poetry (and some other things)

This shorter paper (4-5 full pages) will be worth up to 100 points; papers shorter than three full pages will not be accepted; if you are trying for a grade higher than a "C" (and you all are) it must be at least four full pages. This paper does not require research, but if you do draw on secondary sources,

And if you do have a Works Cited page, that does not count towards the paper's page count.

Papers must be in MLA format and incorporate supporting/illustrative quotations and parenthetical citations from the work you are analyzing. Be sure you have read and understand the Writing About Literature article and the general information on the Writing Assignments page. Also read the stuff in the sidebar (the pinkish box to the right).

Remember to review
the information on how to write about literature

Papers must be at least three full pages, or they will not earn passing grades (at least four full pages if you are trying for a "B" or an "A")

You must have examples/evidence in the form of direct quotations followed by correct parenthetical citations--this is not optional

Papers should be on topic, focused, edited, proofread

Any paper not in standard MLA-8 format will not be graded; please review your handbook

Late papers will be accepted up to a week after the due date, but they will be penalized 10%

If you have any questions, please contact me via e-mail

Your second paper will be a comparative analysis or two works (most are pairs of poems). The readings are in the Files section of Canvas in this week's Readings folder. After reading this week's lecture, compare/contrast any of the pairs of works listed below. Some brief tips have been added after each pair:

choose just one of the numbered pairs of poems (not all are poems, but most are) below and address the question/topic written after that pair:

SCAFFOLDING: you likely DO want to select a topic that you wrote your POST about in last week's discussion. That is the whole point of scaffolding; you compiled some first notes on the works that you can expand on and turn into a fully-fleshed-out essay. You MAY shift topics if you like, though.


  1. "To Lucasta Going to the Wars" and "Dulce et Decorum Est"--Look up the meaning of the title of Owen's poem and consider how it applies to Lovelace's poem; what do the two poems suggest about changing attitudes towards war over time? Why?

  2. "To an Athlete Dying Young" and "Ex-Basketball Player"--even though Flick Webb is still alive, the young athlete in Houseman's poem seems better off. Why? Compare this to other real-world examples if you can.

  3. "Living in Sin" and "Balances"--both show changing attitudes/situations; how can Giovanni's poem be seen as a continuation of Rich's poem? Which character is closer to acting on her changed impressions? Why? Consider just how long the woman in "Living in Sin" has been living at her boyfriend's apartment. How does this affect the idea(s) of the poem?

  4. "Ulysses" and "Let Me Die a Youngman's Death"--both poems seem to be about dying, but are they really? Be sure to look up Ulysses/Odysseus to see what his life was like before he returned to Ithaca; also, consider the ages the speaker of McGough's poem includes and each type of death he describes.

  5. The story and poem comparison/contrast in this week's lecture looks at how an old folk tale is re-imagined to apply to modern sensibilities/situations. Likewise, the old fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" is often treated as a light nursery tale, but the poem "Gretel in Darkness" is a much bleaker, disturbing, modern look at the content. How is Gluck's poem actually a more realistic look at a "simple" story that is actually built on one horrific situation after another. What does the poem add to the story that is not in the original (and why)?

  6. Having a flash of awareness (called an epiphany) while growing up is a very common subject in fiction because, well, it happens to humans a lot. Explore the epiphany in both "Pilon" and "Sleepover." Describe the sudden awareness experienced by the main characters. How does it change each character's view or life? What is learned? What (summed up as a one-sentence theme) is the point the author is trying to make? Remember, this is not an opinion. Look closelly at details throughout the story that support (literally or by suggestion/symbol) your obsesrvations. Consider how what is learned in the two stories is in some ways similar, in other ways different.

  7. Both Richard Wilbur's "Museum Piece" and Lynda Barry's "Two Questions" examine the different attitudes and perspectives and visions that artists have from non-artists. Discuss the significance of the illustrations in "Two Questions." How do they contribute to the story? Don't think of the symbolism so much as the nature/quality of the images. Likewise, in Wilbur's poem think about what the "good gray guardians of art" (not artists) perceive as art Vs. non-art and why. And what does this say about a very general notion among many (most?) people of what is and is not artistic? Finally, why would an artist view this differently from the general public. Note: since I play guitar, I generally think of this topic in terms of music rather than art, but it's really the same thing.

Some tips: