Poetry Essay, writing homework help

Select a single poem below for your paper. 

Langston Hughes “I, Too”

Robert Frost “The Road Not Taken”

Emily Dickinson “I heard a Fly Buzz – when I died”

Walt Whitman “O Captain! My Captain!”

Robert Frost “Desert Places”

Theodore Roethke “Root Cellar”

Dylan Thomas “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”

Anne Bradstreet “The Author to her Book”

Before you begin writing, I suggest that you review the readings in your text on writing about literature.  You may also find this section from the Purdue OWL helpful:  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/618/01/  or this section from the UNC OWL: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/specific-writing-assignments/poetry-explications

Your paper is an explication of the poem, not a simple summary of what the lines say.

First, develop a thesis that clearly states your interpretation of the poem you have chosen.  What is the theme or meaning of the poem, and how do you know?  Then provide a thorough explication that illuminates how the evidence in the text supports that thesis. 

You may choose any poem that we have read in this part of the course.  However, you should not merely repeat a discussion we have already had during a class session.  The intent of this assignment is to get you to think carefully and independently about a single poem, and to develop your own unique interpretation of that poem.  Then, in your paper, you must convey that thinking and understanding to your reader. 

Remember to create a clear thesis.  Remember to explain yourself fully and to illustrate with examples from the poem which you carefully analyze.  This is an explication only, so focus on the text itself rather than outside research.

Remember also that your purpose is not to summarize the poem, but to explicate, analyze, and explain.

Length: At least 2 full pages.

Format: MLA.  You should include proper citation to our text at the end of the paper.

Also, please note that I can only accept Microsoft Word compatible file attachments submitted in the dropbox.