Song analysis essay

Song Lyrics Essay

Length and Format: The essay should be between 650-800 words and should be formatted in MLA style and include a

Works Cited Page (see my other attached document for a refresher on MLA). You need to cite the lyrics themselves and,

if you use ideas from another source (which is not required), you must cite that as well.

Assignment: Your task is to analyze the lyrics to a song of your choice by treating those lyrics as poetry. You should

choose a song which you can analyze using at least two of the poetry terms on the handout you received in class.

Use the following checklist before turning your paper in. These are the things I will be looking at when evaluating your

paper:

Overall Concerns and Formatting

_____ My paper is focused on the assigned topic.

_____ My paper has a minimum of five paragraphs, including an introduction and conclusion.

_____ My paper is typed, double-spaced, and includes an MLA style heading and title.

_____ My paper includes an MLA Works Cited page and in-text citations.

Writing Concerns

_____ My paper includes a thesis that ties my analysis together (hint: this could include the overall meaning of the

song).

_____ My thesis is located near the end of the introduction paragraph.

_____ My paper is unified; no unnecessary details are included.

_____ My paper includes enough details to support my point.

_____ My paper includes specific, concrete details; I have quoted sections of the lyrics that illustrate my thesis.

_____ My paper has an appropriate method of organization (each paragraph focuses on a different point.

_____ My paper includes transitions to move between paragraphs and ideas.

Editing Concerns

_____ I have proofread carefully for grammar errors (try reading it aloud for this).

_____ I have proofread carefully for spelling errors and punctuation errors (don’t trust the computer for this).

_____ I have proofread carefully for capitalization errors (and remember to put song titles in quotation marks).

Please note that the English lab has a paper reading service. The lab is located on the 2nd floor of Building 72.