Poem Paper

Read the Explication: Revealing the Nature of a Poem.

Select a poem from this week’s readings only. Do not use a poem not assigned for this week. Do not ask me if you can use another poem.

Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper based on a close reading of the poem hyou choose.

Introduction: Name the poem and its author. Also say what kind of poem it is (See Week 2 Overview) and briefly how you come to decide what kind of poem it is. End with your thesis: by naming what you feel is a theme or issue (one theme or issue only) the poem addresses, what the poet is saying about that issue, and what literary elements or poetic devices the poet uses to convey her/his throughts about that issue.

Note: Put the title of the poem in quotation marks. Also, do not put Introduction as a heading, as it is not allowed in APA. The first paragraph is automatically the introduction.

Body of the Paper—Do not put Body of the Paper as a heading. I am just using it here to help you to better see the parts of a paper.

———————————Theme (Name it)

Name the theme again then explain how you come to that theme. An example is the theme It is not natural to have fences in Frost’s “Mending Wall.” Explain in the paragraph how you decided that theme from the poem. This is you interpreting the poem using the elements of poetry.

Also make sure to identify who the speaker of the poem is. The speaker of the poem is not the poet.

———————What the Poet is Saying about the Issue (Use this heading)

In this paragraph, explain what you think the poet is saying about the theme or issue. For example, in the theme It is not natural to have fences in Frost’s “Mending Wall,” we can say that Frost is saying that neighbors and all people should break down walls that hamper communication. Explain your how the poet used literary conventions and poetic devices, such as meter, imagery, and symbolism, to communicate her/his ideas on the issue.

——————————–Imagination (Use this heading)

In this paragraph, explain how the poet might have used her or his imagination to write the poem. Also say how readers might use their imagination to help themselves interpret the meaning of the selected poem.

——————————–Conclusion (Use this heading)

In one to two sentences only, wrap up the discussion. Keep it focused on what the paper is about. Do not go away and make broad, vague or unrelated comments. For example, a good conclusion is to say that you are happy to see what the poet is saying about the issue, and you agree or you do not agree and briefly say why.

Format your paper according to appropriate course-level APA guidelines. That means there should be a title page and a Reference page to list the source of the poem. See the appropriate course-level APA template and/or the APA Sample Paper.

Save your file in Word. No PDF or other non-Word files accepted.

Submit your assignment as an attachment. Do not ask me if your assignment. Call Tech Support to tell you how to check that.

Have fun working on your assignment. Pay attention and even document what you are learning a bout interpreting poems.