Poem Essay Assignment
Poem Explication/Analysis
One of the most effective ways to appreciate a work of art is to examine it closely. Choose one poem in our textbook and explore the way the poem uses various elements of language and poetry—word choice, symbol, image, sound and more—to create the poem’s point/message/idea.
Pick a poem from our textbook.
Do NOT pick a poem discussed in class.
Do NOT research the poem—your ideas only please. No outside sources.
Do NOT pick a poem by your Poet Report poet.
Do NOT pick any of the poems from the Poetry Midterm
*See below for a few banned poems as well.
Suggestions for process of writing the Poem Essay
~Look up words you do not know
~Identify speaker/setting (if applicable)
~Identify what happens (if applicable)
~Identify tone
~Decide what messages the poem might by trying to communicate
Then, write an objective, analytical interpretation
3-6 pages (750 words minimum)
No first or second person singular and plural (I/me/my/we/us/our/you/your)
Avoid sharing your process/your unknowns
Avoid conjecturing on the poet (focus on text, not author)
Do not bring the poet inside the poem or inside the interpretation–use speaker or persona
In most cases, the persona is singular. Do not use “they/them/their” (plural words). Pick one gender (sometimes you can tell the persona is male or female but sometimes not)
Avoid reviewing the poem (“This poem is smooth and easy to read”)
Avoid opening body paragraphs with lines of the poem with discussion following; instead, present a strong topic sentence and then use lines of poem to explore/prove ideas.
Poems to Avoid
“Because I could not stop for Death”
“Mending Wall”
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
“My Papa’s Waltz”
“London”
“The Fish”
“Helen”
(These titles above have analyses published in our textbook)
Poems you can use. <——-
"Arranged" by Hieu Minh Nguyen (this appears to be about an arranged marriage)
"We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar
“Alcohol” by Franz Wright
"Money" by Dana Gioia
"Song of the Powers" by David Mason
MLA Requirements for Poem Essay
You can use what I often call "limited MLA" when borrowing from your ONE outside source (your textbook's poem). Some of the details below are repeated in Pages called "Writing about Literature" and "Using Quotations."
Add your poem title to the introduction
Poem titles are placed inside quotation marks. Sample: "The Red Wheelbarrow"
Add your author's full name to the introduction. Sample: William Carlos Williams
If referencing the poet again, use poet last name
The author is NOT the narrator/speaker; do not add the poet inside your analysis; no poet conjecture please
Direct Quotations
Use short direct quotations to add strength to your poem analysis essay (avoid long quotations)
Because you have acknowledged the poem/poet already, when quoting ONE LINE from a poem, simply place the line number in a citation at the end of the quoted material
Sample
According to the poem, "so much depends" (1).
Because you have acknowledged the poem/poet already, when quoting TWO or THREE LINES from a poem, simply place the line number in a citation at the end of the quoted material. You must also add a slash (or two) to show when the line ends and a new one begins.
Sample
According to the poem, "so much depends/upon" (1-2).
Because you have acknowledged the poem/poet already, when quoting FOUR (or more) LINES from a poem, you must "block" the lines, mimicking the look of the poem as best you can as well as place LINE NUMBERS in a citation at the end. Blocked quotations should have a set up sentence with a colon before the quoted lines. And then blocked quotations should also have more lines in the same paragraph following the quoted lines. My sample below does my best to show this inside a Canvas Page.
Sample
According to the poem, there is tension and conflict immediately in the first line with the wheelbarrow image following:
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
(1-4)
PAPER LOGISTICS
Double space
1 inch margins all around
Use Courier New size 12 font
Type your Name, Teacher Name, Class, Date in upper left-hand corner of first page
Add your last name and page number in the upper right-hand corner (header)
Do not justify the right margin (the left margin is naturally justified)
Do not put an extra space between paragraphs; just indent paragraphs with one tab
Do not use all CAPITALS
Do include a creative title (the assignment should not be your title)
Textbook <—–pick a poem from here
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing by X.J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia, and Dan Stone. 14th edition.
Do not use any of these poems please
My Papa’s Waltz” (707), “White Lies” (713), “The Red Wheelbarrow” (718), “Rite of Passage” (721), “The Chimney Sweeper” (723), “Dulce Et Decorum Est” (725), “Grass” (737), “anyone lived in a pretty how town” (745),“Jabberwocky” (748), "next to of course god america i" (756), "The Minefield" (758), “Root Cellar” (768), “The Fish” (769), “Reapers” (771), “Embrace” (776), "The Victory" (Canvas), Neutral Tones” (905), "Occupation" (908), “Up-Hill” (910), “Nothing Gold Can Stay” (919), “Because I could not stop for Death” (997), “Metaphors” (790), “Simile” (790), "Turtle" (800), “To His Coy Mistress” (1105), "Oh, my love is like a red, red rose" (Canvas), “Richard Cory” (by Robinson 808), "The Watch" (833),"Eight O'Clock" (Canvas), “We Real Cool” (849) “Résumé” (850), “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” (876), “I Shall Paint My Nails Red” (897), "O Captain! My Captain!" (984)
Plus "You Fit Into Me" and "Epitaph"
It's best to steer clear of these poems as choices for your Poem Essay Assignment since these have the potential to be "discussed" in class (and therefore not an option for this particular assignment).
