Instructions

Poetry Essay

Background: Review the following material on writing essays as necessary:

The Norton Introduction to Literature: Chapters 18 and 19

The Writer's Toolbox (attached).

/content/enforced/89260-003470-01-2158-OL4-7982/TheWritersToolbox.Matthews.pdf

This assignment focuses on using poetry as your content. You will choose one of the poems we have read in class. You must choose one of these poems.

You will be writing a well-developed essay on the topic below, using MLA format, analyzing the topic listed.  Your essay should be 450-500 words in length.  Use this rubric to assist in understanding how this work will be graded: /content/enforced/89260-003470-01-2158-OL4-7982/RubricforAssessment of Poetry Essay.ENGL102.Matthews.pdf

This worksheet can help you to set up the components of the essay as described below: /content/enforced/89260-003470-01-2158-OL4-7982/Worksheet for Poetry Writing Assignment.docx

Topic: Write an analysis of the poem story using two essential elements of the poem as we have discussed in class.

Purpose/Thesis: Write an analysis of your chosen poem to demonstrate how the poem’s main idea can be understood by application of your chosen two elements. So it will also be important that you can effectively state the main idea of the poem to set up the premise of your analysis. It will also be important that you choose the elements which best suit the purpose of the poem’s main idea.

Keep in mind that the purpose of an analysis essay is to demonstrate how parts of something contribute to the whole. So here you are using two literary elements to explain how they support the main idea of the poem.

Content: You can use the element you presented in the discussion; however, please note, you should be certain that revision of that posting is appropriate to its use in this essay. Just copying and pasting it may not effectively present the material as content for the essay. You should use any feedback you receive on the posting to help you to revise it to suit the essay's new purpose.

Do not use any outside sources other than the poem and explanation of the elements from our textbook. The analysis should be your own based on your understanding of the material we have covered in class.

You are choosing one poem and analyzing it using two of the elements listed above. Whichever element you select, you are always connecting that element to the meaning of the poem and the purpose of your paper.  Be aware that an essay about plot is NOT a plot summary.  Your plot summary, if you must have one, should be no longer than one short paragraph (5-6 sentences). 

Sentence Level and MLA: Your writing should be carefully proofed for sentence-level concerns. It should be documented according to MLA documentation in the form of parenthetical citations and a Works Cited page (work from an anthology).

Reflection: When complete, upload your work to the Assignment Folder within the link "Poetry Essay" by the deadline. In the comment box, provide an overview of your writing process for this essay. Also note two areas which you would like me to focus closely on, such as thesis statement and topic sentences.