Paper 1

Assignments

ENG 102 

Paper 1

Prompt

Literature in general, but especially poetry, asks us to look at something we either think we understand or something that we have not thought a lot about, and to see it in a new light. It asks us to realize that its topic is more complicated, more ambiguous, and more beautiful than we realized.

For this paper I would like you to choose a poem from the syllabus and write a paper that answers the following question: what does this poem ask you to think about differently? In approaching this question, I would like you perform a close reading of the poem you choose and make reference to at least one feature of literature Jonathan Culler discusses in A Very Short Introduction to Literary Theory. 

This should be a 1000 word essay with an introduction and a conclusion.
 

What is a close reading?

A close reading is an analysis of a short passage of literature. In a close reading, the objective is to use the details in a short passage from a longer work to make an argument about its meaning. Think of yourself as answering three related questions: First, how does this passage fit into the work as a whole? Second, what is the meaning of this passage? Third, and most importantly, how does this passage achieve its meaning? 
 

Things to keep in mind: 

  • Focus on the poem you have chosen! I want to see you pay careful attention to the elements of poetry we have discussed:
    • word choice, 
    • figurative language, 
    • stanza, 
    • rhyming, 
    • Imagery
    • and tone. 
  • Remember that language is tricky in poetry on purpose. The poet uses language in ways it isn’t used in everyday speech in order to have a particular effect on the reader/ to make a point/ open up possibilities of meaning. Your job here is to explain how the author is using language in strange ways to achieve particular effects or meanings.
  • Notice strangeness, patterns, word choice, rhyme scheme, stanza and line shape, and analyze how those elements relate to or produce meaning
  • When you introduce an author, use their first and last name the first time you reference them. When you use their name afterward, you only use the last name.
  • Be as specific as possible. Do not say, “the author uses diction to set a happy tone” – say what kind of diction specifically and what it does –  give an example i.e. “Whitman’s use of exclamation marks sets a celebratory tone.”
  • Remember “the speaker” speaks in a poem, not the author. Say “the speaker says,” not the author says – the author wrote the poem, but the speaker speaks in it – this is a convention of literary criticism

Sample Outline:

Introduction: 
  • Introduce the topic that the poet is asking us to think differently about
  • Introduce the poem and the poet
  • Provide the topic sentences of your body paragraphs
  • End with your thesis or overarching argument – this will be the answer to the question of what the poet is asking us to think differently about and perhaps why
 
Body paragraphs:
  • Provide textual evidence to illustrate your argument
  • Introduce and contextualize quotes
  • Close read the quotes – explain how details in the quote relates to the meaning
  • Use in-text citations for all quotes
  • Tie details back to argument
Conclusion:
  • Tie everything together
  • Make connections to your own experience, broader issues

Warning: These poems are very popular, and they are widely discussed on the Web. I know about these sites and I will know if you get information or, more importantly, analysis from them. Be sure that you are reading the poems in isolation and basing your paper on your own interpretation.

Due Date: 04/05, (deposit your paper in this Google Drive Folder)

Format:

  • 1000 words
  • double-spaced
  • Typed