Written Response

Instructions

Write a response to one of the following poems: “Dolor” by Theodore Roethke, “Filling Station” by Elizabeth Bishop, or “It Was Summer Now...” by Morgan Parker. All poem links can be found in the subfolder “Poetry reading assignments” in the Unit 1 folder. Read each poem before you decide which one to respond to. This is not a formal essay assignment. Your writing here (and for the other written responses) should fall somewhere between a discussion post and a formal essay. The emphasis is on “response”—what moves you, stands out, or is otherwise noteworthy about the poem you select, and why? Point out specific images, word choices, effects, or anything else that stands out to you, and try to relate them to the larger context of the poem. See the web site The Close Reading of Poetry, and/or the document “How to Read a Poem,” both linked in “Poetry reading assignments,” to review some major elements of poetry. Grapple thoughtfully with the poem you choose: turn it over, look at it from multiple angles, consider a possible interpretation. (It’s okay to ask questions that can’t necessarily be answered; many poems resist a final or definitive reading.) The more you can include specifics from the poem, the more grounded your response will be. Do not simply summarize the poem—I don’t want a book report. Requirements: • The response must be typed and double-spaced and at least two full pages (min. 500 words) long. Use complete sentences and full paragraphs. Proofread your work before you submit it; points may be deducted for excessive grammatical/mechanical errors. • Cite all quotes and summaries of specific lines with appropriate in-text citations in parentheses. Place quotation marks around exact quotes. • Submit your response to the corresponding Assignments dropbox by the deadline listed in the assignment calendar (located in Start Here). The Assignments link is the next item in this week’s material; you can also get there by going to Assessments > Assignments from the navigation bar near the top. (Look for the folder “Written response 1: poetry.”) Do not email me your response; it will only be accepted through Assignments. • Save your file in one of these four formats: .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf. (Other formats may not be read by my computer.)

• This will count as a 10-point daily work grade; points be will be given based on the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of your response. The desired goal of the responses is to hone your interpretive skills and link issues of craft to issues of intent and message—that is, not just to point out what’s in a literary work, but to argue and interpret why it’s there and what larger purpose it might serve. Please contact me if you have questions.