English 112L
Introduction to Literature Professor Herman Asarnow
University
of Portland Fall 2009
PAPER
ASSIGNMENT #2
TO PREPARE: Right away, quickly re-read the chapter “Writing about A Poem,”
pages 1437-1459 in X.J. Kennedy's Literature. Note well pages 1457-59,
“How to Quote a Poem.” You are
responsible for handling your paper’s quotation of poetry in the manner shown
in these pages and in the sample poetry paper.
THE ASSIGNMENT: Write a paper of 3-4 typed pages (approximately 700-950 words) on a poem from about any of the poems Kennedy's Literature that we did not discuss in class, excluding the chapter on
“Song.” Make your thesis a specific claim about the poem’s theme(s),
what you think is its primary message.
Your thesis should make an arguable claim about the poem (something that
intelligent people might possibly disagree about). For example, you might argue
that a poem’s most important theme is X , though you know some might argue that
it’s Y, instead. Think of Louise Glück’s
poem “Mock Orange”: you could argue that the poem mocks humanity for being
subject to its sexual desire, or you could argue that the poem recognizes our
slavery to our desires while nonetheless admitting, and even savoring, our
sensual being. (Or one could argue something else—that the poem laments the
terms of female sexuality, for instance. Regardless of which claim (or others)
you might make, you would support your thesis by analyzing how several elements of a poem (i.e., diction [words], imagery, figures of speech, sound, form, rhythm,
theme and tone) are what lead us to and express the poem’s theme. Be sure to support and illustrate all your
paper’s claims with well chosen and well explained examples from the poem.
FORMAT: Send me by e-mail a copy of your
finished paper as a Word attachment. Your email’s “Subject line” should exactly
read: “Paper2ENG112L” . Also, please
name your paper’s file exactly this way:
“YourLastNamePaper2ENG112L” . Also submit your paper to Turnitin.com,
as per the instructions on our syllabus.
Make your final draft,
nice-looking, clearly written, and grammatically correct. Your title page, or the top of your first
page, should feature your name, the title of the paper, the page
number of the poem in Kennedy, and the course name and section #. Paginate your paper, please.
Remember: Use your first drafts
of the paper as a means of finding out what you think, not as the repository of
your first (and last) thoughts. Improve,
polish, and perfect your papers after you've written a lot. It’s at that time that you should work on
the higher and lower order writing concerns I mentioned in my comments on your
first paper.
WHAT'S EXPECTED: Near the beginning, be sure to explain in a clear, assertive
statement your paper's main idea (thesis).
Then offer evidence to support, to elaborate on, and to illustrate your
contention about the poem's main theme, as you understand it. Turn the poem upside down and backwards to
uncover evidence that supports your reaction to it.
THE CONTEXT: Write for an audience that will
be somewhat familiar with the poem, but not someone who's read it as closely as
you have. Think of your reader as the
best of your fellow classmates, experienced readers who will be looking for a
clear statement of your main idea and then convincing reasons and evidence that
show why it may be true.
·
A preliminary THESIS STATEMENT must be submitted to me by e-mail (asarnow@up.edu) no later than
Tuesday evening, October 27th, by 7 p.m. I will read and
respond to them earlier, if you get them to me earlier.
·
Bring a full draft of your
paper to a Writing Assistant no later than Tuesday, November 10th. See the Syllabus for how to make
appointments. Or just go to the Writing Center’s website: http://www.up.edu/lrc/writing/
for a link for making appointments. Be
sure to BRING YOUR PREVIOUS PAPER,
with my comments, so the WA can see what I asked you to improve on this
time. This is essential.
·
FINAL DRAFT DUE: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, by 7 p.m., as directed on page 1.
Please feel free to visit me during my office
hours to discuss your ideas and for answers to your questions about the
paper! You may also e-mail me, or
telephone me at my office.
Reminder About
Intellectual/Academic Integrity: Plagiarism
is the presentation of someone else’s words or work as your own. In academia and the arts, plagiarism is a
capital offense. In this class, it will
result in failure of the course and prosecution according the Academic
Regulations of the