Essay "Litters to a Young Poet"

Rilke Letters Assignment (FINAL ESSAY) Core 110—Spring 2019

Read the following directions carefully.

Instead of a final exam, you will write an essay (or letters) related to

the assigned reading of Letters to a Young Poet.

The approximate length is 3-4 pages (MLA format).

The final draft is due at the scheduled time for your class’s final exam

period (see Moodle for details and submission link). We WILL NOT

meet for a final exam.

Choose ONE of the following options for your assignment. Your

writing will be graded in accordance with the standards provided in

your course syllabus, including content, grammar, and style. Use

your knowledge of the writing process we employed throughout the

course.

You must brainstorm, draft, revise, edit, and proofread. We will not

complete this process during class. You are responsible for working

through the writing process.

Format your essay using standard MLA, as we have done all

semester: double-spaced lines, 1-inch margins, 12 pt font, identifying

information (your name, course, etc).

When citing text, refer to the author and page # in MLA format. Use

only the primary source (Rilke's Letters) and do not use research

sources. Since you will only use primary sources, no reference list is

needed.

YOU MAY NOT USE SOURCES/OUTSIDE RESEARCH. Non-

compliance with this constitutes cheating and will result in failure.

General directions and tips:

 Focus on analysis.

 Use textual support from the Letters text to SHOW—illustrate ideas and analyze the text rather than just reporting or telling (skills you used in each of your course essays).

 Assume your reader is already familiar with Letters to a Young Poet. In other words, DO NOT provide a plot summary.

 Center your writing on an original, meaningful thesis sentence.

 Structure your writing with an interesting introduction, a substantial body with paragraphing, and a meaningful conclusion.

 When referring to the action of the text, use the literary present tense, such as: Rilke advises the young poet to. . . .; When the poet asks Rilke's advice about his poetry, Rilke responds. . . .

Options: Choose ONE—

1. Rilke discusses many topics in response to the young poet, Kappus, in his

letters. Choose two of Rilke's prominent topics or themes, explaining Rilke's

point of view on each of the two themes AND analyzing how and why he

interconnects the themes. Center your essay around a clear, meaningful,

worthwhile thesis sentence.

2. Imagine that Rilke is alive and well (perhaps through time travel). He will

be visiting King's College and speaking to students. You are a student

advisor for Rilke's visit, and it is your role to explain to Rilke some of the

primary concerns of your classmates so he may prepare a speech directed

toward advising them in meaningful ways. Given the insights you will help

Rilke gain, he will prepare and deliver a speech to students. If you choose

this option, your essay is a transcript of the speech Rilke delivers to King's

students. Center the speech around a strong thesis statement, and explore

themes with depth in an interesting way. Also remember, Rilke uses poetic

language including similes and metaphors to explain and illustrate ideas.

3. Determine one of Rilke’s central ideas and analyze its development over

the course of the letters, illustrating how Rilke supports the central idea

and its relevance to Kappus.

4. Write two connected letters that will be submitted as one document.

The first is your own letter to Rilke, written in the form of letter, including a

polite opening and closing (Dear Mr. Rilke; Sincerely). In your letter, you

have the opportunity to discuss your life and any ideas or challenges that

you have, keeping in mind that Rilke's response to you will directly

correspond with your letter. In other words, you are choosing the topics

(school, career, love, personal issues, etc). You should relate to at least one

of the topics we have been discussing in class. After your letter to Rilke

(which need not be strictly autobiographical--you can fictionalize if you

want), write Rilke's response back to you, imitating Rilke's style and

expressing ideas consistent with what he expressed in his letters to Kappus,

the young poet. Remember, Rilke uses poetic language such as metaphors

when he writes to Kappus.

Make sure your letters have substantial content and depth, not just

skimming the surface but exploring ideas with insight and considerable

thought. Just look at a letter such as Letters 6 or 7 to see that Rilke spends a

few paragraphs exploring topics. If you use any direct quotes, which should

be done sparingly, they must be cited within the essay, using author and

page number in parenthesis--for example (Rilke 7).