Essay Overview
For this option, you will write a 3-4 page explication of a poem. As the authors of Literature: A Portable
Anthology explain, this kind of paper “takes what is implicit or subtle in a work of literature and makes it
explicit and clear” (1267). In other words, it explains the purpose and effect of specific words, images,
figures of speech, and other literary elements.
You may choose to write on any poem on the below list. Notice that we have already discussed some of
these poems in class. You are welcome to draw on ideas you presented the discussion board about
these points. However, your essay should develop and expand on these ideas.
• Kim Addonizio, “First Kiss” (pages 635 of Literature: A Portable Anthology)
• Maya Angelou, “Still I Rise” (Blackboard)
• Willa Cather, “Prairie Spring” (Blackboard)
• Emily Dickinson, “Hope is the thing with feathers” (Blackboard)
• Paul Laurence Dunbar, “Sympathy” (Blackboard)
• Ruth Foreman, “Poetry Should Ride the Bus” (Blackboard)
• Barbara Hamby, “Ode to American English” (Blackboard)
• Robert Hayden, “Those Winter Sundays” (page 537 of Literature: A Portable Anthology)
• Seamus Heaney, “Digging” (pg. 578 of Literature: A Portable Anthology)
• Seamus Heaney, “The Pitchfork” (Blackboard)
• Langston Hughes, ”Theme for English B” (page 524 in Literature: A Portable Anthology)
• Jane Kenyon, “Happiness” (page 609 of Literature: A Portable Anthology)
• Theodore Roethke, “My Papa’s Waltz” (page 532 of Literature: A Portable Anthology)
• Carl Sandburg, “A Fence” (Blackboard)
• Richard Wilbur, “The Writer” (Blackboard)
Developing a Thesis
Your paper should be organized around an interpretive claim (a thesis) about how these elements
contribute to the meaning of the poem. Here are some examples of theses:
Weak thesis: “Those Winter Sundays” includes word choice, imagery, and figures of speech.
Stronger thesis: In “Those Winter Sundays,” the word choice, imagery, and figures of speech
show the speaker’s newfound appreciation for his father’s sacrifices.
The second thesis is stronger because it connects the literary elements to a claim about the speaker’s
attitude towards his father.
Weak thesis: In “Ode to American English,” Barbara Hamby uses a variety of word choice,
imagery, and sound patterns to show the meaning of American English.
Stronger thesis: In “Ode to American English,” Barbara Hamby uses word choice, imagery, and
sound patterns to demonstrate that American English, like America itself, is
vibrant because of its diversity.
The first thesis mentions meaning, but it doesn’t clearly state the writer’s interpretation of the poem.
The second thesis makes a clear claim about the argument of the poem (that American English is vibrant
because of its diversity).
Notice that neither of these examples are about deep, hidden meanings; you might have come to similar
conclusions yourself after carefully reading the poem and discussing it with your peers. These theses are
strong because they connect observations about the literary devices (word choice, imagery, etc.) to
specific claims about the poems (the speaker’s attitude towards his father in “Those Winter Sundays”
and the diversity of American English in “Ode to American English”).
If you’re having trouble with the poem you chose, please ask me (your instructor) for help. I am happy
to go over the poem with you or help you brainstorm a thesis.
Supporting a Thesis
In addition to developing a strong thesis, you will need to support it with evidence, such as examples
and quotations from the poem, and explain how the evidence supports your thesis. A general rule of
thumb is that for every sentence that presents an example or quotation, you should have at least one
sentence that explains it and connects it back to your thesis.
Essay Guidelines
Your audience is someone who read the poem some time ago. Assume your reader is familiar with the
poem but may not remember it in detail. Do not assume your reader has the poem in front them as they
read your paper.
Your purpose is to convince your reader of how specific literary elements (word choice, images, figures
of speech, etc.) contribute to the meaning of the poem.
Requirements:
• Your essay should be 3-4 full pages (not 2 ½ pages). Essays that are too short will be penalized.
• Your essay should follow MLA-style formatting. This means:
o It should be double-spaced and typed in 12 point Times New Roman font.
o It should have 1-inch margins on each side.
o It should have the page number and your last name in the top, right corner.
o The first page should have a heading in the top, left corner with your name, the
instructor’s name, the class, and the date.
• Your quotations should be properly formatted and documented. This means you need to
parenthetically cite the lines you are quoting and mark line breaks. See pages 1254-1261 in
Literature: A Portable Anthology for help formatting quotations.
• Your paper should be well organized. This means it should include:
o A short introduction (3-5 sentences) that briefly contextualizes the poem and presents
your thesis.
o Several body paragraphs that develop your thesis. Each body paragraph should have a
clear point, and all the sentences in the paragraph should explain or support it.
o A short conclusion (3-5 sentences) that sums up your argument.
