William FitzGerald
Fall
2006
English 220 - Introduction to Literary
Study
Paper Assignment #1 - Close Reading of
a Poem
Overview:
In this first formal paper, compose a 4-5 page essay in which you
perform a "close reading" of a poem (selected from below) that
plausibly argues (through a finely crafted, fully supported thesis) for
an interpretation of the poem based upon careful analysis of the text.
Neither background research nor explicit dialogue with prior readings
is required; only a maturing awareness--achieved through attentive
reading and engaged conversation--of the poem's rich compositional
features and interpretive possibilities is expected.
Your essay should exhibit a strong familiarity with poetic forms,
figurative devices and syntax. Equally important, it should demonstrate
reasonable competency in the orderly exposition of ideas; in the
clarity, precision, and correctness of expression; and in the aptness,
accuracy, and correctness of summary, quotation, and citation in MLA
format. Finally, your essay must attend to its own rhetorical situation
as an argument engaging its readers--members of this class--who are
familiar with critical terms, if not expert in this particular poetic
text.
Poems:
Choose one of the following six poems from the Norton Anthology of
Poetry:
"A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment" and/or "To My
Dear and Loving Husband," Bradstreet, p.286
"Ulysses," Tennyson, p. 629
"Sailing to Byzantium," Yeats, p. 774
"Filling Station," Bishop, p. 960
"Parsley," Dove, 1231
"Persimmons," Li-Young Lee, p. 1243
Formalities:
A formally submitted paper includes (in a folder) the following
elements: the work-in-progress draft; at least two 'responded-to'
drafts from peers; a comment from you on your drafting and revising
process; a proofreading copy of your revised, edited essay; a final
proofread text of the essay. Also welcome, is a personal note
explaining why you chose the poem you did.
The essay itself should be computer generated (double-spaced, left
justified, 10 or 12 point font) and include identifying information:
your name, the date, the class (English 220), appropriate title. Beyond
the first page, additional pages should include your name and
page numbers.
Timetable:
Assigned: Monday, September 25
Poem selected: Friday, September 29
Invention notes: Friday, October 6
Work-in-progress draft (at least three copies) for in-class workshop
(and take-home follow up): Monday, October 9
Written (printed or emailed) responses to at least two peers' drafts:
Wednesday, October 11
Revised draft: Monday, October 16
Resources:
While you may not wish to consult every resource through the links
provided, you will certainly wish to read several, at least, and
consider the advice and models carefully.
An excellent overview of best practices (including citation practices)
in the writing of a paper on literature:
http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/~dwhite/papers.htm
An equally excellent guide to 'close reading' is "Getting an A on an
English Paper" from Professor Jack Lynch (of Rutgers Newark):
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/EngPaper/contents.html,
especially the section on close reading: http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/EngPaper/close.html
More on close reading here:
http://academic.reed.edu/english/courses/Eng213/CloseReadings.html
(includes sample essays)
http://www.uri.edu/artsci/english/jjj/courses/English_375/assignments/closeReading.html
http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/s/a/sam50/closeread.htm
http://theliterarylink.com/closereading.html
http://www.sfu.ca/~dsymons/closews.htm
http://www.siue.edu/~ejoy/eng303CriticalEssay1.htm
Gain courage on discovering and formulating a thesis from Michael
Barsanti's "How to Be Original"
http://www.english.upenn.edu/Grad/Teachweb/thesis.html
... and test the strength of your thesis against Laura Heffernan's
"Thesis Worksheet":
http://www.english.upenn.edu/Grad/Teachweb/lhthesis.html
A most useful reference to literary terms and concepts can be found at
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_O.html