Gemini English 102 Poetry Assignment
Mrs. Duprey
North Rose-Wolcott HS
Rough draft due date: April 20th Final draft due date: May 1st
Rough draft due date: April 20th Final draft due date: May 1st
Assignment:
Assignment:
Write a clear and concise essay of no fewer than 1000 words in which you provide a close reading of any poem from the Literature text (as we go through the unit, mark which ones interest you, then narrow; feel free to ask for suggestions; Chapter 25 provides additional poems you may choose from).
This is a careful and detailed analysis. Be sure to choose a poem that will be suitable for a paper of this length (if you start writing and are totally done in 500 words…choose a different poem!). There is a model in your text in Chapter 16; let it serve as a guide. You may NOT do a paper on the poems of Chapter 16!
How to approach this assignment:
How to approach this assignment:
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When you have found a poem you would like to work with, read and reread it many times over. Learn the meanings of all the words used it in (both denotation and connotation).
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Start your paper with a brief summary of the poem in which you identify the speaker and tell what the poem says.
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Begin walking us through it
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Discuss whether or not there is any metrical pattern governing the lines and tell whether this pattern contributes to the tone and theme of the poem.
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Or is the poem free verse? Discuss how that affects tone and theme.
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Look for figures of speech, then tell how those figures function in the poem and contribute to its meaning.
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Look for musical devices and tell how those devices help to develop the poem’s tone and theme.
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Determine whether or not a system of words has been employed, and if so, tell how that system of words contributes to the overall tone.
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Look for the other elements of poetry we have discussed in class and tell how they function in the poem.
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Don’t forget to consider the importance of the poem’s title.
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Discuss the poem’s theme.
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Keep in mind that different poems contain different elements, so all explications are not alike.