Paper Topic
English 213H Dr. Rosemary Allen
Length: approximately 6 typed pages (double spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point type)
These are suggested topics for your paper. You are not limited to these topics, but if you decide to write on another topic you MUST consult with me no later than April 14.
I want you to do a close reading of a poem by one of the authors from English literature since 1660; it MUST be a poem we have not discussed in class. I have listed some possibilities below. If you have another poem you would like to work with, let me know by April 14. However, do not select any poem outside this list without getting my approval.
Wordsworth, "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tinturn Abbey" or "Resolution
and Independence"
Coleridge, "This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison" or "Dejection: An Ode"
Shelley, "Ode to the West Wind"
Keats, "Ode on Indolence"
Tennyson, "The Lotos-Eaters" or "Tithonus"
Browning, "The Bishop Orders His Tomb" or "Abt Vogler"
Yeats, "Easter 1916"
Eliot, "The Hollow Men"
Owen, "Insensibility" (handout, or on the internet)
To do a close reading, you need to read the poem very carefully and figure out how every part of the poem functions. Don't just paraphrase the poem. Try to understand WHY the poet wrote it the way he did, remembering that poets usually include no unnecessary words or images. I want you to pay attention to the subtlety of the way language works, and I want you to learn how complicated a process communication can be.
Your thesis will state a) what you believe the poet was trying to accomplish, and b) your statement of how the poet accomplishes it. Be sure that you can develop at least five full pages. If you can't (without resorting to flagrant BS), pick a different poem.
The body of your paper will consist of a series of paragraphs, each of which will take a logically unified section of the poem and discuss how it contributes to that purpose you outlined in your thesis. Discuss the poem in sections, and show how the sections work together. Make sure each paragraph starts with a clear topic sentence that focuses on the idea you will discuss in the paragraph (not just on the plot of the poem) Pay attention to all details. Consider such things as these: Why did he choose particular words? What effect does the rhyme scheme or rhythm scheme have (if any)? What images does he use and why? Are there any symbols or allusions? (You need not limit yourself to these questions, nor need you answer them all.) You should not skip over anything; it's vital to to account for all of the content of the poem. You don't have to quote the entire poem, but you will need to quote words, phrases, and lines on occasion to support your generalizations. When you do so, document the passage by using the line number in parentheses after the quotation. Indicate that you are moving from one line to another by placing a slash where the end of the line would have been.
Example, as it might appear in a paper--
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In Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," the Mariner's attitude toward the water snakes shifts; he stops thinking of them as "slimy things" (238) and instead says of them, "O happy living things! no tongue/ Their beauty might declare" (282-83). |
Your conclusion will sum up your findings and attempt to place the poet in the context of the age in which he wrote.
DO NOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES ON THIS PAPER. Plagiarism is grounds for failure in this class (see my plagiarism site). I want YOUR reactions to the poetry, even if you're not entirely accurate. There is no single "right" way to write this paper; rely on your own intellect and imagination. If you're not sure you're on the right track, bring me your rough draft; I'll help you go over it. If you get stuck and end up looking for help on the web, you'll discover there is both good stuff and bad stuff out there. If you even LOOK at anything (whether you use it or not), TELL ME at the end of your paper in a "List of Works Consulted." You may also go to the Writing Center for help. Also remember that I'm an English professor, so I take this grammar thing seriously.