daniel Thiel to illustrate and/or support your claims.

○ I'm most interested in seeing what you've learned about reading, analyzing, and responding to poetry and about critical thinking as it applies to the study of literature, in general, and the study of poetry, in particular.

○ Feel free to give additional examples from other poems you've encountered during this unit of study.

Additional Guidelines:

● You may use first person POV (“I”), but only if it's relevant and necessary. ● Be sure to cite all works correctly within your response. In other words,

practice what you've learned about citing lines of poetry in your response when you give examples, and practice what you've learned or already know about citing prose (i.e., anything other than poetry, in this case, information from the textbooks and the article) when you offer support for your claims.

● No Works Cited page needed. ● You may use a dictionary or thesaurus if you think either will help you write a

strong essay.