Description
For this essay, you must select:
- two thematically or authorially related poems from UBU Web Visual Poetry or UBU Web Historical or
- one poem from “Ekphrastic Poems” at The Poetry Foundation and the painting it is referencing
and perform a detailed analysis of their strategies in support of a clearly stated thesis about their shared goals. Your goal is to persuade your audience (your classmates and professor) of what you feel the poet(s) was trying to communicate with the poem(s) and their strategic use of form-- that is, verbal (meaning) vocal (sound) and visual (line breaks, spacing, visual structure, etc). Seek to cover as many relevant aspects of the poem(s) as possible in your analysis and place the works in conversation with each other, comparing and contrasting strategies to achieve the goal.
Guidelines
The final paper should be about 500-750 words long in MLA format (about 2-3 pages long, typed, double-spaced, with 1” margins, and a 12-point font). Any use of sources must be documented in impeccable MLA format—parenthetical citation (author’s last name & page number) and a works cited page for the primary works and any research you cite.
The essay is due on Tuesday, September 29.
Evaluation
Your essay will be evaluated in the following areas, with areas 1-3 carrying most of the weight of the grade:
- Assignment (fulfilling requirements, quality of thesis, and depth of analysis),
- Organization (clarity of thesis, thorough paragraphing, overall organization),
- Development (relevance of claims, adequacy of support, and textual evidence),
- Sentence Structure, Word Choice, and Grammar (weaknesses will be identified in these areas, but they will not affect grade significantly unless they get in the way of understanding the essay).
An essay that satisfies all the requirements of the assignment with a clear sense of organization and adequate development earns a “C” in this class. An essay that achieves the goals at an above average level of proficiency, with only minor problems in one or two areas earns a “B.” The “A” is reserved for nearly flawless, elegant essays that excel in all the criteria described above. Essays that do not fulfill the minimum requirements for the assignment earn a “D.” Essays that are not turned in or are plagiarized earn an “F” in this class, and may result in a failing grade in the course.