When I was young my heart and head were light,
And I was gay and feckless as a colt
Out in the fields, with morning in the may,
Wind on the grass, wings in the orchard bloom.
O thrilling sweet, my joy, when life was free
And all the paths led on from hawthorn-time
Across the carolling meadows into June.
But now my heart is heavy-laden. I sit
Burning my dreams away beside the fire:
For death has made me wise and bitter and strong;
And I am rich in all that I have lost.
O starshine on the fields of long-ago,
Bring me the darkness and the nightingale;
Dim wealds of vanished summer, peace of home,
And silence; and the faces of my friends.
Siegfried Sassoon
This is the poem the essay should be based on.
Pick a poem from any poet this semester. It can be one that we have studied or one that we haven’t studied, but it needs to be from one of the poets we’ve studied. These poems span the eras of literature that we’ve studied; you can pick any poem you’d like, but make sure it’s one you like well enough to spend some time studying and “digesting.” Make sure to COPY AND PASTE THE POEM AT THE TOP OF YOUR ESSAY so I can read it as I grade your essay. This is NOT plagiarizing — you are presenting the poem you will be analyzing.Modernize the spelling and punctuation. You can translate this from prose to verse if you’d like; you do not have to keep the rhyme and meter. When these poems were written, spelling and punctuation was not regularized. Make sure that the spelling and grammar conform to modern rules and standards and that it’s written with modern usage.When there is a difficult word or a word that we no longer use (or rarely use), provide a footnote with a definition, so that the reader can understand. If you question whether a word is no longer used or rarely used, err on the side of caution and assume it isn’t and provide a footnote with a definition.Write a summary. After the poem, write a summary of what it is literally about or addressing, and why we believe this to be true. This should be no fewer than 3 paragraphs. Make sure that for every point you make, you provide an example from the poem and/or the poet’s life, and provide an explanation of how and why the example supports the point and supports what you’re addressing about the poem.Poet biography: After your summary, provide the background information on the poet. What from his/her life influenced his/her writing? How and why? How does the reader see this in the poem you chose? What other information does the reader need to know to about the poet to understand the poem and its meaning? (Don’t forget MLA in-text citations and a correct works cited page.)In another paragraph, explain the poem’s relevance and what it has to offer a modern audience. Explain why you say this. Provide examples and explanations.In as many paragraphs needed to address the content, reflect on the project itself and your process in completing it. What did you take away from this experience and do you have a greater appreciation and/or understanding of the: Era in which it was written?The poet and why he/she wrote it?Why we still read it today?How it links to the universal themes and characteristics that we’ve been studying all semester?How the poem still has an impact on the world today (since it’s survived and we still read it)?
Please be mind of using correct MLA in-text citations and having a correct MLA works cited page.
