You’ll respond to 1-3 texts we’ve read in our poetry unit in this class. You’ll want to move beyond basic reactions (avoid saying what you liked, didn’t like, what you found boring, etc.). Instead, you want to break down texts, interpret them, build connections, and analyze them closely. What’s something you thought about or noticed in the text? What comparisons did you see between two texts? What is a unique interpretation you have of this text? How does this text make you think about our world, other cultures, or yourself differently? What’s something that was important in this text? What were some important symbols or themes you noticed in it? The assignment is a bit open here, but that’s the point; you want to come up with your own response to the texts.
If anything in the class discussions or activities have prompted you to think deeper about a topic, feel free to discuss that, so long as you’re adding new ideas or depth to some ideas. You shouldn’t restate anything that’s already been said. Here are a few common mistakes to avoid in this paper:
Restating what has already been discussed in our class activities or discussions (I want to see your original thoughts here, not a rehash of what’s already been said)
Summarizing the plot of the story (I’ve read it, so you don’t need to give me background information here)
Focusing on too many ideas instead of one, main idea in the text
Helpful Tips
If written, this needs to be at least two full MLA-formatted pages; if video or voice, it need to be at least five full minutes in length.
You must focus on no more than three texts we’ve read in this unit.
Titles
Create a focused, interesting, and unique take on those texts.
Use at least two direct quotes from the text(s) in your response.
The essay should have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion, regardless of which format you choose.
The introduction should tell us which texts are being discussed, provide some background about them, and end on your thesis statement for this paper.
The body is where you show your interpretation and provide evidence of your interpretation.
The conclusion should wrap it all up and tie it all together.
The essay should flow well and have transitions between ideas/paragraphs; it should feel planned.
The tone can be conversational, as this isn’t a formal analysis.
It should be clear and easy to understand.
It should be free from filler, regardless of which format you choose
Text list:
Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare, starts on page 490
Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare, starts on page 568
Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare, starts on page 498
“A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns (not in textbook; link to website) (Links to an external site.)
“The Sick Rose” by William Blake, starts on page 508
“The Little Boy Lost” by William Blake (not in textbook; link to website) (Links to an external site.)
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth, starts on page 406
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, starts on page 621
Early Modern Poetry
“I Hear America Singing”, starts on page 544
“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson, starts on page 492
“Hope Is the Thing with Feathers”, starts on page 595
“Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost, starts on page 604
Modern Poetry
“In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound, starts on page 623
“The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams, starts on page 483
“This Is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams, starts on page 483
“Buffalo Bill’s” by E. E. Cummings, starts on page 563
“l(a” by E. E. Cummings, starts on page 563
“In Just” by E. E. Cummings, starts on page 594
Harlem Renaissance Poetry
“Harlem” by Langston Hughes, starts on page 607
“I, Too” by Langston Hughes, starts on page 608
“Mother to Son” (not in textbook; this is a link to read it) (Links to an external site.)
“The Harlem Dancer” by Claude McKay, starts on page 488
“Incident Poem”(not in textbook; this is a link to read it)
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