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Revised Poetry Analysis Essay Assignment Formatted: Font: 12 pt

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Introduction

One of the most important skills a burgeoning college-level writer must accomplish is the Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5", Line spacing: Double

art of analysis. Being able to understand the nature of a written work--what, how, why, and

when--is important to developing critical thinking and critical writing skills. Now that youve

completed a genre unit, its time to put your analysis skills to the test. Every genre essay you

write, including the critical approach essay, is designed to help you, not only analyze, but to

practice the writing process, with a special emphasis on revision. Each essay is one small step

closer to creating the final portfolio, where youll be given the chance to make revisions and

make each essay stronger.

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Essay Parameters

As a reminder, here are the poems you can analyze for this assignment. Only analyze the

following poems:

[I wandered lonely as a cloud]--William Wordsworth

On Being Brought from Africa to America--Phillis Wheatley

[I celebrate myself, and sing myself]--Walt Whitman

Ballad of the Landlord--Langston Hughes

I, Too--Langston Hughes

We Real Cool--Gwendolyn Brooks

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Daystar--Rita Dove

Dover Beach-- Matthew Arnold

Litany at the Tomb of Frederick Douglass--Martin Espada

Leaving the Motel--W. D. Snodgrass

Sympathy--Paul Laurence Dunbar

[Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone]-- W. H. Auden

Aunt Jennifers Tigers-- Adrienne Rich

On Writing--Adrienne Su

Sonrisas--Pat Mora

Blackberry Eating-- Galway Kinnell

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night-- Dylan Thomas

Still I Rise-- Maya Angelou (Blackboard)

Here are the elements you can use to analyze your selected story. Only use these elements to

analyze your poem:

Speaker (p. 509)

Situation (p. 525)

Setting (p. 530)

Tone (p. 546)

Theme (p. 548) or Theme and Conflict (p. 552)

Structure (p. 633-659)

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Essay Prompts Formatted: Line spacing: Double

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Select one of the following prompts:

Option 1: Select one of the poems above and analyze it using two elements above,

making sure that the elements relate in some way.

Option 2: Select two poems above and analyze them using one element that is related to

both in some way.

Essay Guidelines

Selecting one of the options above, write a three page essay in MLA format, complete Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5", Line spacing: Double

with a Work Cited page (separate from page requirement). This essay should carefully and

clearly analyze the poem or poems of your choice via the element(s) of your choice, showing

how they are linked/related. To aid in your analysis, your essay must include at least two quotes

to back up your analysis, but not more than four quotes. No quotes should be longer than three

lines long, making sure to properly explain each quotes use in your analysis. In other words,

dont just use a quote, then walk away from it (metaphorically speaking). Explain to the reader

the importance and significance of each quote and how it relates to your analysis. Only use our

text for this essay. No outside sources are allowed and will count against your grade for the final

draft for your ePortfolio.

In terms of the content, your analysis must include the basics of essay construction:

introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, it should not conform to the

stereotypical five-paragraph essay. Keep in mind that analyses can take several more paragraphs

to get your point across. In the introduction, be sure to include the name(s) of your poem(s) and
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the author(s), the element(s) youre using for your analysis, and even a short summary. End the

introduction with your thesis statement, which focuses on the main idea of your essay. The body

paragraphs consist of your analysis and should flow smoothly from one point to another via

clear and effective transitional words or phrases, such as Furthermore, Also, Another

example is, or even In conclusion. The conclusion, other than wrapping up your main ideas,

should also include some form of implication, evaluation, or area of ambiguity/unanswered

question from the text. This is addressed in our text on pages 1268-1269. This will add depth to

the conclusion and your analysis as a whole.

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Essay Assessment

Because this course has a portfolio requirement at the end, the grades for each genre essay will

consist of two parts: the basic requirements grade and the final grade. The basic requirements

grade consists of whether or not the essay meets basic formatting and submission requirements,

with feedback on how to improve your essay for later revision. This portion of the grade consists

of half the essay grade. The final grade will consist of the remainder of the essay grade and will

take into account the revisions youve made to improve the essays quality, as well as submission

requirements. Please note that plagiarism penalties will apply to this assignment (for both parts),

so make sure this essay is original to you for this class in this semester. Borrowing old

assignments is not permitted.

Due Dates and Submission Requirements

The initial due date for the first part of this essay is due Week Eleven. Check the course

schedule for the exact date. There will be small group conferences and peer review to aid with
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the writing of this essay. In terms of submitting this essay, you will submit the paper copy in my

office (80% of the grade) and via Blackboard dropbox (20% of the grade) on the due date. The

first part of this essay grade is worth 50 points and the late policy (-10%) will apply for

submissions provided one class period after the due date. No submissions will be allowed

afterwards.