1,000-1,250 word count (about 4-5 pages) sustained critical reading of poetry. Your essay must focus on at least 2 but up to 4 poems to in which you identify a unifying thematic element, discuss how the poet changes or furthers our understanding of that theme, and then demonstrate how they use poetic devices to do so. The Albums of the textbook group the poems by theme, so that is one place to start thinking. However, it is not enough to say These poems both deal with gender.” Instead, you must to convincingly argue how these poets contribute to our understanding of your theme. To make a full analysis of your chosen poems and their relation to the unifying theme, consider the following questions: What new perspectives do the poems offer us on the central theme or concept? Do any of the poems show contrasting perspectives? How do the poets use of poetic devices contribute to their perspective on the subject? How do the forms of the poems affect the content? Like in previous essay, you will also need to use close reading and textual evidence. Poetry really requires you to consider the word choice, as poets are forced to be very deliberate with the words they use due to formal constraints. Devices like symbolism, metaphor, and tone will become even more important when looking for thematic elements. Grading Criteria: A clear thesis that clearly states the theme as well as the major topics of the essay Organized body paragraphs that include textual evidence with explanation Meets minimum word count/poem requirements 1,000-1,250 word count (about 4-5 pages); 2-4 poems. Submitted on time as indicated on syllabus Participate in Peer Review as indicated on syllabus Grammatical clarity and lack of editing errors The two poems I want to be used is Maya Angelou-Phenomental women Robert Frost-The Road Not takenShow more
