7/28/2019 Poetry in-Class Essay Prompt

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ENGL 110 (013)

Approaches to Literature: The Craft of Reading

In-Class Essay Prompt

This essay must be written without the aid of notes, books, dictionaries (including

electronic ones), and other sources. Please write in the booklets provided and ensurethat yourname, student number, and name of your TA are clearly indicated on your

test booklet(s). Please write in pen and double-space your essay. Be sure to re-read andcheck your essay before handing it in. You can use as much paper as you like for

planning and scratch work, but be certain to indicate when your essay begins (scratchpaper must be handed in with your essay but will not be graded or read). You must hand

in your test sheet with your exam. Failure to comply with these instructions can result in afailing grade.

Write an essay that offers a well-organized close reading ofone poem [text(s) to be

provided]. Be sure to start your essay with a clear introductory paragraph that sets thedirection of your reading. Trace how the author develops these ideas in the course of the

poem through three of the following poetic elements: imagery (concrete and abstract),figurative language (simile, metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, personification, symbol),

diction, tone, contradiction (irony, paradox, oxymoron), sound patterns (onomatopoeia,rhyme, alliteration, assonance, rhythm, metre, enjambment), and narrative. Be sure to

back up your analysis with evidence by providing specific quotes of lines, phrases, orwords to support your claims. Conclude your essay by showing how these elements

convey, illustrate, and/or demonstrate some of the main themes and/or purposes of thepoem. Move from the analysis of specific elements into an original claim about the poem

overall (you may, if appropriate, consider the contexts of the poem but this cannot replacethe careful analysis of its language and structure). The length of your essay should be

400-500 words.

NB: You will be given a copy of this prompt, the poem(s) on which you will write, aswell as test booklets in which to write. Please bring extra pens (no pencils, please). In

order to prepare for the in-class essay, you should:

1) Re-read and review the poems assigned on the syllabus as well as notes fromlecture and discussion. The powerpoint slides shown in class can be downloadedfrom the course Vista page.

2) Look up any vocabularly from the course readings that might be unfamiliar.3) Mark up your course texts and practice writing a sample close reading.4) Talk to your TA if you have any questions about course content or about the

mechanics of writing an in-class essay.