Write a 3 - 5 page essay analyzing the structure and function of one of the three
books of contemporary poetry we studied in the second half of our course. You may
want to adopt or adapt the following method as a guide to writing this paper:
1. Prewriting: Choose a book. Which of the three poets do you want to spend more time
studying? Use the six questions from our class class handout, "How to Read & Evaluate
a Poetry Collection," as your prewriting guide. Jotting answers to those six questions
should give you a nice overview of your reactions/interpretations.
Advance a thesis: Articulate the main idea you will explore in your paper. Be sure
this is an analytical/interpretive claim, not mere opinion or preference, but based
on the lessons you have learned this quarter about reading poetry.
2. Drafting: Develop your ideas, integrating references to the poems in your chosen
book to substantiate your most important interpretive claims. Find the right balance
between quotes and explanations. Put yourself in the reader's shoes. It might be helpful
to imagine your reader as a fellow classmate whom you don't know personally. Assume
they've read the book, so they're familiar with the poems, but they haven't studied
it closely to become the expert you are now.
At this point it might be advisable to contact your professor and run your thesis
(&/or a brief outline) by him via email or office hour visit. A tutor might also be
helpful, especially if you struggle with college-level writing skills.
3. Revising: Refine your thesis: does it still accurately represent the concepts you
develop in your paper. If not, adjust it. Check for word length range and consistency
of voice and tone. Correct any spelling or sentence errors. Make sure your essay has
a title and comforms to MLA specifications for format.
4. Submission: Upload your paper to our Turnitin.com web site (see instructions on
our course syllabus under the "Policies" section). A 5 point per day penalty will
be imposed upon late papers.
Specifications:
Length: Approximately 1,000 words (most papers of this sort land in the 750 - 1,250
word range).
