Poetry

Poetry Essay # 4
This assignment requires one submission and is designed to allow students to
discover their own appreciation for a poem that they personally select from the “In
Context” sections (see no. 1 below). While the requirements must be met in order to
provide a gauge for the instructor to determine a grade, creativity is highly encouraged.
There really is no reason students are not able to be both creative and analytical. This is
an opportunity for students who feel they are restricted by conventional writing methods,
but for those who find them more comfortable, a traditional essay is also acceptable to
do as long as it adheres to the standards of all other essays required for this class as
well as fulfills the basic requirements of this assignment described below.
1. Poem/Poet Selection: First select one poem from the following “In Context”
sections in the Literature text: Edgar Allan Poe (p. 130); Robert Frost (p. 953); Langston
Hughes (p. 989); Emily Dickinson (p. 907); or William Shakespeare (p. 1387) with the
exception of those already assigned as part of coursework. This means that those
poems which are part of the class required readings are not eligible for this
assignment.
2. Biographical Source(s) on Poet: Read the related “In Context” section that
discusses biographical and other information about the poet who wrote the poem you
selected in step 1 (above). A minimum of one biographical source is required. A
biographical source provides information about the life of the poet. Students must use
at least one of the following to locate a biographical source:
 Literature textbook (the “In Context” sections of the poets listed in no. 1 above)
 http://www.poets.org
No other sources will be accepted. This includes but is not limited to wikipedia.org,
web sites, Google, etc..
3. Poem Analysis: Refer to the questions in on p. 858/9 “Questions for Writing about
Poetry” of the Literature text. Select at least two questions from this list that relate to
your selected poem. For example, if your poem uses a great deal of imagery, then this
might be a good focus for your analysis. Feel free to include the question first and then
answer it under the question in order that you are clearly connecting to two of the
questions. Remember to write analysis. Do not give personal opinion or critique the
value of the poem.
4. Essay Organization: All essays must include three components as specified
below:
 Personal Connection: In a 100 to 150 word paragraph, state the title of the
poem, the author’s full name, and briefly explain why you selected the poem and
what it means to you personally. First person point of view may be used for
this section only. (Remember that since poems are considered short works,
poem titles must have quotation marks around them.)
 Biographical Information: In a 150 to 200 word paragraph using third person
objective point of view, provide a brief biographical description of the poet. Make
sure to include in-text citations for the source(s) (see step 2 above). Do not just
copy and paste text into your essay. This should be written in your words;
therefore, it will include some paraphrasing.
Note about Documenting Source
Source(s) should also be provided in an MLA Works Cited page at the end of the
essay. This means, at a minimum, there should be two sources listed in the
Works Cited: the poem and the biographical source. If you use the Literature “In
Context” section as your biographical secondary source, this means the source is
an anthology and Robert DiYanni is the author of the “In Context” section.
Therefore, in-text citations would include his last name and page number. Here is
an example: (DiYanni 989). The Works Cited page would document this as a
source from an anthology. Here is an example:
DiYanni, Robert. “Langston Hughes in Context.” Literature: Reading Fiction,
Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill
2009. 989 – 993. Print.
For Poets.org, document this as a page or short work on a Web site. If an
author’s name is not included with the Poets.org article, then in-text citations
would simply include the title of the work. Here is an example: (“Langston
Hughes”). The Works Cited listing would also start with the article title. Here is an
example:
“Langston Hughes.” The Academy of American Poets, Inc. 2014. Web. 12 Feb.
2014.
See the class grammar text for additional MLA information.
 Poem Analysis: In a 150 to 200 word paragraph using third person objective
point of view, use analysis to connect the poem to at least two of the questions
on pages 858-859. Do not simply give your opinion of what you think the
poem means. As with all essays, you must provide evidence to support any
statements you make. For example, if you state that a certain line in your poem
uses imagery, you need to provide an in-text citation from the poem of this
particular example and explain how/why/what it is considered imagery. See the
grammar text for information on how to format in-text citations when referencing
literary sources, in this case poems.
5. Creativity Option for Final Essay: This is where students can start to be a little
creative. Using your choice of digital media (such as web site, blog, Word, PowerPoint,
Office Publisher, etc.) create your essay following the criteria provided in these
instructions. However, please remember that creativity is no excuse for inaccurate
information. Just because you can be creative here does not mean you are unable to
include correctly formatted MLA citations for sources, have a correctly formatted MLA
Works Cited, or use correct grammar and spelling. As with all writing assignments for
this class, correct grammar, spelling, and MLA formatting is required. If you use any
online interface, make sure it is public and does not require the instructor to login, join,
of “friend” you in order to view your essay.
6. Traditional Option for Final Essay: If the idea of “being creative” is freaking you
out, you can simply write a traditional essay following these instructions but skipping the
option described in step 5.
7. Submit the Final Essay: Final essays must be submitted via Blackboard in the
corresponding module. Check the Schedule of Activities for due dates. For on-line
essays, such as a web site or blog, include the URL in the drop box window. For off-line
media, such as Word files, students should upload them to the corresponding drop
box/submission link. Students must use Microsoft Office software for digital files
submitted in the drop box/submission link.